Gardening : Watering Devices : Watering Widgets : Home & Garden Television

The simple brass, twist nozzle remains one of the most versatile and rugged hand-watering devices.

A modern version of the brass twist nozzle features an insulated, ergonomic handle.

Since master gardener Paul James installed his automatic sprinkler system, watering his lawn, trees, shrubs and flowerbeds is a snap. But there are plants all over his property such as hanging baskets, container gardens, vegetable seedlings and young plants that still have to be watered by hand. Even the best sprinkling system won't reach every nook and cranny in his landscape. These gadgets can help to make hand-watering easy and a little faster:

One of the oldest and best watering devices is a brass, twist nozzle that allows you to alter the flow of water from a fine mist to a powerful spray. The twist nozzle is James' favorite watering device, and it sells for less than $10. Less expensive plastic versions are available, but they're not very rugged.

Figure A

Figure B

Another hand-held device that features an insulated handle emits a fan spray pattern only, but the shut-off valve on the handle allows you to control the pressure without having to go back to the faucet (figure A).

The next generation of watering widgets allows for one-handed operation, with squeeze handles that control the flow of water (figure B). These also give you a fair amount of control over the pressure and pattern of the spray, which is great when you're going from a plant that needs a fine mist to one that can handle a more forceful spray.

Figure C

While the overall design of one-handed watering devices has not changed much, the new models offer more features, such as one with five spray patterns that you control by twisting the head (figure C). The spray patterns include full flow, stream, flat, mist and shower. Having so many choices means you can water just about anything and everything without having to change watering devices.

Figure D

Figure E

Another updated version doesn't have a handle but has a dial that allows you to control the flow of water with your thumb (figure D). The best thing about these devices is the ability to water with one hand.

The watering device that James uses the most is a watering wand (figure E), which makes watering all his container plants easy. The long handle allows you to reach into large containers and avoid damaging plants, and the flow rate is just right--not so strong that it washes soil out of the containers. The long handle also comes in handy when watering flowering plants at the height of the bee season.

Figure F

A gadget known as a water breaker (figure F) works great for those first few critical months after planting a tree or shrub. Ideally you want to provide a good 10 gallons of water or so a week, but that's not easy to do since much of the water is likely to run off. The water breaker literally breaks a more forceful stream of water into a soft, gentle flow, giving the water a chance to slowly soak into the soil.

Figure G

A seedling nozzle (figure G) delivers a mere half-gallon of water every minute as a hollow cone of spray mist. Tender seedlings require a tender touch when it comes to watering, and while many of the water gadgets can be adjusted to emit a soft mist, this one does that and only that.

Figure H

Figure I

The fogger nozzle (figure H) does much the same thing, but delivers twice the amount of water. These are ideal for misting around plants in the middle of summer to reduce heat stress and to increase the humidity around plants.

If you need a strong blast of water, try one of the power-spray nozzles (figure I). With these, you can actually power wash the driveway or get dirt out of hard-to-reach places such as in the crevices of stone walls.

Figure J

Figure K

A fan-type sprayer with a long rubber attachment can be stuck in the ground or bent around just about anything you want. You can also bend it into an upside-down U-shape to make watering hanging baskets a breeze (figure J).

There is also a clever coiled hose that extends to 25 or 50 feet, then coils up all by itself and takes up very little space (figure K).

With all the different watering widgets on the market today, you shouldn't have trouble finding one that suits your watering needs. While James is always on the lookout for and eager to try new water widgets, he admits to sometimes resorting to one of the most trusted widgets of all--a watering can.

Also in this Episode

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-614
•	Watering Widgets
•	Gardening Q & A: Cutting Down a Tree and More
•	Salvaged Cedar
•	Dwarf-Conifer Garden

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