Periods of drought and water restrictions require careful water management to maintain plant health while conserving a limited resource. Home gardeners should focus on deep, targeted irrigation, soil moisture conservation, and efficient systems such as drip irrigation when water is limited.

watering seedling By Jurga Jot AdobeStock — When water resources are limited, its important to use water responsibly in the garden. ⁽¹⁾

General Principles for Efficient Water Use

Responsible watering begins with a few core practices:

Water only when needed. Check soil moisture 1 to 2 inches deep and irrigate only when it is dry.
Water deeply and infrequently. This promotes deeper root systems and better drought tolerance.
Target the root zone. Apply water to the soil rather than the foliage to improve efficiency and reduce the risk of disease.
Water in the morning. Cooler temperatures reduce evaporation and allow plants to prepare for heat stress.
Use mulch. Mulch reduces evaporation and helps moderate soil temperature.

Rather than watering frequently, check the soil moisture frequently and adjust practices to maintain adequate moisture without overwatering.

Water-Saving Techniques

rain barrel By eqroy AdobeStock — Use water-saving techniques like rain barrels. ⁽²⁾

Adopting efficient practices can significantly reduce water use:

Use Drip Irrigation or Soaker Hoses

Deliver water directly to roots, reducing evaporation and runoff.
These tools use 30-50% less water than traditional sprinklers.

Improve Soil and Mulching

Adding organic matter improves water-holding capacity.
Mulch reduces evaporation and moderates soil temperature.

Reduce Water Loss

Avoid watering during the heat of the day when more water is lost to evaporation.
Eliminate runoff by applying water slowly.
Keep all hoses and irrigation equipment in good working order by fixing leaks and broken components that waste water.

Prioritize and Group Plants

Group plants with similar water needs to make watering efficient and easy.
Prioritize watering newly planted and high-value plants during shortages. Established plants have more extensive root systems and need less supplemental watering.

Establish Rain Harvesting Practices

Set-up a rain barrel to collect water from the home, garage, or shed roof. Learn more in this publication from the Iowa DNR: How to Build a Rain Barrel (PDF).
Establish a rain garden to slow, capture, and infiltrate water already in your garden.

Use Simple Management Tools

Rain gauges help determine actual water needs.
Water timers prevent overwatering and reduce waste.
Set an alarm on your phone to remember to turn off soaker hoses or other watering devices.

Watering Lawns

dormant lawn By soupstock AdobeStock — Lawns can be allowed ot go dormant for 4 to 6 weeks when water resources are limited. ⁽⁷⁾

Lawns are often the largest user of water in the landscape. When water resources are limited, prioritize vegetables, newly planted plants, and garden areas over turfgrass. The cool-season lawns planted in Iowa only stay green in summer if regularly irrigated.

Raise the mower to cut at a height of 3.5 to 4 inches. The longer grass blades shade and cool the crowns of turfgrass plants and promote the growth of a more extensive, deeper root system, which is more drought-tolerant.
Water deeply and infrequently to encourage deeper roots that are better able to tolerate dry conditions.
Water in the morning when temperatures are cool and winds are calm to reduce water lost to evaporation.
Allow the lawn to go dormant to conserve water. When dormant, grass leaves are brown but crowns and roots are still alive.
- Lawns can remain dormant for 4 to 6 weeks with little long-term damage.
- If water is still limited after 4 to 6 weeks, apply 1 to 1.5 inches of water in a single application. This will not cause the grass to green up, but it will keep the turfgrass crowns and roots alive. If the dry weather persists, water the dormant lawn every 4 weeks or so.
- Do not mow dormant lawns, and limit foot traffic to avoid damaging the grass crowns.
Do not lay sod or sow seed during dry periods.
Do not fertilize.
Any lawn areas that die can be reseeded in early fall. Consider planting a more drought-tolerant species or reducing the lawn's size to help during future droughts or water restrictions.

Learn more in this article: Watering Home Lawns.

Watering Vegetable Gardens

drip irrigation on tomatoes By diyanadimitrova AdobeStock — Drip irrigation works well in vegetable gardens. ⁽³⁾

Vegetable crops are especially sensitive to inconsistent moisture. For good production, vegetable gardens often need some irrigation. During drought, prioritize high-value crops and those in peak production.

Most vegetable gardens require about 1 inch of water per week from rainfall or irrigation.
Deep, thorough watering is preferred over frequent light watering to avoid shallow rooting, which makes plants less drought-tolerant.
Maintain consistent soil moisture to reduce problems such as blossom end rot and cracking.
Mulch with straw, grass clippings, or shredded leaves to conserve soil moisture and reduce irrigation needs.
Drip irrigation systems and soaker hoses work particularly well in the vegetable garden.

Learn more in this article: Watering the Home Vegetable Garden.

Watering Containers & Annuals

watering hanging basekt by shine.graphics AdobeStock — Hanging baskets and other container require frequent watering. ⁽⁴⁾

Containers require special attention due to limited soil volume. They frequently require daily watering or more during hot, windy weather.

Use potting mixes that retain moisture and apply mulch where possible. Coco hulls and grass clippings are good options.
When watering, water thoroughly until excess drains from the bottom to ensure the entire root zone is wetted.
If the soil has pulled away from the sides of the container submerged the entire pot or basket in a container of water for about 30 minutes to thoroughly soak the soil.
Move containers to shady or protected areas to reduce water demand.
Plant drought-tolerant annuals or succulents.
Consider eliminating containers, especially hanging baskets, as they require more frequent and abundant watering than other garden areas.

Watering Perennial Gardens

watering ornamental grass by Andrii_Abriutin AdobeStock — Watering established perennials is generally only needed during extended dry periods. ⁽⁵⁾

Established perennials are generally more resilient than annuals. Most established perennial gardens require supplemental irrigation only during extreme dryness.

Apply water deeply and less frequently to maintain strong, deep root systems that are more resilient to dry conditions.
Focus irrigation during extended dry periods rather than watering on a fixed schedule.
Maintain a 2- to 3-inch mulch layer to maintain better soil moisture by reducing evaporation from the soil surface.
Recently planted perennials (in the last 2 to 3 years) need closer monitoring because their root systems are not fully established. Spot water these new additions to the garden rather than irrigating the entire bed.
Avoid planting new plants. Newly planted perennials require supplemental water to establish, so now is not the time to establish them.
Remove those species that require wet conditions to grow well. Plan to replace them with drought-tolerant species once water restrictions or drought have passed.

Watering Trees & Shrubs

young tree with watering bag — Watering bags are helpful for watering slowly and deeply but they rarely wet the entire root zone. ⁽⁶⁾

Established Trees and Shrubs

Established trees and shrubs rarely need supplemental irrigation, even during drought. When drought is severe, established woody plants may drop leaves, but often recover once moisture returns.

Newly-Planted Trees and Shrubs

Newly planted trees and shrubs (those planted in the last year) will need supplemental watering to establish. Recently planted trees (those planted in the last 3 to 5 years) may require watering during extreme dry periods.

Check the original root ball and the surrounding soil of newly planted trees several times a week, especially in the first 3 to 4 weeks after planting. Water only when either is dry.
Water slowly and deeply making sure water saturates the entire root ball and the surround soil.
Place a mulch ring around the base of the tree to conserve moisture and reduce competition from turfgrass.
Several aids can help water trees and shrubs.
- Soaker hoses can be laid in the root zone of the tree
- Spot sprinklers can be used to wet the entire root zone. Use sprinklers in the morning to avoid excessive evaporation
- Watering bags are great options for slowly delivering water to the orignial root ball, but they do not reduce the frequency of watering. Additionally, they often do not supply moisture well to the surrounding soil. Additional irrigation methods will be needed to do that.
- Leaky buckets work much like watering bags but need to be moved around so the entire root zone is wetted. Like watering bags, they do not reduce the frequency of watering.

More Information

Photo credits: 1: Jurga Jot AdobeStock; 2: eqroy AdobeStock; 3: diyanadimitrova AdobeStock; 4: shine.graphics AdobeStock; 5: Andrii_Abriutin AdobeStock; 6: Aaron Steil; 7: soupstock AdobeStock

Authors:

Aaron Steil

Last reviewed:

June 2026

Watering the Garden & Lawn During Periods of Drought or Water Restrictions