5 watering mistakes that may kill your plants
Life's getting hard in here…. So, I do some gardening.
The nice lady next door talks of green beds…. And all the nice things that she wants to plant in them.
Courtney Barnett goes further in her song to express her desire to grow a variety of plants like
tomatoes, sunflowers, and radishes.
Should the singer empower you to embrace your gardening fantasy, you have to get some tips and
knowledge regarding gardening, for the task is in no way as easy as it may seem.
Let’s take watering for instance.
What about it?! It is child’s play. You may think.
Yet it is not holding some hose and sprinkling water randomly here and there as your first
intuition/guess may suggest.
To give you a glimpse of how things are complicated in the real world, here are five watering mistakes
you may make and what are the right things to do.
1-
You may use water a bit much.
A starter may think that irrigation is just a synonym for watering in a literal sense. They then may
engulf/immerse their garden in a thick layer of water. Mission accomplished! Wasn’t it?
Not at all. Using too much water will cause unwanted growth of fungi which puts the health of plants at
risk.
Also, the drowned soil will not be able to absorb oxygen properly, which will lead to the death of plants.
Freaked out enough?! Don’t panic. We got you covered.
The right thing to do is to water just the roots of your dear plants, soaking soil at a range between 5 and
6 inches in depth.
That method will give your plants a chance to take deeper roots. Thus, you will be only serving the part
of the plant that needs nutrients contained in water.
2-
Watering every day
One may think that the flora needs water every day just like the fauna. Such an assumption, regardless
of how much it seems common sense, is totally wrong.
The right thing to do is to water less frequently (every other day). Planting requires patience and your
slow efforts will pay off over time, so don’t rush things.
3-
What is the right time?
You have learned the frequency of watering. Now you may think that you should do it at any time of the
day, based on your own schedule.
Unfortunately, plants are not simple creatures. Many factors are at play and the wrong timing, like
watering at night, can help lead to an increase in insects and pests.
Mother nature has its surprising ways to mess with us. Therefore, watering your plants should follow a
strict date for these beautiful beings to flourish.
The right thing to do is to irrigate in the early morning may be before you leave for your work. You may
delegate the mission with strict rules. Watering should better occur between 5 am and 10 am.
4-
In a nutshell, location, location, location.
We have agreed on how much water we should use, how frequently should we water, and what is the
right time to do it. Now we should get more specific and technical.
To understand where we should pour water on our plants, we should have a simple idea of their
anatomy.
Roots are the heart, mind, and stomach of your plants. They are responsible for anchoring plants on the
ground and for the absorption of minerals, nutrients, and water from the soil. Thus, it is the organ that
stores food and the organ that needs the most care.
Roots absorb water and transfer it to the rest of the body until it finally evaporates through the leaves in
an event called transpiration.
That being the case, watering leaves is a waste of resources and plants don’t benefit from most of the
water.
The right thing to do is to water directly the soil near the roots of the plants. The roots that absorb
water aren't deep and are spread out sideways below the surface of the soil.
5-
Save water, do it smart
The Sprinkler system is the easy fix when it comes to watering plants. It is affordable and easy to install
and maintain. Some automatic sprinkler systems are even much simpler. You can even set a time for
watering and it will be done automatically.
Also, the sprinkler system can cover larger areas and makes the watering task like a piece of cake.
Does it seem too good? Am I selling it to you? Where is the ‘but’? you might ask.
It depends on you and your priorities, fellow botanist. Catering for beautiful creatures such as plants
means that you care more for the environment and resources.
That is the key here, to save water which the sprinkler system wastes much. Also, the sprinkler system
has its drawbacks.
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The sprinkler system doesn’t penetrate the soil which – as demonstrated above – is the store
of the nutrients for plants.
Covering a wide area of land, it may give rise to noxious weed that is detrimental to the plants.
The sprinkler system doesn’t guarantee an even distribution of water among the targeted
area.
The right thing to do is to resort to drip irrigation. Drip irrigation involves delivering water and nutrients
across the field in pipes featuring small units known as drippers. Each dripper emits drops of water and
fertilizers.
Drip irrigation ensures consistent watering and supply of nutrients to the roots of the plants. It also
saves water and enriches the soil.
Avoid doing the five mentioned mistakes and use the right amount, timing, frequency, location, and
system for watering; and you will prolong the life and improve the health of your plants. You will have all
the plants that you dreamt of and will maintain a fun and fulfilling habit.
What is left to say is an additional watering tip to improve the health of your plants. It has to do with the
type of water you are using. Such a tip is very useful, despite not being accessible to everyone.
When it comes to watering plants, bottled spring water, and well water are the best options for you, as
they contain high levels of minerals that are essential to the life of your plants.