The complete guide to watering your garden 03

Alsom please be aware that with a timer system your pots will be watered whether or not it has rained, so there is a risk of over-watering.How to create an automatic watering system in your gardenYou can create your own Hozelock watering system and make it work automatically by combining it with a Hozelock timer, as we've done on the Lazy Susan Garden. And no we are not getting paid to promote Hozelock, it just happens to be the best system we've come across. Individual items are available to make a truly bespoke system that exactly suits your needs and it is reasonably priced. And unless you've setup an automatic watering system before then you're best off starting with one the the Hozelock Micro Irrigation starter kits.These kits contain all the basics needed to get you started, such as a pressure regulator, hole punch, supply tube/micro tube, connectors and importantly installation instructions.

Also included in the kits, dependant on the kit selected, are misters, drippers, micro jets and mini sprinklers. Once you have installed a watering system from a kit you can expand on the system with Hozelock's range of micro irrigation 'add-on' components. You should also feel more confident about what you need after having first set up the starter kit. Before you decide on whether to buy a kit, it is worth noting that the kits also offer a substantial savings over buying the Hozelock micro irrigation components individually. Even if the kits contain parts you may not need its still worth comparing the cost of the individual parts needed against the price of the complete kits as the bundles are generally priced cheaper.Are You Overwatering Your Garden?Take a look at your garden. You can see that it isn't doing as well as you'd hoped. The lower leaves on your flowers are turning yellow and falling off and you're losing flowers. The plants actually look droopy and wilted, even though you've been watering them faithfully. Well the truth is, you may be watering your garden too much. Overwatering your flowers and plants can be just as damaging to them as underwatering. More plants die from being over watered than not being watered enough. If you notice the symptoms mentioned above in your outside garden or in your houseplants, you need to pay attention to how much you are watering. One simple way to see if you are overwatering is to check the roots of your plant.

Rotting roots are a clear sign of overwatering.As a general rule, your garden should receive one inch of water each week. This is just a general rule mind and you will have to keep a close eye on your garden. The amount of watering you need to do will have to be increased or decreased based on the time of year and the ever changing British weather. Check the soil in your garden before you water. Is it dry and crumbly, or is it muddy? Think how much rain we've had during the past week? If there's been a half inch of rain already this week, then you don't want to overwater. As we've already mentioned, a helpful tool to prevent overwatering is a rain gauge. When you water your garden, water it slowly so that the water will not just run off. Watering slowly also helps the water to seep deeper into the roots. Water your garden in the morning. And finally, remember that watering during the heat of the day just wastes water due to evaporation and watering at night can cause fungal growth!