When to water

Once your plants are in the ground, if you have followed the planting steps above, they will be strong and resilient and will require less watering over summer.

All new plants will need watering at planting time, and then also periodically through summer and autumn, depending on natural rainfall and the severity of the season.

After you’ve planted your plant, pour at least 5-10L water into the depression you have made around the plant (see How to Plant, above). Allow this to soak right in and it will keep the plant happy for some time. Check periodically to see when it needs another drink, probably in a few days if it hasn’t rained.

For their first summer, aim to water plants at least once a month. In addition, plants should be watered BEFORE any hot spells, and may also require weekly watering if the summer is severe.

There are a number of methods for watering your plants. These include:

• A hose – depending on how far plants are from a tap.
• Backpack sprayer
• Fire unit vehicle-mounted spray unit. This can be filled with water and driven to the site
• Commercial dripper system
• Home-made dripper system – this is a simple option you can make yourself. Take 20L drums, make a hole in both the lid and the handle, fill with water and lay a drum on its side next to each plant. The water will slowly seep into the soil, leaving you to get on with other jobs.

PHOTO OF DRUM