Immediately after planting:
Water plants as soon as you get them in the ground. Allow the water to soak in, then water again until the soil is thoroughly moistened. A consistent supply of water will be critical for your new plantings for a full year or more.
First Two Weeks:
Water plants daily depending on the weather and water deeply to encourage deep roots. Moisten the soil to the depth of 4-6 inches. The larger the root ball the more water the plant will need. How much water will depend on your soil and environmental conditions. Is your soil sand or clay? It greatly affects watering frequency and duration.
Rain showers may not supply adequate water for any given day. A shower may only produce a quarter inch; or if three inches falls quickly, much of it may be lost as surface runoff.
First Month:
Unless the weather is extremely hot and dry, you may be able to decrease the watering frequency to two or three times per week. It is optimal to allow the soil to dry between watering because this encourages roots to grow deep. Too much water leads to foliar and root problems. Sand soils south of Tallahassee will dry out faster than clay-loam soils of northern Leon county.
Following Months:
Water only when the top inch or two of soil dries or when plants display signs of wilt.
Second Year:
Water deeply as needed. During prolonged periods of dry weather water once per week. Generally, it takes plants at least two years to fully develop a sustaining root system.
Following Years:
Properly planted and watered plants should be fairly well established and can thrive with less watering than you may expect. Drought-tolerant plants may require no supplemental water, whereas shallow-rooted plants or plants with greater water needs may require water. Many plants, when selected for the conditions in your yard, may need watering only once a month in dry weather.
Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Pick the right plant for the right place: Choose plants that match the sun, shade and soil in your yard. Even drought-tolerant plants need regular water until they are established!
Avoid planting in hot, dry weather: Plants will easily stress and not develop healthy roots under hot, dry conditions. If you plant in summer, plant in the cool of the morning when less water is lost to evaporation.
Young Trees and Shrubs: Young trees and shrubs need deep regular watering. During times of little or no rain, water deeply once a week until trees become established.
Choose the right watering method: If you are planting a few plants in an existing planting bed, hand watering can get the new plants the water they need while not overwatering the rest of the bed. If using sprinklers, four hours or more may be required to apply adequate water.
Get to know your soil: Is your soil sand or clay? It greatly affects watering frequency and duration. Our clay soils can only take in about an inch of rain per hour.
Check soil moisture before watering: Check soil moisture with finger or spade. Soil should be dry an inch or two below the surface before you water. Prior to planting make sure the root ball of your new addition is not dry.
Recheck soil after watering: At least an hour after you water, probe soil to see how deeply the water penetrated. If it didn’t reach the root zone, you may need to increase your watering. If the area is soggy, try cutting back on watering next time.