Q: I planted three blueberry bushes last year. The written instructions I received said to give them 1 inch of water per week. How much is an inch of water if I’m using a garden hose?

A: The ultimate goal in watering, whether a single plant or a large lawn, is to have water penetrate 6 inches into the soil where the plant roots are growing. This should be done once each week. Since your blueberries are not very large now, five gallons per week should do the trick. Large plants (four to six feet tall) might need ten gallons of water per week if no rain occurs. When irrigating a lawn, put an empty tuna can ten feet from your sprinkler and stop watering when 1 inch of water has accumulated in it.