How To Properly Water Plants: 12 Tips & Tricks

Plants are one of life’s great pleasures and bring colorfresh airand beauty into even the blandest places. If you own plants (or want to)one of the most critical factors is how and when to water them. It might seem easyand for some plantsit truly isas they can live with very little water. Howevermany people accidentally damage or kill their plants because they don’t water them correctly. To helpwe put together a list of 12 tips and tricks you can use to ensure you water your plants perfectly and on timeevery time.

The 12 Tips & Tricks to Water Your Plants Properly

1. Don’t Water the Leaves of your Plants

Many people make the common mistake of watering their entire plantincluding the leavesrootsand flowers. Insteadthey should avoid the leaves and put the water directly on the soil. Water can cause the leaves to rotwhich can then cause bacterial and fungal infections. To avoid these problemswater the soil instead of the leaves.

2. After Watering a Potted PlantDump Out the Excess Water

Have you ever stepped in a puddle with shoes on and soaked your footsockand shoe completely? As with the leavestoo much water can cause your plant’s roots to roteventually killing it. After wateringwait a few minutes to let the water drain into the saucer under the pot. Once it doesdump the water into the sink so your plant doesn’t stay wet all day.

3. Water Outdoor Plants Early in the Morning or Late in the Afternoon

This tip is essential for all home gardeners. Water sprayed on hot soil evaporates very quickly in the heat of the dayespecially in the late morning and early afternoon. In the early morninghoweverthe soil is much coolerso the water evaporates less quickly.

The same can be said for the soil in the late afternoon (although less so) after things have cooled down. For this reasonwatering your outdoor plants should never be done in the middle of the day.

4. The Right Soil Makes a Huge Difference

Different plants have different soil requirements. For examplecacti and succulents need soil that drains faster and keeps their roots relatively dry. Vegetables need soil that holds water longer to get enough before it evaporates.

Many plants are in the middle and need soil that will stay moist but drain well. Choosing suitable soil is thus essentialbut how do you do that? The labels on soil products usually state the types of plants they are perfect formaking it very easy to choose.

5. Choose Garden Containers Larger than 10 Inches in Diameter

One mistake many gardeners make when choosing containers for potted plants is they choose one that’s far too small. Surea succulent can go in a tiny pot and be fine for quite a whilebut an outdoor plant requires more space.

That’s whywhen buying containers for outdoor plantsyou should always go larger than 10 inches (25 centimeters). The bigger the containerthe more space your plant’s roots will have to grow. Alsoa bigger pot holds more soilmoistureand nutrients for your plant.

6. Water Should Drain Out of the Holes at the Bottom of the Pot

When watering your plantsyou must water them deeply and thoroughly. The question ishow do you know if you’ve watered them deeply and thoroughly enough? When water starts flowing out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot or containeryou’ve watered your plants enough and can stop watering them for the day.

7. Don’t Count on Rain to Water Your Plants

Depending on where you liveyou might get a littlea lotor a moderate amount of rain. Even a heavy rainstorm might not penetrate the soil below if you have oldermature plants in containers with thick foliage. The leaves often behave like a parasolkeeping the ground underneath surprisingly dry. The solution is to check to see if your plants have received enough water after heavy rain.

8. One Watering per Day Might Not Be Enough

If you live in a drywindyand hot areayou might need to water your plants more than once daily. Alsousing terra cottacoiror metal containers can make the water evaporate more quickly. It’s also why larger containers are better than smaller onesas seen in Tip #5. Watering twice a day might be necessary if your plants are drying out too quickly.

9. Use a Watering Wand When Possible

A watering wand is a special device you attach to a garden hose. It’s a long tube or pipe that connects to the hose on one end and a specialized nozzle on the other. Most watering wands are between 1 and 3 feet (30 to 90 centimeters) in length. Watering wands mimic rainfall and are slower and gentler than regular spray nozzles.

They also let you reach the soil rather than the leaveswhich we now know is bad for your plants. Lastlywatering wands help you get to plants that are hard to reach. You can find watering wands at any nursery or home improvement store for less than $30.

10. Broadcast Sprinklers Are an Inadequate Watering Tool

A broadcast sprinkler is one of the most inefficient tools to water your outdoor plants. On a hotwindy daya large portion of the water being sprayed by a broadcast sprinkler never makes it to the soil or your plants! Insteadit evaporates firstwasting water and leaving your plants thirsty. The solution is to water your plants using a simple garden hose and sprayer.

11. Never Use TreatedSoftened Water on Your Plants

If your home has a water softeneryou should avoid using the water it creates to water your plants. Water softeners change the mineral levels in the waterwhichin timecan also change them in your plants. They remove magnesium and calcium from the waterwhich plants need to thrive.

They also put more sodium and potassium in the waterwhich can be too much for certain plants. Howeveryou can use water from an outdoor hose not connected to the same piping system as your water softener.

12. Purchase a Soil Moisture Gauge

Using a soil moisture gauge is one of the easiest methods of determining if your plants have enough water. They’re available at nurseries and garden centers and cost around $25. What’s great about them is you can stick them directly in the plant’s soil andalmost instantlytell if it’s too wettoo dryor just right.

The beauty is that when you have a moisture gaugeall the guesswork of watering is removed. You won’t need to guess or try to remember the instructions found on that little plastic plant tag.

Final Thoughts

Although watering your plants seems simplethey can suffer if you don’t do it properly. Not watering the leaves of your plants is a big problem that likely surprised many readers. You can’t overlook the wonders of a watering wand and soil moisture gauge. Plusthe time of daytype of soiland even the container all play a vital role. Best of luck watering all your plants and keeping them happyhealthyand beautiful.

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