How Much Water for Flower Beds?

Soil Types

• Dig a 6- to 8-inch hole in your soil and feel it to determine whether you have sandy, loamy or clay soil. Sandy soil is gritty and is common in coastal areas. It will absorb water faster than other soils. Loamy soil has a lot of organic matter in it and is more like topsoil. Loamy soil is ideal for flowers. Clay soil is hard, feels like plastic and is hard to break apart. It retains a lot of water and is therefore often over-watered.

How Much Water

• In general, flowers need 1 inch of water per week during their growing season, usually from spring until fall. On weeks when temperature are above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, flowers may need up to 2 inches of water per week. Feel the soil 2 to 4 inches deep. If it's dry, it's time to water. Also, remember rain may satisfy some or all of the flowers' irrigation needs in any given week, so water only as needed to supplement rainfall. You don't want to over-water your flowers.

How to Water

• Ideally, flowers fare better when watered once or twice a week to satisfy their weekly needs. Water flowers slowly, so the soil has a chance to absorb the water rather than pooling on top. For clay soil, split the watering into two increments with 30 minutes in between to allow more time for the soil to absorb the water.

Conserving Water

• Water flowers near their stems, and water in the morning. These practices not only help minimize evaporation but also give the flowers a chance to dry out before nightfall, which reduces the likelihood of rot and other diseases. Use a soaker hose, which also helps minimize evaporation. Apply 2 to 4 inches of mulch, which helps keep soil temperatures cool and reduces evaporation.