I'm starting to bring in some of my large container plants and it's really difficult to tell when they need water. I killed off several plants last year with too much water. So, is there some type of widget I can use? Thanks
Yes, you can buy a moisture meter which takes the guesswork out of watering. They are available in garden centers and big box stores.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-moisture-in-plants.htm
Need to know 3 different schedules. Fruit trees, vegetable garden and regular plants, mostly xeriscape. Thank you in advance.
These articles should help. On the xeriscape plants, you shouldn't need supplemental water unless they are drought stressed.
https://cals.arizona.edu/extension/ornamentalhort/waterquality/watering_trees.pdf
https://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/mgcentral/uploads/Week5-perry.pdf
https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policesafety/docs/sw_waterefficiency.pdf
Approximately how many 5 ft yo 6 ft high PVC sprinklers can I hook together on one line and will using a smaller size hose help? Recommendations? I have no yard, just tall bushes, trees, etc. Neighbors refer to our yard as "The Jungle". Thank you.
These are good questions for a landscape specialist or even a local garden nursery expert. It's not clear from your email whether all your plants will take to this kind of watering and there are many variables that would require guessing on our part. You may also want to contact a local extension service for advice. Here's a link for that: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search?zip=19720&radius=10&services_search_action=search&submit=Search
My well water, before the softener, has a pH of about 8.3 and dissolved solids of about 330 ppm. The first year I watered with softened water water stupidly, and hope that is flushed now coming up on third spring. My perennials are puny and do not flower very much. Assuming all other factors are being properly addressed, can this water be used to water perennial beds and straw-bail vegetable gardens? Thank you for any insight in advance.
The problem is that well water can have contaminants and should not be used on edibles. You can buy a kit to test the water quality. (You may have done that.) The pH is on the high side of alkaline and is above the preferred range for most plants and edibles. You are right not to use softened water for plants because of the high salt content.
It's OK to use the water on ornamentals, but even they can suffer if the quality is not good.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/watering/testing-water-for-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm
So if this is true, how long do you need to flush the hose line so that you are not getting the treated water?
It depends on the size of your system, but this should not take more than a minute. If you want to get an accurate measurement, you can take a PPM meter and take measurements every few seconds. Once the PPM drops and maintains a constant number, you can be sure that it is flushed as good as it can be.
Is hard water harmful to plants? I have read about hard water that everyone should give the water to their plant after softening it.
It will not be a good idea to water with softened water. This will often lead to salt buildup, and will actually prevent plants from taking up water, properly. This article will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/softened-water-and-plants.htm
medium size plants and dwarfs
Without knowing more information about your plants and soil, these general articles may help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/watering/watering-garden.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/watering/flower-watering-tips.htm
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