skip to main content

Vegetable Gardening

Watering how often should I do it

14 years ago

Hey gang,

I'm Zone 8, Charlotte, N.C.

My raised garden bed is 12x8. This weekend, I'm going to be planting seedlings. Please remind me, once it's in the bed, how often should I water them. How often is to often? I think that I should do it every day for the first week (right)? Is this correct?

Please advise!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

bomber095
14 years ago
No pun intended, but a good rule of thumb is to place your index finger down into the soil. If it's dry down to your first knuckle, water it
digdirt2
14 years ago
There is no set rule or schedule for watering. There are too many factors that can affect a garden's water needs to determine a set schedule. It will differ from garden to garden and even from week to week. "Everyday for a week" could easily be too much or even too little under some circumstances.

You have to learn to let your soil and your plants tell you when to water.

The finger test bomber gave you is a good way to start. Stick that finger way down into the soil.

And, since most all gardeners way over-water anyway, another good general guideline is "if you think you should water...don't. Wait another day." ;)

Dave
Related Discussions
How often should I water my Peace Lily & what else can I do for it?
Q
Comments (10)
That PLs are usually found in riparian settings (streamside or in boggy environments) where they naturally occur is absolutely no cause to believe they will do well in boggy soils. They adapt well to various types of water culture, and perform very well in fast-draining, well-aerated soils, but should be expected to perform poorly when asked to make the transition in soils from lengthy periods of significant saturation to times when the soil has dried down and become reasonably well-aerated and more hospitable to the plant. The reason, as has been pointed out, is the fact that the plant will grow roots structured to allow the plant to deal with one or the other set of conditions, but not both in a cycle that starts with a long period of saturation transitioning to the more appropriate moist (rather than wet or soggy) medium. How well a soil drains is determined almost exclusively by the size of the particles it is comprised of. While the arrangement you have with the pot sitting above the effluent in the collection saucer is commendable, it has no impact on how well the soil drains or its level of aeration. 1. How often should I water? Intervals will vary with season, light load, amount of air movement, ....... Unless you use a soil that allows watering on a schedule as opposed to on an 'as needed' basis, and yours doesn't, you should absolutely stick to watering only when the plant gets dry to the point it needs water. In fact, in spite of the stress it would create, it would actually be better if you waited for this plant to exhibit signs of the first stage of wilt before you water than to water before the plant need it. I'm not advocating using drought stress indicators to signal the plants need for water - just trying to establish a feel for the idea that a little under-watering is less limiting than over-watering. For this plant, marking your watering date on the calendar and OCCASIONALLY waiting for the first signs of wilt to establish appropriate intervals between waterings is a reasonable strategy. If you'd rather, buy a wooden birch dowel rod (1/4 or 5/16") from a hardware or big box store. Cut into appropriate length pieces for your plants, sharpen the ends with a pencil sharpener, and use the pieces stuck deep into the pot as 'tells' that will let you know the moisture conditions deep in the pot. If they come out wet or stained dark from wet soil, withhold water until they come out clean. MUCH better than "watering gauges/meters". 2. What else can I do for this plant? The answer to that could easily fill a book. You could try reading this (click on link). I read someplace that liquid fertilizer once a month is good too. Yay or nay on that? To be meaningful, any advice regarding frequency of fertilizer applications has to take into consideration your soil choice and watering habits. For example, if you water in small sips to avoid your MG soil remaining soggy too long, a one month interval at the regular rate is an automatic problem for more than one reason, and the type of fertilizer as well as its NPK %s both play a part in determining the criticality of the issue. If you're using a soil that allows you to water at will w/o the need to fear consequences centering on the fact the soil will be saturated for a length of time measured in weeks, you can actually fertilize at low doses every time you water, which is how I choose to fertilize all my plants during the winter. One type of soil (those that are very water-retentive, like yours) make it almost impossible to maintain control over effective nutritional supplementation; other types of soil that support little or no saturation make establishing and maintaining a sound supplementation program monkey easy. Al
...See More
How often should I water Fuyu persimmon tree here in Phoenix.
Q
Comments (2)
Definitely take Loves Trees' advice. Planting a tree this late in the year is pretty tough, and that's even mostly true for a native tree (which I'm pretty sure none of the Diospyros are). One additional thing I might change with the current setup is move the shade so it's shading the lower part and the ground of the tree rather than the upper. I think the goal with shade is the reduce the heat around the tree, not so much block light from the leaves, and I find the sun on the ground to be a huge heat source in the summer. This is something I'm trying for the first time this year on some of my new trees, but I've done similar things that have worked well: This was taken earlier in the year and now some of the leaves get sunlight for most of the time the shade is hitting the area, but the ground is shaded enough that it stays relatively cool. It provided more than 6 hours of sunlight to the area even when it completely shaded the tree. Just in case someone wants to make one, it's pretty easy. I just got 2 10' 1/2 pvc pipes for each side (4 total), glued them together with 1/2" pipe couplers, then stuck them in the ground with 1/2" rebar (all from home depot). I used pvc clamps to attach the shade cloth to the pvc. I used a cheap clothesline attached to 2 stakes and tied it across both pipes to stabilize it in the wind.
...See More
So how often should I be watering plants installed mid July?
Q
Comments (3)
Wow. What a great gardener you are. I think it's unlikely the rhizome was harboring its own death. The soil always has pathogens and if a rhizome is nicked, the warm temps. and moisture will provide the ideal environment for fast growth of the pathogen. I had rot one time only. The smell was unforgettable. Never could figure it out as the other rhizomes 1-inch away were fine. Only one rhizome was affected. And not a new planting. Regarding watering of new rhizomes I follow the regime of a grower with soil the opposite of mine. She's on a mountain (huge hill) with decomposed granite which holds no water and 15-20 degrees hotter than my area. In order to grow iris their tractor discs (?) in a mountain of decomposed compost every other year. After planting the beds are soaked thoroughly. Then no water for one month. I use an overnight drip on new rhizomes. Do you have squirrels that could have tried to sample a rhizome?
...See More
how often should I be watering my middle Tennessee lawn in September?
Q
Comments (4)
That having been said, for overseeding, you're going to have to water more often to get the seed to sprout. Seed that dries out is seed that dies. Regrettably, lawns that stay wet are lawns that get fungal diseases. You see the problem here. For seed, it will need to be watered about three times a day (even if under most coverings) to keep it appropriately damp. Underneath compost, that may be less often, but more water--depending on the compost, of course. Two would be the floor number. One is not going to be acceptable under most conditions, but there are certainly some exceptions. For how long that's required depends on the seed. In good conditions, rye usually sprouts in a week or so. Fescue, 10 days to 2 weeks. Kentucky bluegrass can be up to a month. Since you're talking about fall seeding, you've implied you have a transitional lawn and use northern grasses. Southern grasses will differ and are not generally fall sown. Of course, that can be even longer if the temperatures are particularly hot or particularly cold, and the clock also stops if the seed goes dry (this will also quickly kill germinating seed, as mentioned above). Post all that, cut back the watering slowly to let the new baby roots grow in, and let your adult lawn grow in roots it hasn't had to grow yet. Cut back to daily watering, then every other day in a week or so, every third day a week after that, and so on. See if it'll handle weekly watering the next year. Some lawns will, some won't. It does depend on your soil, the organic matter levels (OM hold water like nobody's business, it's like a sponge), and the lawn. I haven't watered since 2017 and mine looks good. Right now, we're 12 days with no rain and it's just starting to look dry in places, but my soil is tuned well for resources, the organic levels are kept very high, I keep it on the long side (short northern grasses are thirsty northern grasses), don't cut when it's dry (bleeding grass is grass that's losing water), and have bluegrass (one of the least drought-resistant grasses, actually, but it'll just go dormant if it does get droughty and come back when rains resume).
...See More
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
14 years ago
Planting seedlings is way different from later in the year. I'd agree that a light watering once a day might be in order until they are established. Something I find helpful is to check the plants in the heat of the afternoon. Often plants will look fine in the morning but be badly wilted in the afternoon.
digit
14 years ago
I have very porous soil and garden in an arid climate.

We hear that the "rule of thumb" for a lawn is to provide 1 inch of water each week. I suspect that this is something of a minimum and, of course, depends on the week -- the dryness, windiness, amount of sunshine, heat . . .

A garden soil may have organic material to help hold the moisture. It may have a mulch covering it with the same benefit. But, be cautious about relying too much on a mulch. For one thing, when water is applied to the surface of the mulch, it often requires quite a bit of water for it to work its way thru to the soil - wet mulch/dry soil.

Not only feeling the soil but paying close attention to the plants is a good idea. Wilting is not a good thing. Sometimes plants come back fine but, going on any length of time, wilting slows growth.

I can't water on just any day. My gardens are at a distance so irrigation has to fit into a schedule. Lots of folks are in this situation -- they are elsewhere thru many of the hours of the week.

Here's what I do: I plan on getting 1 1/2 inches of water on my garden each week. And, I do that 3/4th of an inch, at a time. Twice then . . . each week.

If, by chance, it rains - - great! I find out how much it rains and take that into account.

In fact, I measure the water that falls on the gardens and time the sprinklers that are putting it there. Yeah, it is all over-head irrigation . . . It only takes a couple of tuna fish cans, set at various distances from the sprinkler to get an idea of how much water you are getting out there.

Don't do it by-guess and by-golly. Don't do that on your lawn. I see so many folks who seem to have absolutely no clue how much water they are putting on the ground. And, not every sprinkler is the same -- some move an awful lot of water onto a very small piece of ground. Some sprinklers cast a little water, far and wide.

Throwing 1/10th of an inch of water down is probably going to do virtually no good, whatsoever. It may even do harm. Dumping 3 or 4 inches on the ground at once should almost be a criminal offense. A couple tuna fish cans, that's all it takes . . .

digitSteve
organicdan
14 years ago
Use a stick to measure moisture depth. A 9" stick should show moisture to 4" depth, the region of soil most fine roots are in.

Look at the leaves of your plants. Most will have a lustre or sheen and fade to a dull or flat appearance as they show thirst.

Water in the morning. Soil watering is better but if overhead you are allowing the plants to dry as the day warms. DO NOT water during the heat of the day since each water drop is a magnifying glass that will burn plants. DO NOT water at night since only an invite to diseases and the plant respiration shuts down at night; thus roots are not taking it up.

Any form of moisture measurement is a good tip, the stick or a guage. Adding a mulch reduces the evaporation and prevents soil splash which spread soil born diseases.
cyrus_gardner
14 years ago
I agree with "fruitnut"

Watering seedlings and transplants is different for watering established one.
That means, you cannot afford to let them get dry or semi-dry.
But in general, as Dave mentioned there are many factors;
soil type, temperature, humidity, rain fall, amount of sun..
For well rooted, well mulched plants you can do a thorough deep watering
once a week. Once plants shade their roots and RH is on the high side
the beds will not dry up as fast. I believe in mulching to retain moisture.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES What's Wrong With My Plant? Leaves Often Hold the Clues

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Learn how to identify common plant ailments by reading their leaves

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Anemone Canadensis Adds Pizzazz to Water’s Edges

By Pollination Press LLC

Plant Canadian anemone along pond, lake or stream edges for a splash of white flowers in late spring

CONTAINER GARDENS Container Garden Basics: How and When to Water Potted Plants

Confused about soil moisture, the best time to water and what watering device to use? This guide can help

HOUSEKEEPING Magic Solution for Hard Water Stains

Vanquish evil hard water stains with this inexpensive, fast-acting and all-natural ingredient. And it's probably right in your cupboard

0

FUN HOUZZ Everything I Need to Know About Decorating I Learned from Downton Abbey

Mind your manors with these 10 decorating tips from the PBS series, returning on January 5

SAVING WATER 11 Ways to Save Water at Home

By Carol Crotta

Whether you live in a drought-stricken area or just want to help preserve a precious resource, here are things you can do to use less water

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Get Along With Less Lawn — Ideas to Save Water and Effort

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Ditch the mower and lower your water bill while creating a feast for the eyes with diverse plantings and gathering places

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Have Your Garden Fountain and Be Water Wise Too

By June Scott Design

Learn which water features are more suited to conservation, and get strategies for placement and use

ARCHITECTURE Water Towers Rise Again — See Their New Shapes and Uses

By Mary Jo Bowling

Emptied of water, these structures are now being filled with furnishings to add living space and take advantage of the views

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Gardens Tap Into Rill Water Features

Rooted in ancient design, this water feature is popular again as a way to help contemporary landscapes flow

Sponsored

More Discussions

Best Way to Enclose Existing Raised Beds?

11

gave my garlic a haircut today

11

I'm completely devastated

28

How often to add soil sulfur?

5

Corn seeds during a frost?

5