How to water flowering indoor plants. How and when to water flowers in an open ground garden. Water more often and more abundantly
Water makes flowers brighter
It would seem that watering garden flowers is a simple task that does not require any special skills. And yet, this is absolutely not true.
Watering is one of the most important actions that we must perform in order for our flower beds to bloom and delight us with their beauty.
At the same time, we need to find an optimal watering regime for each crop that will not lead to plant death. After all, both excess and lack of moisture are equally unacceptable.
Watering flowers in the garden: when and how much
First of all, the frequency of watering depends on the type of soil, weather conditions, and crops grown. On sandy soils, watering should be frequent and water consumption should be low, since it quickly seeps into the lower layers of the soil. On clay soils, on the contrary, it is abundant, but infrequent, since in such soils moisture is retained for a long time.
After watering, the soil must be loosened so that a soil crust does not form, which prevents the penetration of air to the roots. Because of this, crops wither away. In order to save your own energy, mulch: this will protect against soil crust, and you need to water less often.
What to water with
It is ideal to use rainwater for irrigation, if possible.
You can use water from rivers and ponds. The situation is more complicated with water from wells. It is usually too rich in minerals and salts, which accumulate in the soil over time. Such water must be left to stand for 24 hours.
For watering, it is better to use a watering can, which will create the effect of rain. It’s better to avoid using a hose: when watering using it, the soil can be washed out of the root system, and the soil can become very compacted.
Watering garden flowers - a reminder
Each flower crop requires its own moisture regime, which must be taken into account when watering.
Tulips. A lot of water always accumulates in tulip bulbs, but these flowers need to be watered especially often during the period of budding and flowering.
Roses. Frequent watering is important for roses, especially during dry periods of summer. Under each bush you need to pour enough water so that there is enough for the deepest roots.
Peonies. For peonies, abundant watering is needed during the formation of roots, during the flowering period and after it. You can safely pour one bucket of water under one bush.
Daffodils. A moisture-loving crop that needs water throughout the growing season.
Chrysanthemums. They always do not tolerate dry periods well, this is immediately reflected in their appearance and flowering.
Dahlias. Watering should be regular, but not very abundant, and the soil should always be slightly moist.
Gladioli. Gladioli are characterized by a deep, powerful root system, so they need to be watered abundantly so that all the roots are saturated with moisture, but rarely.
In hot weather, all crops need additional watering. To do this, it is better to use warm water and water in the morning or evening after 18 hours.
In addition, it is important to pay attention to the appearance of the crops, because by the plant itself you can always determine whether there is enough moisture in the soil or not. This is the best indicator; if you learn to do this, then you will never have problems with watering, and your garden will only delight you.
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Kirill Sysoev
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Content
Houseplants are pets just like cats or dogs. They also require care and attention. Their health and beautiful appearance largely depend on watering plants. Incorrectly selected moisture can damage the root system and destroy the flower. If there is a lot of moisture, the root may begin to rot, and if there is little, the plant will not be able to receive the necessary microelements and will begin to dry out.
What determines a plant’s need for moisture?
The role of water for a flower is very great. Plant photosynthesis, nutrition, and reproduction depend on it. Proper watering of the plant will ensure good growth and lush, regular flowering. Root hairs, which are located on young roots, allow moisture to come from the soil and penetrate into the plant for subsequent transpiration. As for the need for moisture, it all depends on many factors:
- Condition of origin of the plant. The amount of liquid consumed directly depends on the type of flower and natural growing conditions. For example, a cactus does not need frequent moisture, like cyperus.
- The temperature of the room where the flower pot is located. The warmer the air, the faster all metabolic processes occur, which means the need for watering will be higher.
- Air humidity. The frequency of humidification directly depends on air humidity. The drier the atmosphere, the faster the leaves draw moisture from the roots, which means the flower needs to be irrigated more often.
- Illumination. Light affects photosynthesis. The brighter the lighting, the faster this process occurs. This means that more water is needed for active photosynthesis.
- Soil, substrate quality. For example, dense soil can lead to stagnant water, which is undesirable for some types of plants.
- Season. Indoor plants, like outdoor plants, are sensitive to the seasons. They bloom in spring and summer; in winter, some flowers go dormant, for example, violets. During active growth, watering should be maximum, during periods of calm - minimal.
- Pot volume. The size of the pot must match the dimensions of the root system. If there is not enough land, the moisture quickly evaporates from it and the plant feels bad.
What water to water flowers
When watering, you should take into account not only the above features, but also the quality of the water itself. Before you start adding liquid to the pot, make sure it meets the necessary requirements:
- Temperature. It should be 22-24 degrees; in summer, heating up to 30 degrees is permissible. If you water with cold water, the leaves may droop and fall off. The same result will occur if the room is cool and the water for irrigation is warm. The ideal case is that the water temperature should be 2-3 degrees lower than the air temperature.
- Compound. The best option is soft rain or melt water with a minimum content of magnesium and potassium, but in industrial areas it is better not to use it due to the large amount of harmful impurities. Hard tap water is also used, but first it needs to sit for a day so that harmful chlorine evaporates from it. To do this, fill the container with the required amount of liquid and put it in a cool place. Do not close the lid!
- Fertilizers. If necessary, feed the plant. To do this, use water with diluted fertilizer only according to the instructions, otherwise the flower may get sick, even if we are talking about natural fertilizer or lime.
Rules for watering flowers
Before you bring a potted indoor plant home, read the following rules that will be useful for those who want to know how to water flowers:
- It's better to underfill than overfill. It is easy to supplement the lack of moisture, but it is no longer possible to remove the excess from the ground; it can lead to rotting.
- Air access. Make sure there are several holes in the bottom of the pot.
- Read about the plant. Some species like frequent watering, others - rare.
- Water as needed at the required frequency. Monitor the condition of the flower at least once every few days.
- Consider the microclimate of the room where the flower is located.
Top watering
Most flowers are watered from top to bottom, i.e. rain is simulated. To do this, gardeners recommend stocking up on a watering can with a nozzle that will divide one stream into a dozen small streams. Otherwise, the soil will be washed away and the roots will be exposed. You can make a watering can yourself from an ordinary plastic bottle; you just need to make a few holes in the lid. With top watering, water passes through the entire thickness of the soil, gradually descending to the lower root hairs. Try not to wet the leaves and trunk.
Watering into a tray
There are house plants that need water added to the pan. This includes species with moisture-sensitive growth points. This does not mean that they cannot be watered from above. It is possible and necessary, but very rarely. If the plants, for example, are the same marsh cyperus, which need to keep their roots in water. Adding liquid to the tray is often used when reaching open soil is difficult, as is the case with dwarf Saintpaulias. Experienced flower growers who know how to water flowers correctly advise using special mats.
Volume of liquid when watering
If you look at the instructions that indicate how to water house flowers for a particular type of plant, you will see the following instructions: limited watering, moderate or abundant. This means that each house plant needs a certain volume of liquid, which may vary depending on external conditions, the type and quality of the soil, the volume of the pot and the time of year.
Limited
This type of irrigation is carried out when the soil dries out by two-thirds. This can be easily checked using an ordinary wooden stick that is stuck into the ground. If the soil is wet, you need to wait until it dries. When moisture is limited, make sure that water does not leak out of the pot into the tray. After the procedure, half an hour later, it is recommended to check the degree of humidity and, if necessary, add watering. A limited method of moisturizing is suitable for some drought-resistant bulbous species, cacti, succulents, and dracaena.
Moderate
This option for moistening the soil is carried out when the top layer of the substrate dries out by 1.3-1.5 cm. The plant must be well filled with water so that the soil is completely moistened and the earthen crust disappears. As soon as the liquid begins to flow through the holes into the pan, watering the home flowers stops, and the liquid is drained after two minutes. The plant should not be allowed to “float” in the water. Suitable for fittonia, begonia, fleshy ivy, monstera, arrowroot, geranium, clivia, gloxinia, crinum (in winter).
Abundant
Before such moistening, you need to make sure that the soil in the pot is dry. Watering indoor plants is carried out until water begins to fill the pan. After this, the flower is left for a while so that excess liquid comes out through the holes. The water from the pan should then be drained. Plants that naturally live in swampy areas love abundant watering. Cacti cannot be watered this way.
When to water flowers
The frequency and regularity of watering depends on the type of plant. Succulents, some representatives of bulbous plants, tolerate drought well during the period of passive state. Havortia can go without watering for a year or more. Such plants are suitable for people who are often away. Myrtle, azalea, anthurium, beloperone, passionflower and tropical orchid require frequent irrigation.
Each houseplant has its own watering preferences. Some indoor plants need almost daily watering, while others can easily go without watering for 2-3 weeks. It is important to know that in summer and winter the need for watering for the same plant changes, because plants have a dormant period and a growth period.
In addition, the need for watering depends directly on factors such as humidity and air temperature in the room, lighting, and soil mixture. Irregular or too much watering can cause yellowing of leaves, green leaf fall, and bud drop in plants that are about to bloom. There are approximate intervals for watering indoor plants.
Watering every day
Watering in autumn-winter- from October to February
Perhaps none of the existing indoor plants needs such intensive watering during this period, except for azaleas or indoor rhododendrons, and only if the air temperature in the room is +20 °C. At higher temperatures, azaleas are unlikely to bloom.
Watering in spring and summer- from March to September, provided that the room temperature is +24 °C or higher:
Almost all ornamental foliage plants: dracaena, zamioculcas, codiaum, dieffenbachia, calathea, arrowroot, chlorophytum, ficus and others, flowering indoor plants, all types of ferns, plants with thin stems and leaves, as well as carnivorous plants such as nepenthes, Venus flytrap, Darlingtonia Californian, Elwoodi cypress.
Watering every 2 - 3 days
Watering in autumn-winter- from October to February, if the air temperature in the room is +20°C and above:
The only exceptions are bulbs, corms, and tubers of already faded plants in a state of vegetative dormancy; they are not watered at all.
Watering once every 20 - 30 days
Such rare watering can only be done in the autumn-winter period - from October to February, if the temperature is from +5° to +8°C.
All cacti, succulents, indoor bulbous plants during vegetative dormancy, pelargonium and fuchsia.
But, as you understand, these are only approximate watering times. In practice, we can recommend a simple rule: do not water until the top layer of soil dries out, do not allow overflow.
Images copyright flickr.com: Sappymoosetree, epiforums, Serlunar, J Rutkiewicz, blumenbiene, P.Tob-Ys, petrichor
Are you going to leave home on vacation, for the May holidays, for the New Year, or just to visit another city? Great prospects for a change of scenery are always accompanied by two problems: what to do with the cat (cat, dog, birds and other animals) and who to ask to water the indoor flowers and potted plants.
If you intend to ask neighbors, relatives or loved ones to water your flowers during the holidays and vacations, consider whether it would be convenient to limit the rest and free time of other people to your concerns.
Watering indoor plants
All types of indoor plants and flowers need to be watered at least once a week. without watering, they can dry out because the roots of the plants cannot reach groundwater in the deep layers of the soil. Plants grow and develop using water and sunlight, which participate in the process of photosynthesis, allowing plants and flowers to grow and develop.
Plants that do not require watering include only cacti and certain types of desert flora. During their existence, plants in desert and semi-desert zones have learned to evaporate less moisture even at high temperatures and bright rays of the sun, so these plants do not need to be watered very often.
If it happens that all the leaves of the plant have dried up, but the roots remain alive, then the pot should be placed in partial shade and the rhizome should be watered little by little so that it comes to life again.
What water is suitable for watering indoor flowers and plants in pots
Water for watering plants can be taken directly from the tap. Tap water is hard, so the water should sit at room temperature for several hours before watering. Heavy metals in tap water, invisible to human vision, collect at the bottom, so after the water has stood, never pour the water out of the container completely - always leave a few centimeters of water with sediment at the bottom.
Dip one end into a container of water (to the bottom), and secure the other end inside the soil in each pot. As long as there is water in the container, the cotton strips, according to the laws of physics (using the force of surface tension), will help keep the soil in the pot moist.
The disadvantage of this method is the need to select several containers (for three colors, 1 liter of water per week will be enough), as well as the danger of the soil drying out in case of prolonged absence (after the water runs out).
3)3. Flower flasks are very popular and can be purchased or made from a suitable bottle, jar or medical dropper.
3.1.Pour water into the bottle, put a rubber cap from a regular pipette on the neck. First make a small hole in the cap for water.
Insert the water bottle into the ground upside down - the bottle will be upside down with the neck in the ground. The resistance of the soil will not allow the water to flow out completely at once, and your indoor plants and potted flowers will be supplied with the necessary amount of water when you leave. If it is difficult to find a rubber nozzle for a pipette, then you can make small holes directly in the bottle cap so that water can flow out little by little.
You can also attach the tubes to a large, for example, five-liter bottle, which must be placed above the plants. The tubes in the bottle can be secured if necessary using ordinary electrical tape.
3.2.Take a medical dropper and hang it over each flower pot separately. You will need as many droppers as there are flower pots in your home, and also think over a system for attaching droppers over each of the flower pots separately.
3.3. Take a three-liter jar, a cotton towel and a plastic tray. Place a towel on the tray, pour water into the jar and cover the neck of the jar with the tray with the towel in such a way that the side with the towel touches the neck of the jar (see example 3 in the figure).
Press the tray firmly against the neck of the jar and turn the structure with the jar upside down. Gradually, the cotton towel will become saturated with water from the jar. Place flower pots without lower saucers on a towel so that the hole at the bottom of the pot is on the towel. The edges of the tray will prevent water from the towel from flowing onto the floor, and the roots of plants through the hole will be able to receive moisture in the required amount. This method is not suitable for plants growing in pots (for example, watering orchids).
A simple and inexpensive method is complicated by the process of securing the bottle and jar of water in an inverted position, the need for a large number of droppers, as well as the limited amount of water in the bottle, jar, flask or dropper, which may not be enough for the entire departure time.
4)4. The effect of a closed water cycle system can be created using a transparent plastic bag: cover the open soil in the pot with a bag (you can put a few pebbles on top to fix the bag more tightly), and put a larger bag on top.
Polyethylene will slow down the evaporation of water, and the evaporated moisture in the form of droplets will settle on the walls of the bag and again serve as a source of moisture for plants. The bag must be transparent so that sunlight can penetrate the plants and maintain its strength. This method is suitable for going away for a few days (no more than a week), and only for small plants (because it is rare to find large plastic bags).
5)5. Aqua soil is a transparent or colored hydrogel soft balls that consist of collagen. Collagen, when in contact with water, absorbs it and holds it inside.
Aqua soil hydrogel is used for bouquets of cut flowers: multi-colored balls look very beautiful in a transparent vase, turning an ordinary bouquet of flowers into the main decoration of the interior. Aqua soil can be scattered over the surface of the ground in a pot; there will be enough moisture for a week of absence. After drying, the aqua soil-hydrogel balls can be reused by placing them in water again.
Her Majesty's Gardeners hope their advice will help you keep your plants and flowers in pots looking beautiful and healthy!