How deeply to water new seedlings?

May 30, 2016 9:28 AM

If I have some relatively newly sprouted seeds growing in the yard, should I just be watering the top few inches of soil? I know deep watering is good for root growth, but is it just a waste of water to water, say, 8-12 inches down? Is it preferable to slowly increase watering depth as time goes by?
posted by theshire to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Is your soil actually dry 8-12 inches down? Unless you live in a very dry climate, the soil 8 or more inches down is probably pretty moist at this time of year. You just want to water enough to keep the dry layer of soil on top moist with new seedlings. You want to water more frequently with seedlings to keep that top layer moist and then later water less frequently (and heavier) as the roots develop.
posted by ssg at 11:52 AM on May 30, 2016 [1 favorite]

Don't deeply water them, they'll wash away. Just mist new seedling thoroughly a couple times a day with a diffuse source of water (soaker head, sprinkler etc).
posted by fshgrl at 1:13 PM on May 30, 2016 [1 favorite]