It sounds good and logical to water in small amounts and frequently but that is the opposite of what you should do in almost all cases. Watering infrequently but deeply when you do water help the roots go deeper into the ground in search of more. Frequent watering causes shallow roots.

This is one of those do as I say not as I do moments. LOL I have these just sprouted beet seedling and I tend to water them a little bit every day in the hope it will keep the soil loose and thereby allow the rest of the seeds to sprout and the ones that have sprouted to form more greenery. It even says beets have difficulty sprouting through a hardened surface, so I try to keep it moistened.

Seems like one can make the argument either way but I think I was right about watering less frequently but more deeply working best.

Hank

PS - Where did you get the water guage and how expensive was it?

Hi Sheri,

Although this sounds like a relatively simple question, the answer is vexingly complex.

Now (and I am not being a smart-aleck here), the simple answer is that you water the plants when they need it. And, yet, that really isn't a very helpful answer at all, I know, because you are going to ask yourself 'how do I know when they need water?"

There is no simple formula like 'deep water them to a depth of 6" to 8" once a week', or 'water them for an hour every other day' because there are too many variables.

How much water any plant needs at any given time varies, depending on the air and soil temperatures, how hard the wind is blowing, how quickly water is evaporating, how well the soil holds moisture, how large the plants are, how well-developed their root systems are, how cool and humid the nights are, etc.

Here's how I do it, more or less. But, because I have parts of my garden in heavier, more clayey soil and other parts in sandier and more quickly draining soil, even within that one garden, some plants need water more often than the others.

In a typical July, with high temps in the 90s-100s and low temps in the 70s-80s, I like to give my plants a good deep watering at least twice a week, using a soaker hose. This can take a few hours depending upon how fast the hose is dripping water as well as how deeply the water is penetrating the soil. If the plants are showing heat stress, I will give them a light drink in between heavier waterings, but I hate doing that as it encourages more shallow roots, and you want deeper roots.

I try to judge when they need water by observing how they look. Is the color of the plants good? Is it still a vibrant green? Is the foliage yellowing or browning?
If so, is it a sign the plants are thirsty, hungry or ill?Is there any wilting of the foliage? (Foliar wilting can be a symptom of several problems, so wilting alone is not a true indicator of whether a plant needs water, since a waterlogged plant will wilt as well.)

Tomato plants that are truly thirsty will have a lighter green color to their foliage than usual. The leaves may droop and wilt. Even the green fruit may assume an off color--sort of more dull than a healthy well-hydrated fruit. Since spider mites appear on heat-stressed plants, I almost always take the appearance of spider mites as an indication that I need to water more, unless the plants are stressed because they have been too wet (like this year).

For what it is worth, we haven't had any rain here in well over a week and I haven't watered my in-the-ground plants at all, although I water my container-grown plants once and sometimes twice a day.

If you water too frequently, you will have fruit whose taste is watered down and your plants may produce lots of foliage and fewer fruits, so it is better to err on the side of keeping them a little too dry than a little too wet.

Lots of people water WAY too much and have huge, thick, lush plants that produce very few actual tomatoes, and I know that is not what you want.

There is nothing wrong with sticking your fingers into the soil to see if the ground is moist, or not. Keep in mind that well mulched soil will always hold moisture longer.

Plants that receive full sun for 10 or 12 hours a day will need more water than those that are in full sun for only 6 hours a day.

I hope this info helps. Like I said before, this question is hard to answer since there are so many variables. It probably took me at least a decade of consciously trying to 'not water too much' to finally reach the point where I was watering enough to keep the plants producing well and not watering so much that I had all foliage and little fruit. I have always leaned towards wanting to water them too often, and it was a hard habit to break.

Dawn

Hank,

Thanks for the advice. I am doing the same thing, it is hard not to get the hose out when the top of the soil is so dry and hard!!

I got the moisture meter at ace hardware for $6. It is the Rapitest brand, I think some WalMart's may have them, you can also order them on ebay, of course.

Dawn,

I figured twice a week would be too easy. I will mulch mine a little heavier this week, and then try to water only twice.

I thought I read a post last week, where you told someone to water newly transplanted tomato plants once a day and maybe twice a day, but now I can't find the post. If so, does that apply if they are heavily mulched, and holding moisture? My fall plants have been planted about 2 weeks, and seem to be outgrowing the sickly look. I think the Serenade is working well. Thanks Sheri

Sheri,

I was probably referring to watering fall tomato transplants that are still in their pots and not in the ground yet! They should not need watered that often if they are in the ground and mulched, unless the soil is INCREDIBLY well-drained and not holding the moisture in the soil for long at all. Younger seedlings WILL need to be watered more often since their root systems are still small. They do still need deep watering, though, to encourage them to stretch those roots down deep!

I am glad your fall plants are doing well.

Serenade has worked well for me some years and not as well other years.....but that is not at all unusual. I have observed the same inconsistency with other organic products.

Dawn