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Watering

anyacoloanyacolo Posts: 44
in Fruit & veg
I am a novice to intermediate gardener, i have actually impressed myself this year as my garden is growing amazing, much better then i ever expected it too,

i have about 25 sweet corn plants, 25 sunflowers, and 8 pumpkin plants, everything is doing great, its a fairly large garden,

just a general question....as my plants get bigger and bigger, should i be watering more, less, or pretty much the same as always?

do bigger plants need more water?

i normally water once a day if there is no rain

Posts

  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy North London Posts: 3,856
    edited July 2018
    In theory yes bigger plants will need to draw more water, some trees are said to draw 200 litres of water plus per  hour on a hot day. In general though you should try not to water every day unless they are in pots or they a new small plants you are trying to establish. Much better to give a really good soak 2-3 times a week, then as the water soaks down into the soil the roots will follow down and be able to draw on water reserves from deeper down.  Soil needs to be firm but not compacted so water can move up by capillary action. This advice may be harder to follow in the exceptionally hot conditions many of us have endured recently but in general it is best. If you water a little & often the roots stay near the surface or even come up. Then, if you can't water for some reason, the plants will really suffer. The exception may be your pumpkins as all of this family (curcubrits)  can take all the water you can give them.
    By a really good soak I mean at least 9 litres (2 gallons) per plant for your Pumpkins or per sq M of ground for smaller plants, if you use a hose & have decent water pressure this means directing the spray at the roots for 1 -2 minutes at a time, time how long it takes to fill can & take it from there.
    Hope this helps.
    AB Still learning

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