watering advice

1orangething 5/11/2011, 7:23 pm

I did MM as directed. Is it possible my beds would need to be watered 2x a day. We are hitting 90 here. I'm so impressed with SFG and the results so far. I will try to post 1 month pic soon. Thanks for all the advice.

westie42 5/12/2011, 1:06 am

Probably so there are other Florida gardeners who say so. Shannon1 is nearby and waters twice daily claiming it is a must for her SFG. Mulch and some movable shading are other things used in the sunshine belt.

duhh 5/12/2011, 3:30 am

I'm only watering every couple of days here in Az. Its been in the 90's or so mainly. I do have mulch and a shade cloth up as of last week. The best tool for me is to stick my finger down in to measure wetness. It may look dry on the surface, but an inch down it's still nice and moist. I sometimes use a soil tester/probe to confirm what I am seeing and feeling.

elliephant 5/12/2011, 9:11 am

I've put down mulch in two of my beds recently and I'm a convert! I was having to water daily and sometimes more and it was still drying out until I mulched. Only trouble is that I really topped off my beds I added in the spring and there isn't room for much mulch.

ggal24 5/12/2011, 11:02 am

This is my first attempt at SFG, so far I love the results. I'll be away on vacation during the hottest days of July (approx 9 days) and am wondering what people would recommend for automatic watering (other than having someone drive over to do it manually). Since I have a problematic well, I only like to run water for max 20 mins at a time & then let the well fill back up again. I'm thinking of getting an automatic timer and using my rotational sprinkler, although I know that overhead watering is not ideal. Perhaps set it to run for 20 mins at 5am, 6am & 7am daily while I'm gone. Am I nuts to think that this might work? Appreciate any and all comments, thanks.

BackyardBirdGardner 5/12/2011, 12:24 pm

Rule 1...You can't water your SFG too much.

Rule 2...When in doubt, read Rule 1.

Seriously, if it needs 2x/day, it needs it. You are the best judge since you are there. When it gets into the upper 70s, I water daily. When it gets to the mid-80s, I am usually hitting them 2x/day here in STL.

I don't think twice about it because it isn't that much space, and I can't overwater an SFG.

Squat_Johnson 5/12/2011, 1:05 pm

I have good luck with a fabric style soaker hose that is just under the soil's surface. I haven't used a timer, but have been looking for one...

**walshevak** 5/12/2011, 1:19 pm

I set up a sprinkler on a timer for 20 minutes at 7 am for the 2 weeks I was gone. Here's what I came home to.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t6610-i-was-only-gone-for-2-weeks-honest#58630

I've got the same system going right now as I'm at my son's house for 10 days. Will let you know what I find when I get back.

Kay

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