Watering any plant isn't a set a schedule thing. Sometimes it might be every day sometimes once a week. It all depends on your soil and the weather, the needs of the plant since all don't need the same amount, and in the ground or in a container. Depending on where you are located every other day could easily be over-watering. But as a general rule watering less frequently and deeper is.much better that watering frequently and more shallow. It isn't the surface of the soil that you go by, it is the moisture level down at the roots. Stick your finger deep into the soil. If it is still cool and at all moist or damp, don't water. Keep in mind that most gardeners OVER-water and that most all plants will tolerate too little water much better than they will too much water, so when in doubt, don't water. Dave

Give them time. They're settling in and growing roots. When they've got enough root ball they'll start to grow and bloom. Roses need about an inch of water per week. If you're not getting enough rain for that then you'll need to water them. It's better to give them a deep soaking once or twice a week rather than just a little bit every day.

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

"Most gardening is simply done best in the ground.☺" For many folks, especially those unfamiliar with growing in containers and the unique set of growing requirements container culture demands, that is probably true :-) But not everyone has the necessary real estate or ability for inground gardening and that's where container growing comes into the picture. And you cannot equate inground gardening and its methods with container gardening and the different methods it demands. Using garden soil in that case is just not going to work well!! It is far too heavy and dense, with slow drainage and lack of pore space and necessary aeration, and the typical listed accompaniments, like compost or leaf mold, only exacerbate that problem. It is VERY difficult to assure necessary drainage and proper aeration for the roots of container plants in that sort of medium and a poorly draining medium will lead to stunting and lack of productivity, disease issues and even root rots and death. You CAN'T use just any soil and expect good results!! It just doesn't work that way! Anthony, I would urge you to read this thread carefully to help you understand the differences and with a greater understanding of container culture, then perhaps you will change your ill-advised suggestions :-)