Every gardener has heard the term "water deeply". It's better to water deeply once a week than to water shallowly more often. What does it mean to water deeply and how can you tell if you've accomplished it? Here's a simple test.
Generally watering deeply means the water soaks the soil at least 8" down. So wait about a half hour after you've finished watering and then dig down in the soil with your trowel. If it's not wet 8" or more below the surface, you either haven't watered enough or you watered too fast and the water ran off elsewhere.
A gentle soak for an hour or 2 is better than puddling soil around your plants and moving on.
