If you take care of your soil, plant the right seed variety, what else do you need for a really great garden?

Water: a five-letter word that places chills up and down a person's spine.

If we put on too much we face a drowning incident. If we use too little we stress out plants and they die. Well, then how do you know how much? Good question!

In a vegetable or flower garden use a water probe. Who sells it? Where do I get it? What does it look like? Why not make one. A water probe is nothing more than a metal stick that has a sharp point at one end. It can be two or three feet long, and the sharp point at the end helps it to pierce the ground more easily.

A gardener takes the water probe, sticks it in the ground in the area to be watered or was watered. The probe gathers dirt on itself with the water in the soil acting like glue. If there is no water present dirt will not attach to the probe, and it will be difficult to push it into the dry soil. If there is water present the probe will go into the ground easily, and you will see the depth of the water on the probe when you pull it out of the soil. Water should be under the ground about six inches. Remember the old adages: "water seeks its own level water always goes down." It is true.

There are important things to remember when you water shrubs and trees. The soil surrounding the plant's roots is called the 'root zone' and serves as the plant's storage tank. Most of the roots spread one and a halftimes to three times as wide as the plant's canopy and usually penetrate two to three feet deep depending upon the size of the plant. Shallow or compacted soils can cause shorter and wider root zones. When you irrigate, water the complete root zone. Use your water probe to determine how much the water actually soaked into the ground. If the soil is compacted, the water will run off.

In Cochise County, a gardener should water trees and shrubs once a week in summer and every four to five weeks in the winter. Remember plants use three to five times as much water during the hot, dry summer months as they do during the winter months.

To prevent wilting, young plants should be watered more often than older plants. It takes as long as one to two years before the young plants get established. Water consumption rates vary greatly among plant species. High water plants (like roses) need to be watered twice as often as arid region plants.

On the next page I have listed some signs of over and under watering.

OVER WATERING

* Soil is constantly damp

* Young shoots are wilted

* Leaves are green yet brittle

* Leaves turn a lighter shade of green, or turn yellow

* Algae and mushrooms are growing

UNDER WATERING

* Soil is dry

* Older leaves turn yellow or brown and drop off

* Leaves are wilted

* Leaves, other than peach, curl

TIPS FOR EFFICIENT WATERING

* Apply 3-4 inches of mulch under the plant canopy. Mulch retains soil moisture and discourages weeds. DO NOT LAY PLASTIC OVER THE SOIL.

* Avoid sprinkling tree and shrub leaves with water. Salts which are found in the water can damage the foliage.

* Control weeds, including grasses.

* If you water by hand use a watch and time yourself. Sometime in the future think about installing a soaker hose.

* Once or twice a year water twice as long as you normally do to help leach salts out of the root zone.

* Expand the area being watered as the plant begins to grow.

* Prevent runoff. Retain the water in a basin around the plant or consider watering at a slower rate.

* Remember to use your probe!