PDC LESSON 5.4 WATERING – HOW LONG AND WHEN TO WATER

May 02, 2022

PERMACULTURE COURSE AGRO-ECONOMY

§ In sandy soils you can usually apply a lot of water quickly and it will be easily absorbed.

§ In heavy clay soils you should water slowly over a long period. Heavy applications will not soak in quickly enough, and a lot will be lost as run off.

§ Deep rooted plants such as trees should be watered slowly over a long period, to wet the soil to a greater depth.

§ Deep rooted plants can be watered less often than shallow rooted ones. Shallow rooted plants such as annual flowers and vegetables need frequent watering, but of a shorter duration at each watering.

§ Consider the time of day when you are watering. It is best to water when the plants will gain the most benefit and won't lose a lot of water through evaporation and transpiration. This is normally worse when it is windy, hot, dry, and sunny. So, if these conditions apply in full or part, try to water early in the morning or/and evening.

§ Just because the garden looks wet doesn't mean that the water has reached the plant roots. Take a stick and dig under the soil in your garden to see how deep the water has penetrated. Infrequent deep watering is far more preferable to frequent light shallow watering as it encourages the roots to expand downwards and outwards seeking the deeper water.

§ In picture one you see the watering system when you has all day plenty of water. Hats the Berber system in Morocco..

§ In picture two you see a bad wrong system what only support the new planted seedlings. This farmer does not understand organic farming which keep the soil always wet. So that the microbes will survive and give mulch, so they are protected from the sun and have food to multiplicate.

§ The third picture is a right complete Irrigation which can also be on surface as also subsurface to save 50 % of water and energy as also liquid fertilizer into the system direct to the roots.

§ See our blog smart farming solution and find the right for you.