Watering plants

[FrankSG]

This is for all of you gardeners. I want your opinion about watering your garden plants and flower plants. Generally when I plant anything outside, I always water the plant with plenty of water. And then I water again every 3 or 4 days if we don't get any rain. Here's my question: Do you think that doing it that way a person can be over watering? In other words, by watering every few days, you don't give the plant a chance to develop a deep root system. So I'm doing it different this year. I planted about 10 days ago but I haven't watered them yet. The tomato plants still look great so I'm going to hold off watering for a couple more days. The flowers are starting to look a little bit wilted--not much but just a little bit so I'm going to water them tomorrow. So what do you think? Watering every few days like I used to do it, or hold of on the watering until they look like they really need it so that they may develop a deeper root system?
~Frank~

[PrntRhd]

Gee FrankSG, I did not know you had a green thumb too.
;)
Anyway the main thing is to have the soil loosened enough and amended with organic material and such to allow drainage in case of over-watering. If done correctly you can water every day and never have drowned root systems.

[Whyzman]

PrntRhd references the crux of plants and flowers...the soil. As I see it, watering frequency depends on the type of soil and the amount of direct or indirect sun...or shade.

[BartusCompater]

Another problem dissected and solved by...
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/8854/gardenguideso5.jpg :D

[Sylvander]

1. "give the plant a chance to develop a deep root system"
Usual trick is to dig the hole for the plant, water the hole [fill it with water?], and only then put the plant in place and bed it in.
That waters the SOIL into which the plant is to grow, rather than the pot compost in which the roots are presently growing.
The idea is that the soil beneath should offer better root growing conditions than the contents of the pot, so that the roots will be attracted into the soil, rather than be repelled from it and stay in their little shell.

2. "watering your garden plants and flower plants"
Previously, when I didn't know better, I watered plants, but now avoid doing so.
REASONS
a. Because in my area there is enough natural rainfall.
b. Because water from the tap is not as good as rainwater. It can have impurities like chlorine and lime and also be at the wrong temperature [tap water is colder than rain methinks and root growth is very sensitive to temperature].

3. "In other words, by watering every few days, you don't give the plant a chance to develop a deep root system"
You might if you make it too nice in the pot and too nasty in the soil.
Why would the roots venture out from their nice cosy root-ball into those nasty surroundings?

"So what do you think? Watering every few days like I used to do it, or hold of on the watering until they look like they really need it so that they may develop a deeper root system?"
Avoid watering little and often; avoid shallow.
Try to get the water down deep into the parent soil.
Have you ever tried watering and then dig down to see how deep the effect has reached?
You'd probably find the effect was very shallow indeed.
So how to get the water [if needed at all] to go down deep?
a. Water the parent soil REALLY WELL before planting.
b. Sink a couple of large pots [with holes in the bottom] into the soil on each side of each plant and keep those constantly [or periodically] filled with water.
c. Make sure there is plenty of [water retaining] humus in the soil.

[FrankSG]

Sylvander--What you said about putting water into the hole instead of around the plant makes sense. I've never though of doing it that way, but I'm going to try it next time.

[PtBetsie]

So much depends upon your soil. If you gardened in basically an ammended sand dune as I do, you water deeply twice per week. I make sure the ground that I intend to plant into is moist, and water all plants as they go in. Then I let them settle for several days dependent upon temperature and wind. Wind is very drying. Today I transplanted all my tomatoes into bigger pots instead of the garden as we have predicted hard frosts for the 4th and 8th of June! I'll have enough problem just protecting my berries if it gets that cold.

[classicsoftware]

Flowering plants and vegetables are different. Plant health and fruit/vegetable health are different. Fruits and vegetables need more water than flowering plants or your tomatoes may a little tasteless. If you are growing any kind of melon, you need to water very frequently.....

[Sylvander]

Sandy soil has "none of the backache, but all of the heartache".

I imagine you digging in as much compost/manure as you can get [to provide some moisture retention and feeding] and it "disappearing like snow off a dyke".

[PrntRhd]

I know FrankSG's soils are likely to be clay soils if that helps. Columbus Ohio is a glacial plain area.

[Sylvander]

Ah...
Clay can be wonderful stuff if you can give it enough compost/manure, and just the right amount of lime.

My garden soil is clay.
Terrible for attempting to grow a decent lawn [if no sand and compost has been added], but wonderful in the borders where I've dug in enough compost.

I can scoop a handful of the resulting loam and it's so fine and crumbly it just trickles through the fingers.
Easy to keep weed free because it can be forked over and/or scuffed with the tines and the few weeds manually removed.