When and How much to Water?

[Earthgirl Jen]

I see lots of folk asking for help as to when and how much to water plants both in the ground and in pots.

We all grow differently and have our own rules... That's the Beauty of growing your own

What advice would you give to someone who's never grown anything in a pot or the ground before?

And with no disrespect to my lovely Mum but whenever I give her plants she waters the 'stink' out of them and then a couple of weeks later says those plants you gave me Jen are starting to die!!
I shake my head and no matter how many times I explain that during the first 4-6wks newly planted flowers/veg into bigger pots that have a lot more compost than root only need enough water to keep the plant you've just planted alive and NOT the WHOLE pot! Plants need "some" dryish compost in their pots in order to expand their root system and actively grow and search for water.

I LOVE her dearly x and keep a steady 'back up' of replacement plants x

[Jay-ell]

Watering starts before you sow/plant. Add compost to the bed so the extra organic matter helps soak up more water. Water the drill/planting hole well at the start so that the moisture is under the plant, rather than just watering the surface after planting/sowing - this helps to encourage roots to go down.

Mulching helps reduce the need to water - it hides the soil from the sun therefore retains water in the bed. When it rains it slows down the rain so the impact doesn't compress the soil meaning the soil maintains a sponge like structure and that the water can soak down into the soil easier. It also slows the water running on the surface so that the water pools and soaks in instead of running off the bed. As less weeds grow there's less competition for the water in the soil. As the mulch gradually breaks down (and gets replaced) the organic matter builds up which helps the soil store water.

Having a deep water once a week rather encourages deeper roots - the same amount of water spread out over each day wont go as deep. Deep roots can have access to more water than shallow surface roots.

[Earthgirl Jen]

Watering starts before you sow/plant. Add compost to the bed so the extra organic matter helps soak up more water. Water the drill/planting hole well at the start so that the moisture is under the plant, rather than just watering the surface after planting/sowing - this helps to encourage roots to go down.

Mulching helps reduce the need to water - it hides the soil from the sun therefore retains water in the bed. When it rains it slows down the rain so the impact doesn't compress the soil meaning the soil maintains a sponge like structure and that the water can soak down into the soil easier. It also slows the water running on the surface so that the water pools and soaks in instead of running off the bed. As less weeds grow there's less competition for the water in the soil. As the mulch gradually breaks down (and gets replaced) the organic matter builds up which helps the soil store water.

Having a deep water once a week rather encourages deeper roots - the same amount of water spread out over each day wont go as deep. Deep roots can have access to more water than shallow surface roots.

Thanks Jay-ell thats exactly what I do when watering in beds x

[muck lover]

Mulching essential under cover this summer. I�m using card around a few dwarf French beans in this polytunnel bed.

[Earthgirl Jen]

So what do we do when watering pots?

First of all what have you planted in a pot that will now be solely reliant on YOU keeping it alive and flourishing ?

Secondly when you first 'pot up' your plants into bigger pots please bear in mind that they still need air in order for their roots to grow, so water your pot and then 'Back Off' ! it's easy.

Don't rely on what the books tell you, get touchy feely with them: pick them up, (if you can, If you can't wobble them, sounds daft but a heavy pot is hard to wobble however a light one wobbles freely! ) feel the difference between a WET heavy pot and a LIGHT dry pot.... and give their roots a chance to flourish...

if the pot still 'weighs a ton!' when you pick it up then leave it for a day. If the pot lifts up easily despite it's size then water well.

When you first 'pot on' anything into a bigger pot, give the plant time to adjust for the first 4-8wks, it depends on what you are growing and your weather for your area at that particular time. As I've said before roots need air to grow.

Please bear in mind that an inch of water will sink approx 6' into the pot so if your pots are deeper then you will need to water them more than once!

I hope this makes sense?

[muck lover]

I�m trying out an olla (pronounced oya) to water a large pot.
Seal the hole in the bottom unglazed clay pot. Glue another one on with gorilla glue. Seal the join with silicone.
Bury up to the hole in upper pot in your large pot and fill with water. The water is released slowly as required. No water is lost to evaporation and the soil surface stays dry. I have baby spinach leaves planted at the moment but it�s going to be used for ever bearing strawberries in this large pot in the polytunnel. Keeping the surface dry will hopefully keep the strawberries cleaner and drier, reducing mould and slugs.
I hope.

Anyway it kept me out of mischief for a while.

[Bad Boy Club]

Personally I use quite a high tech bit of kit I've had for years, my finger, I poke it into the soil to see if it's moist or not & judge it from there, seems to work & I've not had to send it back yet ...

Seriously though, this year has been exceptional & I've gone on my instincts, the odd time I've not my plants have suffered.

[Earthgirl Jen]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]82075[/ATTACH]I’m trying out an olla (pronounced oya) to water a large pot.
Seal the hole in the bottom unglazed clay pot. Glue another one on with gorilla glue. Seal the join with silicone.
Bury up to the hole in upper pot in your large pot and fill with water. The water is released slowly as required. No water is lost to evaporation and the soil surface stays dry. I have baby spinach leaves planted at the moment but it’s going to be used for ever bearing strawberries in this large pot in the polytunnel. Keeping the surface dry will hopefully keep the strawberries cleaner and drier, reducing mould and slugs.
I hope.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]82076[/ATTACH]
Anyway it kept me out of mischief for a while.

Please report back on it's progress mucklover, interesting x

[Earthgirl Jen]

Personally I use quite a high tech bit of kit I've had for years, my finger, I poke it into the soil to see if it's moist or not & judge it from there, seems to work & I've not had to send it back yet ...

Seriously though, this year has been exceptional & I've gone on my instincts, the odd time I've not my plants have suffered.

You are so right Bad Boy Club, watering is an instinct! lol... (I used to have a small plant nursery) Once you've watered in hot weather for what seems like 'forever' (hours and hours trying to keep bedding and others alive) you develop an instinct and you seem to know what plants need watering and what doesn't. I can't explain it other than the fact you just know!

[muck lover]

Personally I use quite a high tech bit of kit I've had for years, my finger, I poke it into the soil to see if it's moist or not & judge it from there, seems to work & I've not had to send it back yet ...

Seriously though, this year has been exceptional & I've gone on my instincts, the odd time I've not my plants have suffered.

I�d call that digitally monitored watering BB! You should take out a patent!!!