Watering plants is essential to ensure healthy growth. To have a thriving, vibrant garden, full of colour and life, your plants are going to need water. It can be one of the great joys of having garden plants - out there with a hose or watering can, caring and nurturing for them on a warm summer's evening.
While it may seem like a very straight forward aspect of gardening, there are a few things you should be aware of to make sure you are making the most of your time and effort, and that your plants really get the benefit. Like with most gardening tips, a lot comes down to common sense, but we want to use this blog to point you in the right direction, so when you water plants, you're getting everything right.
So not only will we answer 'how often should you water garden flowers?', but we'll also look at the best times of day to do it, how to do it and some top tips to keep in mind.
What will impact how often you need to water garden plants?
There are many different factors you need to consider when you are deciding on whether you should be out in your garden, watering plants. Here are the main ones:
Type of soil
The soil surface will dictate how much water your plants' roots will be able to extract, and there is a broad range of soil types. At the one end we have sandy soil - this type of soil doesn't retain water very well, but your plants can draw moisture from sandy soil at an excellent rate. Sandy soil can feel dry, but still retain moisture. As such, plants in sandy soil tend to need less water, but more frequent watering.
At the other end of the scale we have clay soil. Water drains through this type of soil much more slowly, but it is more difficult for the plant roots to get moisture. If you have this type of soil, you need to be careful of over watering plants - they require more water, less frequently. If you over water plants in this soil, you may get root rot or fungal growth.
Type of plant
There is quite a basic rule of thumb that you can use here - the bigger the plant, the more water it is likely to need. (See what we mean when we say a lot comes down to common sense?)
Where you are growing your plants
If you are growing in a flower bed, you will find that the plant roots will have the freedom to grow in different directions to find water, and therefore will not require as frequent watering as a container plant. Even if you are using large pots, they will only have limited access to water, so will need you to water them more often.
The weather
The most crucial, and obvious, factor is the weather. If it's chucking it down outside, you won't need to head out there - nature has got you covered! Plants use up more water when the weather is hot, dry and windy, so that's when it's up to you to ensure that they have enough water.
Age of plants
Time for another rule of thumb: newly planted and young plants will need more water than mature plants. This is because those younger plants are still establishing a root system, so they need more water to help them grow strong.
How do you know if your outdoor plants need more water?
The most obvious sign is if the soil surface is dry - in which case you may need to up your watering frequency. Other signs include wilting leaves, disappointing flower or fruit growth, duller leaves, or if you are growing in a container, the container feeling light or even being knocked over in the wind.
If you notice any of these, especially following a bout of dry weather, then you need to water your plants more often.
When is the best time to water plants?
The two ends of the day are the best times to water your plants. Early morning watering is ideal, as the plants will start to use the water as the sun comes up (they even transpire in sunlight), and evening watering is also good, as the cooler temperature will mean less water will evaporate and more will get used by the plants.
Try not to water when the temperature is at it's hottest though, as you'll end up losing a lot of water that evaporates before it's absorbed into the soil.
Top tips for watering plants
Try and create a watering schedule, which will help you keep on top of things and make sure your plants are getting the water that they need. Another great idea is to mulch in spring - this will help to create moist soil.
When you are watering your plants, aim for the roots rather than the leaves - wet leaves can give you fungal issues, and the roots are where the water is needed most. When watering container plants, aim to add around as tenth of the container's volume. When watering hanging baskets, water until you see water coming out of the drainage holes.
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