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Watering your plants is vital. But trying to decide how much water your plants should be getting can be more difficult. Too much water can drown your plants. But not enough and they won’t be able to get nutrients from the soil. So, how often should garden plants be watered?
Usually, you will need to water them once a week. If you have succulents, you’ll need to water them once a month. As the weather gets hotter, you’ll need to water them more frequently. In some cases, you will need to water them once a day during the heat of summer.
The amount of water to give to your plants shouldn’t be a mystery. Keep reading to learn some of the simple tips you can use to make sure that you give them the right amount.
What Determines the Amount of Water a Plant Needs?
Let’s start by looking at how much water you should be giving to your plants. Many elements can affect this decision. These factors include:
- Time of the year. You’ll often need to give the plants a little more water during the summer months. This is when they will be growing most actively. While you can ease off during the winter.
- Species. This is the most important consideration. For example, succulents are designed to grow in arid countries. Because of this, they don’t need a lot of water to grow strongly. Other plants, though, will need daily watering.
- Conditions. Some soils will struggle to retain water. Because of this, you will need to water more frequently.
- Pot size. Often, a small pot will lose moisture faster than a bigger pot. Because of this, you will need to water it more frequently.
- Size of the plant. Bigger plants will need more water than smaller plants.
The best way to determine how much water your plant will need is by researching the species. This will give you a good idea of how thirsty they will be.
How to Tell if a Plant Needs More Water
In most cases, you will need to water the plant once or twice a week. When you are doing this, you want to give them a decent amount of water, making sure that it sinks into the soil. You want it to penetrate at least six inches
.
While this will be enough for most species, some will need a little more water. The easiest way to test if the soil is dry is by sticking your finger a few inches deep. Even though the top layer might seem dry, there should still be moisture in the soil. For a more precise measurement, you can use a moisture sensor.
Another option is to look at their leaves. If they are starting to wilt or turn yellow, it could be a sign that they aren’t getting enough water.
If the soil is dry, you will need to add more water. You can keep repeating this test every few days. This is a good way of figuring out exactly how much water your plants will require.
How to Tell if You Have Added Too Much Water
You should also keep an eye out for the signs that you are adding too much water. The easiest symptom to spot is water pooling on top of the soil rather than sinking in. This is a sign that the ground is saturated and unable to absorb any more moisture.
This can be a very dangerous situation for your plants. The high moisture content means that there won’t be any air pockets. Because of this, your plants could be drowning. If you caught it early, you should hold off giving any more water for a few days.
There are a few ways you can make sure that this doesn’t happen in the future. These include:
- Checking for drainage. If you have a pot plant, you’ll need to check that there is somewhere for the excess water to drain. Often, this will be an easy problem to solve. You’ll just have to drill some holes in the pot.
- You can also move the plant into the sun. The evaporation will help to remove the excess water from the soil.
- Treat with a fungicide. One of the biggest risks of overwatering is that it can encourage fungal growth. This can slowly eat away at the leaves.
Should I Water My Garden Every Day in Hot Weather?
As the summer months start to approach, you’ll need to start changing your plant care routine. Often, they will need a little more water to cope with these hotter months. How much more they require will depend on the species.
Succulents will often need to be watered once a week instead of once a month. If you have more water intense plants, like ferns, you might need to water them every two to three days.
If you live in a part of the country that has particularly hot weather, you’ll need to increase the amount of water you are giving them. This is because the water will evaporate from the soil more rapidly. In some cases, you might need to water once, or even twice, a day. This will usually only be needed when temperatures are over 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius).
As we mentioned, the best way to test whether you need to water plants is by sticking your finger into the soil. This is especially important in the summer when the soil can dry out very quickly.
Once the temperature starts to drop again, you can return to a more relaxed watering routine. This ensures that you aren’t accidentally overwatering your plants.
Do You Need to Water After Rain?
This all depends on the amount of rain that you are getting. If you only get a few millimeters, you will need to supplement with water. However, if you get more than six inches, you might not need water at all. To check how much rain you have received, you will need to install a rain gauge in your backyard.
Tips to Water Your Plants
There are a few other tips that you can use to make sure that you are watering your plants properly. These include:
- Water in the morning. This gives the water plenty of time to evaporate off the leaves. This reduces the chances that fungus will grow on the leaves.
- Apply the water gently. You don’t want to use a high-pressure hose. This will disturb the soil and could see precious nutrients getting removed.
- Check the potting mix. If you keep having problems with dry soil, you might want to change the type of potting you are using. Try to get something that has a greater emphasis on water retention.
- Empty the water tray. If you have pot plants, you’ll often have a water tray. This is the location where the excess water drains into. However, you shouldn’t allow the water to sit in this tray. If you do, there is a chance that your plants will start to develop root rot.
- Use rocks or mulch to improve moisture retention in outdoor plants. These will slow evaporation. Plus, mulch is a great way to get more nutrients into the soil.
Final Thoughts
One of the most important elements for any gardener to master is giving your plants the right amount of water. Though this can seem complex, it is usually fairly simple. Give them a good soaking once a week. You can test the soil to see if it has the right moisture and try using helpful alternatives like rice water.
Once you know how much water your plant needs, you just need to stick to this schedule.