How do you know how much water your plants need during the growing season? One way to find out is to check the soil moisture.
Use a steel rod, about 4 feet long and 1/2-inch in diameter. Fit a piece of wood on one end to serve as a handle. Simply push the rod into the ground, without twisting or wiggling it, and see how far it penetrates.
For most trees and shrubs, the feeder roots are in the top 10 inches of soil. So if the rod easily penetrates 10 inches into the soil there is enough water for plants to use and no need to water right away.
If the probe penetrates only 5 inches, apply water soon. Always try to keep the soil moist enough for the probe to penetrate 10 inches easily.
Don't let the plants wilt. Once crop plants have wilted, yields are cut in half even if they are watered enough to perk them up later.
