{"id":16252,"date":"2020-05-26T08:59:05","date_gmt":"2020-05-26T12:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatbiggreenhouse.com\/?p=16252"},"modified":"2020-05-26T08:59:05","modified_gmt":"2020-05-26T12:59:05","slug":"how-to-water-the-right-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meadowsfarms.com\/great-big-greenhouse-gardening-blog\/how-to-water-the-right-way\/","title":{"rendered":"BONNIE’S GARDEN – How to Water the Right Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Friday, May 30th, is National Water a Flower Day. Sounds simple enough, doesn\u2019t it? Or maybe it isn\u2019t. Improper watering is probably the number one killer of houseplants\u2014and garden plants, too.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re so concerned about keeping plants watered, that we often forget they also need air. Yes, plants do breathe!<\/p>\n

Let Your Plants Breathe<\/h3>\n

During the day, part of photosynthesis involves plants absorbing carbon dioxide from the air and releasing oxygen. At night, they absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. This is how they help to \u201cclean\u201d the air.<\/p>\n

Leaves \u201cbreathe\u201d through tiny little holes, called stomata, in the leaves. Roots get air from tiny air spaces in the soil. Plants that live in water actually have air spaces in the roots. Most plants don\u2019t have air spaces in their roots so rely on air spaces in the soil. Water-logged soil does not have air spaces, hence plants literally drown.<\/p>\n

How to Water the Correct Way<\/h3>\n

To correctly water requires finding out what a plant needs. As a rule of thumb, plants with thick fleshy stems and\/or leaves (most cacti and succulents, etc.) are native to areas that are dry and so should be allowed to go almost, if not completely, dry when grown in pots\u2014or in the ground. Plants with thin delicate foliage (ferns, etc.) should be kept moist, drying out only at the soil surface. Most other plants are somewhere in-between. That said, with the exception of water plants, almost every other plant should at least surface dry before watering.<\/p>\n

When you do water, water thoroughly so water gets all the way down to the entire root ball\u2014not just the ones at the top! In pots, water until water trickles out the bottom. If the plant has gone so dry that it has begun to wilt\u2014or if the plant is potbound and the roots have pulled the soil away from the side of the pot, then allow the plant to soak for ten minutes or so to absorb the water they need. DON\u2019T allow soaking longer than that.<\/p>\n

Outside, while seedlings and young plants may need water every day or two, most mature plantings need no more than one to two good deep waterings a week (depending on what Mother Nature does). It\u2019s most important to NOT rely on sprinklers to water! Sprinklers put water where we DON\u2019T want it\u2014on the foliage. With our high summer humidity, we\u2019re already at risk of fungal problems. We don\u2019t need to invite problems by keeping the leaves wet, too.<\/p>\n

A Soaker Hose Can be Your Best Friend<\/h3>\n

Soaker hoses can be a gardener\u2019s best friend\u2014putting the water at the soil level\u2014and not all over the place! Plus less water evaporates, so it is definitely better for your water bill. The way to tell you\u2019re watering correctly is to place your soaker hose where you want it\u2014then tuck a couple of cereal bowls under it. Turn it on and see how long it takes to fill the bowls with an inch of water. That\u2019s how long you need to leave the sprinkler on when you water. You can also water with a hose, if you want, just be sure to keep the water at the base of the plant.<\/p>\n

Watering correctly greatly improves your chances of being successful in whatever you\u2019re growing. Maybe May 30th should really be called Water a Flower Correctly Day\u2026<\/p>\n

To read more posts from Bonnie, visit our blog<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Friday, May 30th, is National Water a Flower Day. Sounds simple enough, doesn\u2019t it? Or maybe it isn\u2019t. Improper watering is probably the number one killer of houseplants\u2014and garden plants, too. We\u2019re so concerned about keeping plants watered, that we often forget they also need air. Yes, plants do breathe! Let Your Plants Breathe … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBONNIE'S GARDEN - How to Water the Right Way<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"May 30th is National Water a Flower Day. 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