| We would all prefer an exact formula for watering plants, but unfortunately, that's not the best way for the long-term health of your plants. There are numerous variables involved, such as type of soil, how fast or slow it drains, sun and wind exposure at your site, temperature, age and condition of the plants and much more. It's important to learn the specific needs of your landscape, both for its health and your water bill. Use the information below to determine how moist the soil is before automatically applying more water. Use a soil probe (any long, pointed piece of metal or wood to poke into the soil) to check how far water has penetrated. The probe moves easily through moist soil, but stops when it hits hard dry soil. The following depths are a guideline for how deep water should reach: Trees and Shrubs 2-3 feet Vegetables, flowers, herbs 1 - 1 1/2 feet Succulents 1-2 inches. It's important to water slowly, deeply, and infrequently so that salts in the water don't accumulate around the roots of the plants and water seeps out to where the new roots are growing. I suggest that you set your timer from 1-3 hours--you'll need to check how deep the water penetrates for an accurate setting. I hope this information helps you. You can feed your acacia in the spring with a 10-10-10 slow release fertilizer in amounts as recommend on the label. Good luck! |
