Watering Flowers During Drought: Hand Watering and Soaker Hose Techniques

During drought or restrictions, prioritize by replacement cost—save the most valuable plants first. Annual flowers are more replaceable than trees and shrubs. If you can't water, cut back annuals and perennials by half and mulch heavily. Perennials go dormant under moisture stress.

Hand Watering

Hand watering isn't just for new plantings—it's efficient for stressed plants during dry periods. Direct application to the plant base, applied slowly enough to absorb, uses less water than sprinklers. To avoid runoff, use a water wand or nozzle that divides spray into rain-size droplets.

• Examine plants for stress signs (wilting, blue/gray leaves) before watering
• Apply about 5 gallons per 10 sq ft—approximately 1 minute at medium hose pressure

Soaker Hoses

A soaker hose waters a 1-foot swath on each side. A 50-foot hose covers 100 sq ft of flower bed. Apply 50 gallons per 100 sq ft when plants show stress.

To measure your soaker hose output:

1. Coil it in a large plastic garbage bag
2. Cut a small hole in one bottom corner
3. Connect to garden hose, turn on water
4. Suspend bag above a 5-gallon bucket
5. Time how long to fill 5 gallons