Watering garden

alirob12

Hi - maybe a silly question - but hopefully someone will help. I have a rather large garden. the sprinkler is about 50m away from the tap. 1 sprikler is fine, but i can connect another 1 to it but then the preassure drops in both and its hardly worth it. (i know thats what happens - but is there a way i can connect 3 sprinklers and have them spraing as well as if it was 1?

thank you

peter_the_piper

No. Easiest way is to have a long hose and move it nearer. Mind you you could fill a tank and run a pump.

kazschow

why not rather than a sprinkler use a couple of drip hoses coupled to your hose, and woven round your plants, that's what I do in my veggie patch.

gardenroute

IMVHO sprinklers don't do that much; they only seem to wet the surface of the soil unless you leave them on for hours. A hose pipe or watering can at the base of a plant is much better.

You shouldn't need to use a sprinkler unless you have a new lawn.
Plants are better off finding their water deep underground instead a becoming reliant on light surfaced waterings.

alirob12

Thank you very much!!

I actually have about 200m2 which was planted last sept. It is nice, but it is dry in places. Should i water it? If so how much etc. I only use the sprinkler for the grass for everything else i use the hose etc.? I also only water the grass when it goes slightly yellow in places after a longish spell without rain. is that a good tactic?

Also as you seem to know a lot about gardening - should i feed my new lawn? (under 1 yr old?) it is not as thick as my older grass?
Many thanks for your help!!

gardenroute

A new lawn is worth watering when it is dry; if its not established it won't have the drought tolerance of older grass and the sun will dry the barer soil quicker.
The grass roots won't be that deep and its a large area so a sprinkler is best for the lawn. Next summer it shouldn't have to be watered at all, the lawn should thicken up over the autumn and winter. If it was sown last September, it shouldn't need watering everyday, just when it is dry, and sprinkle until the soil is wet.
You could feed the lawn, not sure if you have to, but it will help the lawn thicken up. It won't be as thick as an established lawn as the individual grass plants are smaller and haven't bushed out yet; so you could just wait until spring as see what it looks like. If it has to blend in with older grass then feeding might not be a good idea; fertilised grass can look different for years.
If you do feed make sure you choose an autumn grass feed which is different to the spring/summer feeds.
Any bare patches could also be sown with grass seed in the autumn as well.


Plants are best watered directly at the roots with a good watering once every few days instead of a light watering everyday. Some plants will also develop fungal problems on the leaves when 'sprinkled' on a regular basis.
If you've planted the right plant for the conditions and planted it properly, it shouldn't need watering after the first year.