How to Limit Yard and Garden Watering Tips to reduce summer watering and still keep plants alive! Mulch around plants with shredded bark mulch, aged compost mix or aged manure mix. If you can't mulch large areas, spread a good layer of straw (not hay as it generally houses weed seeds). Hoeing the ground around the plants brings moisture closer to the grounds surface for the plants. Plant perennials closer together to shade the ground. Use soaker hoses where needed instead of overhead watering. When watering with a garden hose, water only the ground around the base of the plant - not the...