Watering.....

[Nicky]

My fruit bushes I planted in the autumn are OK as the ground is quite wet beneath the surface. Should I wanter my littleseedlings though as they won't have long roots. I don't want to waste water but I do want then to grow and not shrivel up. Also should I water the onions & shalotts. Autumn onions but only planted the shallots in March.

[nick the grief]

I've jsut watered all of mine if only to let any rain that we may get soak in a bit more

[Two_Sheds]

I'd say yes, water seedlings, but no onions are better off without watering.

[Mrs Dobby]

Hmm, I've been watering my overwintering Onion sets, am I doing it wrong then? Whats the reasoning behind not watering the onions? Mine seem to be going great guns, being watered about every 2 days or so atm!

[rustylady]

You can't make hard and fast rules for watering (or anything else to do with gardening) - you have to take account of local conditions. Seedlings will need water if you've had no rain, but established plants can be better left to fend for themselves to a certain extent. I certainly wouldn't water every 2 days Mrs D. If you do water, give a really good soak - that way the roots will go down into the soil to look for water. If you water little and often the roots stay near the surface and can get burnt and dried up - consequence very poorly plants.

[PAULW]

I am watering my onions they have become that stressed they are starting to go to seed, we have not had any proper rain since Feb.

[vicki lorraine]

i watered all of the mounds where i hope my potatoes will sprout up today as weve had no rain since planting them. Watered my broad beans but not my overwintering onions.

[Nicos]

Whatever the crop...I was always advised -if in doubt- to underwater- the plant will tell you when it's desperate!
Overwatering causes lack of nutrients as the water flushes away the food.
Over wet soil rots roots and encourages rot and bugs.
Excess surface water encourages surface roots so in a drought the majority of the roots are too superficial to find the deeper moisture.
Be mean folks....

[Alice]

I water my seedlings and my onions IF THE GROUND IS DRY. I find they don't do well if they are drought stricken.

Mrs D you stop watering the onions once they have reached maturity. That won't be for a while yet !

[Mrs Dobby]

The surface of the soil here is absolutely bone dry, (even down to a depth of a few inches) its even hardened and cracked in some areas ot the plot, and in others is getting to be very dusty, so I've been giving a good watering in the hopes that it will soak in and keep some moisture in the soil to stop it hardening up and allow the seeds planted to come through, and to stop it from cracking around our onions, but if folks recon we should leave the onions and garlic alone, then I'll cut down on the watering and do it perhaps once a week?

[pigletwillie]

If the ground is moist a few inches down Mrs D, water less often but more of it when you do. You need to get those roots searching out water as others say. The dryness of the top of the soil is of no concern for more established plants. They will have roots going downwards towards the moisture and thus easing your workload watering wise.