How do you water your plants?

I use the hose by hand for my plants, but I bought an overhead sprinkler thingy and have been using it for the first time since I moved to TN in 1983. We used them all the time in Texas when we lived there. But this is the first time our lawn here is in danger of turning brown. I didn't even know they still made those things - but Lowe's had several models. It's a life-saver!

The only method I don't use is underground drip irritation, er irrigation LOL.

You forgot to add rainbarrel!

LOLOL, Lupine! I use an overhead sprinkler on the garden right now and water the pots and beds near the house by hand. One day I'll get some T-Tape (kinda like soaker hoses, but they drip) and finish the watering system I've got going. Water is SO important here ~ can't do anything without some sort of system to get water to the plants every day in July and August. Times like summer I wish I lived somewhere not quite so hot and dry.

At this point, I can still reach most everything with the hose pipe. I'm also doing more mulching of my veggies this year, a la Ruth Stout - she claimed she NEVER watered once her seedlings were up, even in drought conditions. (Though with all due respect, Ms. Stout didn't live south of the Mason-Dixon, nor did she have this brick-hard clay soil to contend with, lolol.)

Just this year DH got me some soaker hoses while trying to decide how to do a real irrigation system for years. Still, I use a sprinkler from time to time and mostly carry buckets since we are so restricted on times we can really water.

Ugg! This was a hard one. I chose watered by hand with a hose, since that is how I water most things. We have 5 acres and we have things planted all around the perimiter of our 5 acre lot. We water the veggie garden and the close in flower gardens with overhead sprinklers, but when we get out a ways, we water the newly planted trees by hand until the hose won't reach anymore. Then we fill 5 gallon buckets and pack water to them. Crazy aren't we? LOL!

We pump out of our big pond and I tote the sprinkler around to each area of the yard. Needed a bigger pump so I could water lots more stuff at one time so I bought one and now DH has taken it and is watering the pasture with that one so I am still stuck with the little pump. :( Some of my plants are watered with a bucket of water toted to them. Also have some plants that are planted close enough to the pond that they water themselves. Those are the ones I like the best. Lazy, Lani

By hand, with a 10-litre plastic pot.
http://davesgarden.com/showthread/230005.html
A pic=1000 words!

This message was edited Monday, Jul 1st 6:21 AM

By hand with the hose.

Some things in my yard (flowers) get watered by hand but mostly with an overhead sprinkler. The vegie garden has some soaker hoses, some flood irrigation, and some hand watering with the hose. At times I resort to an overhead sprinkler there, but to keep the weeds under control I try not to use it. We seldom get any rain during our growing season, and with high temperatures, low humidity and plenty of wind, watering is very important.

I water with a hose from two barrells that catch water from the roof off my yard barn( 10x14) and a small sump [pump. I can dump a bag of miral grow in and do 2 things at once.

boxer that is a great idea. simple and easy and i would imagine cost effective too.

With the watering wand...none of this overhead sprinkling..not when you grow roses, for sure...I find this calming, watering this way..Elaine

Mainly I use a hose & watering can. I do have soaker hoses on some. I have also used a jug beside the plant but wasn't to happy with that. This year we don't have any drip irragations. Last year DH did water the tomatoes that way but wasn't to happy with it. Maybe I should have said, "all the above" *LOL*

Sometimes it is hard to vote. In this case, I use soaker hoses on my brug alley, watering hose on most of the beds, watering cans for the pots on the decks, and watering can solely when I need to fertilize everything. Last year I used jugs and 5 gal. buckets to drip water on a couple of my brugs, but with over 50 now that would look kinda seedy. Anyway, for what it is worth, these are my watering methods.

I love watering by hand with the hose - I find it an excellent way to relax in the evenings and get to see all my babies up close, check for bugs, etc. The only problem I see is when I go on vacation - will the substitute parents be as careful as I am while I'm gone????

I'm thinking of incorporating drip irrigation with timers so I can leave home without worrying....:)

I installed a fully automated irrigation system at the Fl place but here in NY we water with hoses and cans but the rainfall is adequate most of the time except for the containers.

I water selected plants by hand, with a watering can, as I try to force plants to put their roots down to find their own water, so I limit my watering to seedlings and surface rooters, like tomatoes. If the season is really dry, and my water butts dry up, then I use the hose and water everything.

I water from a can, but the rain does most of the work, and destruction, here in Hamburg.
When it should ever be very dry in summer, then I get the hose out and with the spry attachment water each plant individually.
The hose is looking a wee bit dusty at the moment, so I may just bring it out to clean it.

Wintermoor

We began the spring in a drought. When I planted the tomatoes in the garden I watered them well and mulched really well - I haven't watered them since. I use the watering can for the container plants. I use Soil Moist on all my containers and the tomatoes. I never water the "lawn" because of the drought and the fact that I try to mow as little as possible.

I have soaker hoses in the areas that need watering the most, I use the over-head sprinklers in my salsa garden and sometimes my herb garden, I use the hose with a watering nozzle attached to it to hand-spray my butterfly & bee garden, my bird garden, and usually my herb garden, and I use a sprayer that has the pointed bottom to it to stick in the ground to water at the base of my trees in my mini-orchard. Think that's about it! ;-)

I'm trying hard not to waste water so I'm making sure that there is a good mulch layer for starts. I have to admit that running a soaker hose in one garden allows me to get to all the potted plants and other isolated plantings by hand via an old 2 gallon watering can. Despite the numerous trips to the tap, I really like using the watering can.