 watering 101 watering 101 did you know that over watering is the most common problem in home and commercial landscaping or that outdoor watering can cause water use to double or triple during the summer this is often because people don t know how much water their landscape needs and it s one reason why irrigation whether it s a single sprinkler attached to a hose or a sophisticated underground system is a key component to your water conservation efforts the first point to remember is that the greatest waste of water is watering too much too often below are some basic tips to get you started but be sure to refer to the other pages in this section for more in depth irrigation information group plants with similar water needs different plants need different amounts of water sun and shade to survive some microclimates of your yard are probably hotter and drier or wetter and cooler than others create watering zones in addition to your yard s microclimates look at creating watering zones within your landscape inside each zone all of the plants should have the same general watering needs  allowing you to give each plant the water it requires not too much or too little watering zones help you avoid wasting water while helping to reduce the time and effort needed to maintain your garden  water when temperatures are cooler and the air is calmer make sure you water before 10 am or after 6 pm when temperatures are cooler and the afternoon winds have calmed so that evaporation is kept to a minimum  apply the amount of water your soil can absorb the amount you water should be based on soil conditions and plant needs here in the pacific northwest soils are typically clay or sandy loam which may take longer for the water to penetrate run off and puddling are visible cues that water is being applied at a quicker rate than it can be absorbed if this occurs you may want to use a cycle and soak pattern for your watering so that you apply water for a shorter time period let it soak in and then repeat the process for example if your watering schedule is 40 minutes per week and you plan to water two days per week your new cycle soak schedule might be to water for 10 minutes at 6 am and then again for 10 minutes at 8 am water to your plant s needs on average we recommend watering your lawn about an inch a week  a bit more during long hot dry spells and a bit less during the cooler spring and fall trees shrubs and perennials typically don t need water  as frequently however they may require more volume at each cycle so it is best to check with your local garden center or landscape professional on your plant s specific watering needs amend your soil with mulch mulches come in two forms organic and inorganic organic mulches include aged manure kitchen compost and bark chips or wood chips organic mulches increase the soil s ability to store water by covering and cooling the soil thereby minimizing evaporation inorganic mulches such as gravel and river rock can provide interesting landscape textures however they do absorb and reradiate the sun s heat increasing the amount of water surrounding plants will need to survive mulches also reduce erosion and help with weed control use about 3 inches of organic mulch for weed control but do not bury the crowns of plants because they may smother and rot if the mulch is too deep water will have a difficult time reaching the plant roots water thoroughly but infrequently watering thoroughly but infrequently will help roots go deeper resulting in more waterefficient droughttolerant plants this is one reason the consortium recommends watering one or two times per week it will also save you time set it but don t forget it the key to efficient irrigation is to adjust watering schedules frequently during the season if you set your automatic controller once for the hottest part of the summer and let it run all season you re wasting a lot of water that could damage your plants along with your wallet most modern controllers allow you to easily adjust your watering schedule based on the weather  watering gauge kit needs   outdoor  