Clever tip to make sure your plant gets enough water at the roots

by Connie Oswald Stofko

We haven’t had much rain lately, so if you have new trees, shrubs or perennials, continue watering them to make sure they have a strong root system before the ground freezes.

Sprinkling water on top of the soil every day doesn’t help. The water has to get all the way down to the roots.

Here’s an easy way to water deeply. This tip is from Kat in Amherst:

To water new or expensive plants I use an ice pick to make a small hole one inch or so above the bottom of a kitty litter jug, opposite side from the spout. Fill it with water and set the jug so the water runs at the base of the plant. There’s no waste and you know how much water each plant gets. Milk jugs work also.

Bonus tips: Here are some things I learned doing this with a milk jug.

• Start with a very small hole.
• If you want the water to come out faster, make the hole bigger.
• Remember to take the cap off the milk jug.
• If you want the stream to slow down, put the cap back on.