Gardening Tips for Water Restrictions

The following are some "rules of thumb" suggestions for getting your garden through drought conditions and the tight watering restrictions that many cities and towns have had to enact. These ideas are all part of good xeriscape gardening principles, and

  • Topic: Xeriscaping
  • Author: High Country Gardens
  • Keywords: Water restrictions, suggestions, Garden Tips, gardens
  • Date: January 2002

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The following are some “rules of thumb” suggestions for getting your garden through drought conditions and the tight watering restrictions that many cities and towns have had to enact. These ideas are all part of good xeriscape gardening principles, and will help your garden be much healthier now and in the future.

New Plantings and their Watering Requirements

Very xeric native shrubs/trees will establish on 1 day per week potable water irrigation. A 5-gallon potted xeric shrub or tree generally needs 5 gallons of water applied 1 time per week.

Most trees, shrubs and xeric perennials will establish on 2 days per week irrigation.

A 10- gallon tree or shrub needs 10 gallons of water applied 2 times per week.

Large balled-in-burlap trees need approximately 20 gallons of water applied 2 times per week. Sandy soils may require extra amounts of water.

Most perennials will need 1 to 2 gallons of water applied 2 times per week.

To Make New Plantings Water Efficient

Use Broadleaf P4 on all in-ground and container plantings. It takes 4 to 8 weeks for roots to grow into the surrounding soil and begin extracting water stored in the P4 crystals.

Prepare the soil with ample compost mix and other soil improvement ingredients Yum Yum Mix and Planters II trace minerals.

Fortify roots with the Root Stimulator Combo Pack. Liquid seaweed and SuperThrive encourage root growth and minimize transplanting shock. Add to your irrigation water 2 or 3 times at 2 week intervals.

Mulch all your plantings. Perennials should be mulched to a depth of 1 to 2 inches. Trees and shrubs to a depth of 3 to 4 inches.

Create a “well” for irrigation water around newly planted trees/shrubs/perennials by making a circle of plastic edging, rocks or rings cut from the top of a plastic nursery pot. This is highly preferable over a ring of soil, which melts. Fill the “well” twice when watering to completely saturate the soil and root ball.

When using drip systems be sure at least 1 emitter is placed directly over the root ball. Other emitters should be placed off to the sides to moisten the surrounding soil.

Maintaining Established Landscapes

Established landscapes (with the exception of Kentucky Blue Grass) can be successfully maintained with once a week watering. If restrictions allow, water twice if necessary.

Set drip system timers to thoroughly soak the soil once a week instead of running it for a short duration many times per week.

Mulch all your plantings. Perennials should be mulched to a depth of 1 to 2 inches. Trees and shrubs to a depth of 3 to 4 inches

Water established and mature trees/shrubs once every 2 to three weeks. Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses covered by a layer of mulch to apply water most efficiently. Soak deeply.

Kentucky Blue/Fescue turf grasses will struggle with a once per week irrigation. It will help a little if you use of a wetting agent sprayed over the lawn to improve water penetration. Rent an aerator to plug the lawn. Then top dress with a 1/2” layer of Soil Mender Compost to mulch the roots. Remember that non-native turf lawns use up to 75% of your landscape’s total water use.

Let Kentucky Blue grass die out so it can be replaced with native grass in future years. Dead Bluegrass can have Buffalo grass plugs planted right through it.