In article , Stan The Man
writes
Professional gardeners keep watering thoroughly even while it's raining
since most of our showers don't deliver enough.

That is not universally true, or necessary, throughout the UK.

I'll take the point. But it is true in 95% percent of the UK.

I'm very surprised at that, living as I do in Yorkshire - my soil does
not dry out beyond the top inch or so, and whereas I need to water
shallow rooted things for the first week or so in summer, there is no
need for anything other than an initial watering for shrubs.

Certainly I've never noticed professional gardeners around here
continuing to water thoroughly.

Living in the SE was quite different, on light soil that would happily
dry out to at least a couple of feet down.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Janet Baraclough muttered:

The message
from Magwitch contains these words:

Why don't they just exchange e-mail addresses and keep their bilious
correspondence on a more private and agreeable footing for the rest of us,
who'd just like to discuss gardening?

I realise your attention span and comprehension skills are very
limited, but we are discussing the role of watering in plant
establishment , which is a gardening issue and on topic for theis group.
Unlike your recent lecture course on leukaemia, MRSA, parenting,
childrens' fashion etc.

Janet

No STM was trying to discuss watering and plant establishment... or rather
was, until you hijacked yet another thread and turned it into another long
boast on how it's all down to you this country has forests, gardens etc. at
all. Like I said we are not listening anymore and have all gone away or as
Jane Austen wrote "If you have nothing pleasant to say, confine your
discourse to the weather".

How's yours Janet? It's bright and sunny in Suffolk and I'm off to open the
cold frames to harden off my beans.

On 27/4/05 10:44, in article , "Magwitch"
wrote:

snip
Like I said we are not listening anymore and have all gone away
snip

For someone who is boasting that they're 'not listening any more' but
appears to think she can speak for the entire group, you have 'not listened'
and replied twice today already. I suggest you enact your boast and shut
up.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article , Kay
wrote:

In article , Stan The Man
writes
Professional gardeners keep watering thoroughly even while it's raining
since most of our showers don't deliver enough.

That is not universally true, or necessary, throughout the UK.

I'll take the point. But it is true in 95% percent of the UK.

I'm very surprised at that, living as I do in Yorkshire - my soil does
not dry out beyond the top inch or so, and whereas I need to water
shallow rooted things for the first week or so in summer, there is no
need for anything other than an initial watering for shrubs.

Then you are in the 5% (of the population, not land mass) who don't
need to supplement what nature provides. But ask the head gardener at
the next large public or private garden you visit whether and when he
waters new trees and shrubs. And also ask him if he waters when it's
raining. I know a number of them and the great majority continue to
water in all but monsoon weather.

Nor have I come across a nursery which doesn't recommend watering of
newly planted trees and shrubs for at least the first year and usually
two years, as he http://www.crown-nursery.co.uk/after_care.html

And luminaries such as Christopher Lloyd advise watering in the rain,
as he wrote he http://www.pr100.plus.com/Watering.jpg

Nurserymen and growers are good judges. Next time you're out driving in
the rain, see how many sprinkler systems are still running. With
metered supplies, the extra water costs them money but they still need
to do it.

Certainly I've never noticed professional gardeners around here
continuing to water thoroughly.

Living in the SE was quite different, on light soil that would happily
dry out to at least a couple of feet down.

In article , Stan The Man
writes
In article , Kay
wrote:

In article , Stan The Man
writes
Professional gardeners keep watering thoroughly even while it's raining
since most of our showers don't deliver enough.

That is not universally true, or necessary, throughout the UK.

I'll take the point. But it is true in 95% percent of the UK.

I'm very surprised at that, living as I do in Yorkshire - my soil does
not dry out beyond the top inch or so, and whereas I need to water
shallow rooted things for the first week or so in summer, there is no
need for anything other than an initial watering for shrubs.

Then you are in the 5% (of the population, not land mass)

Right - I wondered if you were talking population rather than land area.
Even so, I am surprised at the 95%. There are quite a lot of us living
in the N and W, you know ;-)


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In message , Kay
writes
In article , Stan The Man
writes
In article , Kay
wrote:

In article , Stan The Man
writes
Professional gardeners keep watering thoroughly even while it's raining
since most of our showers don't deliver enough.

That is not universally true, or necessary, throughout the UK.

I'll take the point. But it is true in 95% percent of the UK.

I'm very surprised at that, living as I do in Yorkshire - my soil does
not dry out beyond the top inch or so, and whereas I need to water
shallow rooted things for the first week or so in summer, there is no
need for anything other than an initial watering for shrubs.

Then you are in the 5% (of the population, not land mass)

Right - I wondered if you were talking population rather than land area.
Even so, I am surprised at the 95%. There are quite a lot of us living
in the N and W, you know ;-)


You can count me as part of the 5%. I water things when they first go in
but then they are left to fend for themselves (In the most part
successfully)
--
Sue Begg
Remove my clothes to reply

Do not mess in the affairs of dragons - for
you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

I'm the OP, and having been indisposed for a few days i have returned to read
more responses- and I have a couple of questions.

1] When considering parts of the UK as being (or not) areas needing
additional watering by humans to supplement the water in the soil, how would
you rate London? Its a heavy-ish clay soil here with the clay less than a
foot below the surface.

[Hopefully its becoming less heavy as i add organic matter and the worms mix
it all up for me. Prior to my inheriting this garden it appears to have been
largely neglected, especially as fas as digging is concerned. If I'd been
told it hadn't been dug since 1937 I would not have been too surprised.
Friends who were digging it for me had a *really* hard time.]

2] When plants (for example shrub roses like Rugosas) send their roots down
looking for moisture, do those roots go into the clay?

--
VX (remove alcohol for email)