How to Water Your Plants

Gardening Tips
Watering Garden Plants

Watering your plants is very important because it ensures their survival. However, it's very important to know how to water - improper watering techniques can do more harm than good. In some cases, improper watering can damage or even kill your plants.

One of the first things you need to understand is that the type of watering required for your plants will depend on many factors, such as the species itself (some species require more water than the others) and growing conditions (container plants have different needs than garden plants). Other important factors include soil type, water quality, irrigation technique and many other things.

Water the Roots

One of the basic things you need to remember when watering the plants is that you should water the roots, not other parts of the plants, and especially not foliage. Roots need to be watered so they can absorb minerals and other helpful elements from the soil. It's therefore important to bring water to the roots and always water near the ground, not all over the place.

Some things to keep in mind:

  • Keep the foliage free of water spray during the evening watering. It will avoid fungal ingections in plants.
  • Keep the foliage free of water spray during the day. It will prevent sun burns.

There are various watering methods you can try, and they give different results. Here are some of the most common watering techniques, their effectiveness and ways you can use them to water your plants.

Hose Watering

This type of watering is great for outdoor plants because it can target the water flow. Indoor plants can also be watered this way, but the water flow might be too strong for these plants. When watering using a hose, make sure that the water is delivered around the base of the plant.

The weeper hose proves to be the best for watering many types of plants. It can deliver water to a deeper level quickly and it can almost be used like a dripper system. It also has one advantage over drippers: the ants can't get into the hose. Dripper systems often get blocked, often due to ants moving in, so this is a better solution.

Bucket Watering

This method is often used in the garden but it's not effective, and it can be difficult to carry the bucket around. When you use the bucket to water the plants the water doesn't penetrate to an acceptable level. Another problem is that the water evaporates quickly when you use this method. However, it may be useful for occasional watering or applying liquid fertilizer from time to time.

Drip-Irrigation Systems

These systems tend to be very effective because they save the water and they deliver it just where the plants need them: on the root level. No water is wasted and the plants can grow healthy and strong. The downside of this method is the cost and complexity of the systems used. Also, drip systems can sometimes get blocked. On the other hand, this is a good "worry-free" method of irrigation that doesn't require much of your time.

Photo credit: garden beth

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