Gardening is an art. True gardeners leave no stones unturned to provide their plants with the adequate amounts of nutrition they require for their growth, along with ample water for their development.
How to water your plants indoors and outdoors, water them, and water these gardens and houseplants are vital to keeping a check on. These are the factors to rely on to ensure the success of your green babies.
It is a universal fact that plants need water to reach their total capacity of growth. This is basic science knowledge. But there are certain don’ts to follow when it comes to preventing diseases for your plants and killing them.
You may opt for growing perennial greens in your garden or bring home a houseplant. It would be best to follow the basic and research-based non-basic measures to watering your plants outdoors and indoors. Read on to acquaint yourself with standards that bring out the worst and the best in your plants to reap healthy green specimens.
Table of Contents
Watering Outdoor Plants
Outdoor plants can be grown outside your home in your backyard or a greenhouse on the terrace. Even experts may sometimes make not their best decision while gardening. That is why, below are some crucial points you need to cater to, whether you are a newbie or an advanced, to grow healthier and happier plants.
The Dos
1. DO Hydrate Your Plants Every Morning
Mornings are the most efficient time to water your plants. It is then when the soil is all cool, and the heat hasn’t been out yet. In such conditions, the water has the full advantage of seeping down the plant roots before evaporation occurs.
Watering your plants every morning ensures sufficient soil moisture to stand the heat of the hot summer day.
2. DO Water THe Plants At Their Soil Level
It would be best to make sure that the roots of your plants are targeted while watering them. This way, the water reaches right where it is needed. You can even use a soaker hose to soak the soil’s excess moisture between plants in a flower or vegetable bed. This way, you ensure their rapid and healthy growth.
3. DO Water the Container Plants Atleast Once Everyday
Container garden soils dry quicker than soil in a garden pot or flower bed. Noted that the smaller is the container, the more frequently it will need watering. Make sure to soak the container soil in the morning and once the temperature outside goes up, soak them again in the noon.
The Don’ts
1. DON’T Water Your Plants Too Frequently or Too Less
You may feel the tendency to water your plants a little too often during the hot weather to moisten the soil. However, watering the plants at their shallow surface is against their deep root development.
The solution here is to follow a less frequent schedule of watering your plants to saturate the soil. This process ensures deepwater residual to the roots, regardless of the dry appearance of the soil. YOu should follow the routine of providing 1-inch of water to your plants and vegetables each week and double that amount during summers.
2. DON’T Use Broadcast Sprinklers
While soaking the plant’s leaves can be the cause of fungal disease formation, using sprinklers is against the plant’s development as well. The explanation would be that using these sprinklers evaporates more water during a hot or windy day before even reaching the plant. This way, the plant receives less water at the root.
3. DON’T Forget to Water The Trees As Well
The newly planted trees’ initial period should be well-versed with adequate water 2-3 times every week. After that, make sure to hydrate the plants during their first growing season.2-year-old established trees and shrubs need watering every two weeks in conditions of scarce rainfall during the growing season.
Watering Indoor Plants
In today’s busy schedule and small apartment living kind of environment, indoor gardening has taken the trend. Houseplants even add to your interior decor bringing a tint of outdoor beauty inside your home. Growing plants indoors brighten the place, and some believe they even fill your home with positive energy.
However, taken away from nature, these natural specimens need extra care inside your house. There’s no need to worry if you could take up this much. Read below some of the important pointers you should follow while growing houseplants, and you’ll be ready to bring home your houseplant.
The DOS
1. DO Learn About Your Plant
Some think that plant care is the same for every indoor plant. However, that is not true. Avoid following the tags that come along with your plant. These tags are meant to explain the nature and care of the respective plant.
You can certainly conduct your research for accurate information about your plant. There is also the choice to ask the supplier of your houseplant for tips.
2. DO Limit The Fertilizer Use
Of course, fertilizers work for the quality of plant growth. However, houseplants do not need that many fertilizers for their growth. Adding excessive fertilizers may loosen the soil, root systems, and leaves of the plant.
3. DO Place Your Plant In The Presence Of Sunlight
Plants take sunlight as their food for everyday survival in sufficient amounts. Placing your houseplant on the windowsill or the home terrace can be ideal. Bear in mind that there are also plants that don’t need too much sunlight. Make sure to do your part of research to know your plant on that basis.
The DON’Ts
1. DON’T Grow Houseplants In Pots Without Drainage Holes
Most houseplants require a good drainage system to grow well and thrive. If there is no proper drainage system below the pot, the plant roots would settle and potentially rotten in excess water. Make sure to cross-check all the pots of your houseplants before you plant them and replace any pot that has no space for water seepage.
2. DON’T Leave Out Dumping The Water Collection Tray
When their gets accumulated extra water while watering your plant, it is drained into the collection tray below the pot almost at once. However, do not pour it out right away. There are chances for the plant to absorb it until the next 30 minutes.
Once that period is over, you can take the dumping tray out. If the plant sits in excess water for too long, there are chances of rotting the roots, potentially damaging the entire plant.
3. DON’T Overwater
In the pursuit of keeping their plants healthy, many people make the mistake of overwatering the plants. Bear in your mind that even plants can drown. You need to just wet the soil by sufficient amounts when they’re dry to keep the soil damp.
Conclusion
Following the list of measures that you’ve just gone through, you’ll surely be able to grow healthy and happy plants both in your outside garden and inside your house.
Happy gardening!
James Fields is the founder of Gardener to Farmer. His passion for gardening goes back to his childhood days when he would visit his grandfather during the holidays and help him with the plants in the backyard. This has now translated to creating a dependable resource for gardening.