UK Gardeners Urged To Place A Pan Of Water On Their Lawn

This month’s dry, sunny weather might be good news to sunbathers, but it can be tough on gardeners – plants may be missing the much-needed rain.

But sometimes, even when you do everything right, your garden still looks a little… lacklustre.

That’s partly because, as the Royal Horticultural Society writes, watering during a hot spell (or at all) is a delicate thing.

Flowers, raised beds, potted plants, and grass all have different needs, for instance. Even within those, not all soils are created equal.

So it’s a good thing Montana State University has a solution involving a pan and some water.

Cheryl Moore-Gough, a horticulturalist at the university, says that those wanting to figure out exactly how much soil their specific garden is losing should try a “simple pan test.”

Using a straight-sided pan, she says you should fill it with water and mark the top of the liquid.

Then, you should watch it for “a week.”

“The amount that has evaporated is about the amount of evaporation that has occurred from the soil profile,” she explains.

“You’ll need to water that much to make up for evaporation plus the amount the plant has lost due to transpiration.”

This is especially useful in the sort of unpredictable and unseasonable warmth and dryness we’re seeing now, because it reveals how much moisture the weather has drawn out of your specific garden in your exact location.

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, gardening expert Chris Cooper from Hayter, manufacturer of battery lawnmowers, said that you should water in the morning when it’s hot out to prevent evaporation.

“When the sun begins to rise, your grass and plants will begin to soak up the water for healthy growth – so make sure they start the day with a decent breakfast,” he added.

“This is especially important in a heatwave, as the weather will be much cooler in the morning than at midday when the temperature is at its peak.”