From the ground up: How much water does the garden really need?

With the lazy, hazy days of summer, gardens are in full stride, and we want to make sure they have enough moisture - but, how can we conserve water at the same time? Generally, we hear that plants, lawns, and trees/shrubs need 1 inch of water per week. What does that mean? And is it true?

In a perfect world, yes, 1 inch per week of rainwater would be ideal, but as we move into July, we can expect less, even if we do not experience the dryness of the last few years. So, in order to maintain our landscape while conserving water, here are a few tips:

'The inch of water each seven days can be stretched to 10 to 14 days for most plants and lawns.

'In a sustained drought period, let lawns go dormant.

'An inch translates to 10 to 12 inches of moisture in the ground. A simple way to measure how long it will take your watering system (soaker hose, sprinkler, direct) to reach that depth is to wait until the ground is dry, and then turn it on for 15 minutes. Come back the next day and dig to the bottom of the moisture and then measure. If the moisture reaches 3 inches, it will take four 15-minute intervals, or one hour, to reach 12 inches.

'A direct water or soaker hose system is the preferred method of watering.

'The best time to water is in the cool of the early morning.

'For first-year trees and shrubs, direct water at the foot of the trunk, 10 gallons for each diameter inch of the trunk each week.

'For second-year plantings, move watering to every two weeks.

'Be sure that bare soil is covered with 2 to 3 inches of mulch.

These tips and more can found at the ISU Extension and Outreach website at www.extension.iastate.edu/article/water-conservation-tips-home

Becki Lynch is a Linn County Master Gardener.