Lack of water. Too much water. Watering at the wrong time. Watering leaves, not roots. These, and more watering mistakes can ruin your garden and make all your hard work a failure. Watering plants is likely the single most important maintenance job a gardener does.
Outdoor watering accounts for about 30% of the average household’s water use. Half of that is wasted because of poor watering practices. Here are some of the watering mistakes you could be making that retards, damages, or kills plants and wastes water.
Underwatering
It is easy to underwater plants. You pour water around the plant and it sits on top for a couple of minutes and looks like plenty of water. Often this is not near enough. Push your finger into the soil. If it is still dry an inch deep, keep watering. The soil should be moist 3 – 6 inches deep so the entire root structure can absorb water.
Overwatering
Plant roots need air as well as water to perform properly. Too much water causes root rot which prevents proper absorption of nutrients. It also attracts pests and fungal infections–weakening and eventually killing the plants.
To avoid overwatering, soak the soil once a week. Letting the dirt dry out helps grow strong roots and plants. If you are concerned that your plants need water, stick your finger into the soil. If it is still wet two inches deep, skip watering for another day or two.
Top Watering
Avoid watering the leaves, flowers, and stems of plants. Water sitting on foliage during hot days can scorch the plant. Water funneled into the crotch of leaves and stems may rot the plant and attract pests. Soak your plants around the root system. Consider using a soaker hose for large-leafed plants like cabbage where reaching the base of the plant to water can be a challenge.
This may seem counterintuitive because rain falls on the entire plant. The difference is that temperatures are usually lower when it rains and rain soaks the entire garden which preserves moisture in the soil around the plant root.
Poor Watering Timing
Avoid watering plants during the heat of the day. Plants cannot absorb enough water before evaporation dries out the soil. By watering early or late, you give the water time to soak into the soil and the roots can absorb more water and nutrients.
The best times to water plants are:
- Early Morning.
- Late Afternoon/Early Evening.
- Late Evening.
Poor Water Drainage
Poor soil drainage allows water to pool around plants which can lead to root rot, pest infestations, and bacteria infections. Good drainage is beneficial for both watering and rainfall. Working compost, peat moss, or manure into the soil around plants makes the soil more porous and improves drainage of excess water. Amending the soil helps clay soil drain better and sandy soil retain moisture.
Not Mulching
Without mulch to keep moisture in the dirt, the soil around plants dries out quicker. Mulch keeps the soil moist longer–giving the roots more time to absorb moisture and nutrients. It keeps the soil cooler and reduces the amount of watering you need to do. You can mulch plants with compost, straw, pine needles, bark chips, and even newspaper.
Not Accounting For Plant Variety Watering Needs
Plants have different water requirements. Some succulents are happy to be watered once a month. Tropical plants like ferns need water every 2 – 3 days. Most garden vegetables need at least one inch of water per week to grow and produce well. Make sure you know how much water your plants need before settling on a “one size fits all” watering schedule that may overwater some plants and underwater others.
