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HOME AND GARDEN: DIG IT! How Wet to Get column and photo by Michelle Riley

Water. A two-syllable word, made up of two elements, yet holds gardens at its mercy.

Gardeners are held in a constant state of questioning: Have I watered enough? Have I watered too much? How do I know when to water? Do I water after a rain?

Once a plant has been planted correctly, water becomes crucial to proper establishment.

Here is a simple water schedule to follow when planting something new: Container plants, grown in nursery medium: Water deeply every three days for three weeks. Ball-and-burlap plant: Water deeply once a week for three weeks

Continue to water deeply once a week during drought conditions, until rain returns, for both container and ball-andburlap.

Rain saturates the soil, with a typical rainfall reaching 1 to 2 inches. Think about how deep the root ball of the plant is. The plant would prefer a deep watering, which means watering when it rains. This will allow the water to percolate much deeper into the soil more quickly.

Stay on the watering schedule and be sure to water deeply each time. Watering deeply, but less often, creates a deeper and healthier root system.

A deep root system benefits the plant by granting it better drought tolerance, as well as access to nutrients. Thus answering the question: How much? Deeply enough that the water percolates past the bottom of the root ball.

On the other side, too much water may suffocate a plant. Plants breathe oxygen through their root systems and release carbon dioxide.

Most plants do not want to sit in consistently wet soil unless they are bald cypress trees. These trees have nodes that reach above the waterline to help them breathe. If your soil tends to hold water, let it dry out between waterings.

Red Japanese maples tend to lose their red flare in the heat of the summer because of a lack of water.

In scarcity, one suffers. In abundance, one thrives.

Michelle Riley is a local horticulturist, landscape designer, and consultant. She is the founder of the gardening subscription service, https://theplantmall.com/; MichelleRileyHorticulturist.com; and NeOhioGarden.com. She also is the president of All About You Signature Landscape Design, Inc. Riley can be contacted at info@MichelleRileyHorticulturist.com or by calling 234-678-8266.