A rain gauge is a useful addition to the range of garden equipment. It
can
be very difficult to guess how much rain has fallen in a particular
shower.
Even a thunderstorm with torrents of water coming down may only deposit a
millimetre or two. Also when it rains overnight, the ground may look wet
through but the gauge can tell the true story. Other mornings the ground
may
just "look" damp but half an inch or more of rain could have fallen
steadily
overnight.

Also good for establishing just how much water you have given by hose -
it may be less than you think.
--
Kay Easton

Very true. I remember when I first took to gardening years ago and hosed a
patch until I thought it was well soaked - until I dug up a little earth and
found that the water hadn't penetrated below the first inch of soil.
Someone once told me that it is best not to superficially water plants too
often since it encourages the roots to form near to the surface - thus
making them susceptible to wilting in dry weather. Better to water
infrequently but to absolutely soak the ground when doing so to ensure the
water goes deep - this encourages plant roots to form deeper and then makes
them more tolerant to prolonged periods of dry weather.

--
Drakanthus.


(Spam filter: Include the word VB anywhere in the subject line or emails
will never reach me.)