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Watering gardens in winter
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Posted by Jacmo Gold Coast (My Page) on Tue, Aug 2, 05 at 18:53
| Our garden is not quite 12 months old we have moved here from Victoria. We have stated a Balinese type garden and we have a spear pump to irrigate the whole garden front and back I have been told not to water the garden till after the dormant season about sept also when is the best time to start fertilizing the garden there are lots of new shoots already appearing what are your feelings on this subject |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Watering gardens in winter
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Jacmo, I suggest that you do it intensively but only once.
For instance, water for a whole day only once in the dry season- just to pull things through- this allows things to dry out again without encouraging the growth of fungus etc which tropical things are very intolerant to in the dry season-when they get wet and cold. This year it is unlikley that watering is required- we had lots of rain a few weeks ago and this will pull things through until the warmer months of October-December. From Kris |
RE: Watering gardens in winter
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| In my tropical garden I generally give a good watering once a week in the winter. My location is a few degrees warmer than yours but we still can get cool overnight temperatures. When it comes to tropical plants I shy away from the term 'dormant'. Yes many plants are dormant at this time of year but on the other hand many tropical plants are still actively growing (albeit a bit slower). For instance many of my spring flowering Heliconias for instance are growing strongly and will be starting to form their flowers now so water (and fertiliser) needs to be kept up to them otherwise they will not flower well. Andrew. |
RE: Watering gardens in winter
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If you are using slow-release or pellet form fertilizer, now is not a bad time to do it and mulch, mulch, mulch! Liquid fertilizer really would be wasted right now. Despite the (somewhat) balmy days and recent winds, my yard plants are standing up OK after the deluge. More tender things are getting by on a weekly watering. Don't kill them with kindness or you'll be in trouble in summer.
I temper that advice considering you have a spear pump you may be in a sandy area that drains fast? In which case keep adding as much compost as you can and check the quality of the water from time to time in some areas it can get very brackish. Once you have your micro-climate going, and have seen your garden through another growing season, I think you'll have worked out all the answers you need for your particular situation and a successful garden.
(Oh and don;t forget the gallery, we LOVE to see pictures!!!!) |
RE: Watering gardens in winter
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| I agree with Andrew re 'dormancy' : its a relative term. I water any new plantings daily for the first few days, then they join the rest of their peers (anything from weekly to twice-weekly), but its all based on the finger test : if the ground feels cool and moist, I dont water. I also maintain that the dry, cold winds we endure in August (SE and Central Qld, at any rate) have an adverse effect on anything with large leaves : I'm more inclined to keep the water up to them after a windy day than a warm one. As always, your mileage may differ. Cheers, Artie |
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