Did you know that there is a right way and a wrong way to water your plants? Well, we are here to teach you the best ways to give your plants that drink of water they so desperately need during our scorching hot summers and beyond. Remember these simple tips, and you’re sure to have the best-looking blooms on the block!

The main (and most important) tip is: DO NOT water over the top! Watering the top of your plants burns blooms and foliage, leaving your beautiful plants looking burned and weak. You’ll want to water close to the ground and in between the stems and leaves.

Secondly, the easiest way to water in between, under, and around your plants is to use a wand, like the one Lynn is using above! Pete’s carries a fantastic line of wands in various colors that will make watering your plants a breeze. We recommend the 30” One Touch Rain Wand by Dramm. Recommended by landscapers everywhere, this easy-to-use wand has a 400PL Water Breaker nozzle and fast, full-flow watering that won’t cause damage to your plants. It is also a one-hand operation: just slide your thumb to control the shut-off valve. Priced at $29.99!

We also carry the Dramm One Touch Fan Nozzle (see below), which is wonderful for watering containers, plants, and shrubbery. This is a great item to have in water restricted areas and allows complete and total water flow control with just one touch of your thumb. The corrosion-proof head creates a precise and gentle water pattern that won’t harm delicate plants and seedlings. They sell for $18.99!

Remember, the outside edge, especially the side that gets a lot of wind, is going to dry out faster than the center or the other side. So take a look and if it feels wet, don’t water it. If it’s dry (and it probably will be where the wind blows), go ahead and water it. Don’t drown it! Just move slowly along with the water hose underneath the foliage. Water 2-3 times around the edge before you water the whole plant.

More tips:

• Make sure to let the center of the plant dry out a little bit! Do not keep the center wet. 

• You’ll want to feed your plant every other, to every third time you water. We recommend using a water-based plant food, like Fertilome 20-20-20 or Fertilome Rooting and Blooming. We carry both here at the greenhouse!

• For the Geranium lovers out there, know that geraniums will slow down blooming in the heat. That’s okay! Just keep feeding them. When our temperatures cool off in September they’ll explode into color as long as you have kept them fed. Get them through our oppressive heat and they’ll be just fine!

• A well-established flower bed should be watered every other to every third day, depending on the temperature. If it’s really hot, water every other day.

We hope these watering tips were helpful to you. We want to help make gardening easy and fun so that you have beautiful plants all season long. As always, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call us or even better…stop by the greenhouse and let us help you make your garden the envy of the neighborhood!