How to Tell If Your Plant Needs Water

Plants show us just how thirsty they are with drooping stems and wilted leaves. That’s a signal for a quick and deep drink before the situation worsens. Even virtually indestructible plants like air plants will waver when they need water. And regardless of tough reputations, they do need it. Other factors could be at play including temperature, humidity, disease and insects, but when a plant loses its structure, lack of water is often the cause.

Dry soil is an early sign that plants are getting thirsty. Sometimes it is only dry on the surface. For indoor and outdoor containers, stick a finger an inch or two into the pot. If the soil feels dusty in the top inches, it’s likely dry all the way through.

In-ground plants are a little trickier. While a super solid dry surface or cracks are a cry for help, established shrubs, trees and perennials have deeper roots where it can be both cooler and more damp. When in question, put a gardening trowel in the soil to check for moisture several inches below the surface.

It’s a little tougher to tell with established evergreens and trees, but browning and early shedding often show a plant in water distress.

How often should I water my plants?

Plants need a watering schedule, so add one to the calendar and then prepare to be flexible. Their water needs are dictated by variety and seasonal changes, but reality is a little more complicated.

If plants look like they’re collapsing and the soil is dry, water immediately. It’s essential and potentially life-saving. If they’re not reinvigorated in a couple of hours, try watering again—especially those thirsty annuals. Porous soil and evaporation may have wicked water away before the plants could fully drink.

Outdoor Plants

Conventional wisdom suggests a garden needs a minimum of an inch of water per week. To check if Mother Nature or a sprinkler is doing the job, leave a shallow container in the garden to measure water. Established plants can certainly survive beyond a week, but the longer a drought lasts, the harder it will be for them.

According to the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska, a larger shrub can survive on bout 3 gallons of water every 6 to 10 days during dry spells. Knowing your plants and yard can determine watering. Some thrive on dry soil, while others prefer a damp environment. Plant appropriately for your climate, geography and soil.

New plantings, including the vegetable garden and annuals, will need water much more frequently. Since the roots have not stretched in their environment, they’re not yet effective at seeking water. Daily watering helps establish them for their first couple of weeks. Taper to two to three times per week after that. Again, it’s determined by rainfall. Without enough rain, daily watering may still be needed. Dry soil and wilting plants will let you know.

Indoor plants

Indoor plants will require less water than those that are outside. They certainly don’t want to be watered daily and some would prefer even less. Plan to check weekly. It is best to know what you have to avoid overwatering. Succulents, for example, prefer the soil to be dry before watering. When plants are more actively growing in the spring and summer, they may need more frequent watering. Water around the base of the plant until you can see it seeping through the drainage hole. A watering can is helpful for gently directing water. Avoid letting plants sit in excess water to prevent root rot.

If starting vegetables inside or starting flowers from seed, follow the guidelines for each varietal. If the potting mix of an indoor plant just can’t retain water, it may be time to upsize the container. Follow these guidelines on how to repot a plant.

The Best Time to Water Your Plants

In an ideal world, water your garden in the morning. Obviously, rain can’t be scheduled and established trees and shrubs can thrive in normal weather patterns. But a small sprinkle won’t help since roots need a deep soaking. So when you’re relying on hand-watering or sprinkler systems, it’s best to aim early. That way, all your buds and blooms can face the day fully hydrated and foliage has time to dry before nightfall. Since heat causes evaporation, afternoon watering can be less efficient and more expensive.

Prepare for double duty if you’re a container gardener. At the height of the summer season, outdoor planted pots will likely need daily watering. Since most rain showers won’t penetrate foliage to the root level, it’s best to use a hose or a watering can. Small containers and pots where plants are fully rooted may even need water twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening.

Other Tips for watering your plants

• Water deeply: A sprinkle from above will do very little. Soaker hoses near the roots of plants and shrubs can help with larger areas as opposed to systems that scatter water. For containers, make sure the soil is saturated and water comes out the base. Note that you should water the roots rather than the foliage.
• Drainage is key: If needed, add compost to soil to lighten up heavy clay that leads to pooling water. All containers and pots need protected drainage holes for outdoor and indoor plants. Avoid letting plants sit in water or in containers that collect water. That leads to root rot. If your container doesn’t have a drainage hole, try drilling one yourself or adding a layer of pebbles to help aerate the soil.
• Sinking plants: If a container plant is sinking or water drains too swiftly, check the roots. It may be time to repot your plant.
• Water through the seasons: Remember to water outdoor plants beyond summertime. It’s easy to forget when nights turn cooler, but plants will still need water when the skies are dry.

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Do Group the Same Varieties

You can avoid a spotty look by clustering multiple specimens of the same cultivar. By massing them together, you give them more visual weight. They don’t end up looking like an afterthought. Psst! Learn more about creating an affordable garden.

Don’t Strand a Specimen

Plopping a solitary hosta in the middle of a bed by itself can make it look lonely and forlorn. It is especially apparent with this variegated hosta, which looks entirely out of place among more natural-looking companions.

Do Make it Look Intentional

There are exceptions to the previous rule. This solitary hosta actually works aesthetically. The reason: It’s big enough to be a focal point. Plus, the non-variegated foliage is a more natural-looking partner with the other plants. Note how companion plants surround the hosta—almost embracing it—to create a stage for the focal point plant.

Don’t Get Carried Away with Variegation

Gardeners love variegation for its ability to stand out and brighten a scene. But putting a bunch of unrelated variegated varieties together looks busy and even chaotic. Better to pick one variety and repeat it for emphasis. Check out these beautiful container plant ideas, too.

Do Use Variegation Wisely

Variegated hosta is tailor-made for lining a path. It not only looks good, it serves a practical purpose because the variegated leaves are easier to spot at night, providing an element of safety. We have the solutions to your most common gardening problems.

Don’t Have One of Everything

Shoehorning into the garden one of every hosta variety you find results in a hodgepodge effect. It becomes a collector’s garden, which might suit a conservatory but doesn’t hold much promise for home gardeners. If you’re going to use multiple varieties, break them up in clusters of threes or fives so they carry more weight. The effect will be more pleasing.

Do Repeat Yourself

In addition to clustering identical varieties, you can repeat them. By repeating a specific variety (or color), you help tie the garden together. Notice how the chartreuse hosta is repeated in this bed. The homeowner took it a step further by repeating the chartreuse color in the distance, albeit with an entirely different species. This helps lead the eye from foreground to midground to background.

Don’t Forget to Remove Dead Flower Stalks

Some gardeners actually remove flowers as they’re forming, believing they take away from the foliage. Others leave them in place, especially on green hostas that can benefit from the added color. Regardless, once the flowers are past, be sure to cut them down. Many hostas have good fall color as they fade, but these dead flower stalks detract from the picture.

Do Mix in Different Textures

Texture is important in a garden of foliage plants because there’s often less color to draw the eye. Broadleaf hostas have a strong presence, so pair them with something wispy for interesting textural contrast. Ferns are a natural choice, as they enjoy the same growing conditions as hosta. Note how the color of the ferns matches the variegation of the hosta.

Don’t Leave Debris Around Hosta

Dead leaves and old plant residue can be a hiding spot for foliage-destroying slugs. Clean up old debris every spring and replace with sharp sand, crushed eggshells or pea gravel to discourage slugs. These secret ingredients can help your garden grow.

Do Go Au Naturale

It’s possible to incorporate hostas seamlessly into the garden for a more natural look. The secret is moderation, using varieties that complement their companions rather than fighting for attention. This hosta isn’t the tallest plant in the bed and it’s not the most colorful either. But it provides needed textural contrast to the ferns and the wispy flowers.

Do Make it Lush

Hostas just don’t look at home in a barren garden. They belong in a lush, tropical getaway like this one. You can easily recreate the effect. Pick a big, bold hosta as the centerpiece, back it up with other large broadleaf plants, then surround it with colorful flowering plants of various sizes and habits. It’s lush and full, but not crowded. Try these edible landscape ideas, too.

Do Give the Eye a Place to Rest

Wall-to-wall plants can feel jungle-like. It’s fine if that’s the effect you’re after, but most people like a visual break from the intense plant mosaic. Provide that with rocks as seen here, with a log masquerading as a tree stump or a piece of garden art.

Do Brighten Up the Shadows

The best way to brighten the shadows of your garden is to incorporate some variegated hostas into the setting. These hostas practically glow in the dark. Another option is to go with blue-green hostas and let the white flowers shed some light in summer.

Don’t Forget to Divide Hostas

Divide hostas every three or four years, preferably in spring as foliage starts to emerge. You can also divide plants in early fall, as long as there is time for plants to reestablish themselves before winter. Dig up a clump and separate by hand. Large clumps may require the help of a sharp spade. Replant fist-sized sections (or individual plantlets as seen here), leaving enough space for plants to grow to their mature size.

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New to gardening? Stock up on these tools and gear, too.

What Exactly Is Topsoil?

Topsoil is the top portion of the soil consisting of minerals, organic matter and microorganisms. It can range from a few inches deep in some areas to a few feet deep in the Corn Belt. Topsoil has accumulated over millennia, but erosion is a serious problem. Erosion can deplete topsoil quickly, which is why it is important to cover bare soil with mulch or a ground cover plant.

What’s in Topsoil?

Topsoil is made up of sand, clay and silt. The proportions vary. An ideal topsoil, called loam, is soft and crumbly and has roughly equal parts sand, clay and silt (a fine, dust-like sediment of rock and mineral particles). However, many gardeners struggle with less-than-ideal topsoil that tilts towards heavy clay (slow draining and less oxygen available to plant roots) or sand (fast draining but less able to hold moisture and nutrients). Surprisingly, compost can improve clay and sandy soils. These are the things you can compost (and the things you can’t).

Topsoil vs. Dirt

Topsoil is for growing things. Dirt is for filling, which is why it’s often called fill dirt. Some people erroneously use “dirt” interchangeably with “soil.”

Topsoil vs. Garden Soil

Available in bags at your favorite nursery or big box store, garden soil is a topsoil that’s been screened and amended with compost. It’s too heavy for use in pots, but it’s well-suited for garden beds and lawns ready to be reseeded. Psst! These secret ingredients can help your garden grow.

Topsoil vs. Potting Soil

Topsoil is used for planting in the garden, potting soil (also called potting mix) is used in containers. It is a lightweight, soil-less mixture of peat moss and perlite. Some mixes also contain wetting agents to help the peat moss absorb moisture, as well as slow-release fertilizer and moisture-holding crystals.

Potting Soil vs. Raised-Bed Soil

With the popularity of raised-bed gardening, suppliers have introduced raised-bed soil. It is lighter than topsoil but heavier than potting soil/potting mix and may contain compost and wood fines (small pieces of wood that are already composted). Find more raised bed garden tips.

How Can I Improve Topsoil?

Amend topsoil regularly by digging compost into the top six or eight inches. Compost supplies nutrients and beneficial microorganisms to create a “living soil” that is better for plant growth and health. Sound like too much work? Then start mulching with shredded leaves. They will be food for earthworms, who will aerate the soil with their tunneling and add to its fertility with their castings (waste).

How to Take Your Garden From Good to Great

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Get a Great Garden

All gardeners are proud of their hard work in the backyard. But if you have a thriving, happy green space and want to take it to the next level, check out our list of smart, easy tips to really make your garden shine. From better potting mix to saying no to pesticides, improve your yard with this gardener’s dozen.

Use The Best Enriched Potting Mix

Make looking after container plants much simpler by choosing a premium potting mix that’s well-draining with long-lasting nutrients. Look for potting soil with peat moss, pine bark and perlite or vermiculite. It’s an easy-care way to achieve the best-ever displays.

Invest in Top-Notch Tools

Introduce a long-handled weeding fork to your gardening toolkit; your knees and back will thank you. It’s worth examining what new tool designs are available. Many have been created to reduce strain on joints and ease gripping so you can garden in comfort. Here are the tools and gear every gardener needs.But if you only invest in one garden tool, make it a well-made pair of shears. They make all the difference in your everyday pruning tasks. Keep them clean and sharp, and you’ll deadhead with ease and cut your shrubs cleanly to minimize the risk of damage and disease. Throw in a pruning saw for big jobs so you won’t be tempted to blunt or break your shears on thick stems.

Pot Bulbs in Layers

Bulbs are self-sufficient, so you can pack them into pots for spring and summer displays. Try layering a selection of bulbs with different planting depths and staggered flowering times in a container for a continuous, long-lasting show. These are the secret ingredients that can help your garden grow.

Take the Work Out of Watering

Drought-busting irrigation systems make watering a breeze instead of a chore, even with lots of pots. Link patio plants with a hose-and-dripper system, add an automatic timer to your tap, then sit back and relax, knowing your plants will thrive.

Plant Long-Lasting Flowers

 Take a second look at old favorites. Horticulturists have produced new varieties that flower longer. They include billowing hydrangeas, easy-care lavenders and the versatile, trouble-free Oso Easy Double Red rose from Proven Winners, which continuously blooms from early to late summer. Check out these pro flower arranging tips that won't break the bank.

Thwart Pests the Natural Way

Garden fabric or netting is a traditional, foolproof way to prevent hungry backyard wildlife from feasting on your homegrown produce. A few clever tools for this include pop-up netting tents and no-fuss covers designed to protect raised veggie beds. And introduce natural, noninvasive predators like ladybugs into the garden. Ladybugs devour huge quantities of pesky aphids. Release them into your garden at dusk to encourage them to stick around and get to work.

Support Your Plants

Cane, hoop and ring supports can transform your borders, lifting those floppy stems and preventing plants from dropping over paths. The secret with plant supports is getting them in early before the plant grows too much. As the plant thrives its stems and leaves disguise the support, giving your garden an effortless well-groomed look. These are the top herbs you should grow in your garden.

Plant Perennials in Big, Beautiful Drifts

Make a bigger splash with gorgeous flowering perennials by planting them in groups of three, five or even seven. It’s much easier to make a natural-looking grouping by arranging odd, rather than even, numbers of plants. Follow recommended planting distances, and the plants soon will grow together to create an exciting mass of color.

Learn the Secrets of Plant Propagation

Master the art of propagation, and soon your garden will be filled with organically grown plants. Start by sowing the seeds of your favorite flowers. Once they’ve flowered, let a few plants go to seed. (Be prepared for some surprises if they are hybrids, which don’t always come true from seeds.) Then harvest and store the seeds so they’re ready to plant the following year. Take a look at these cool succulents you'll want as houseplants.

Banish Weeds with Organic Mulch

 Lock moisture into your soil and smother weeds by giving your beds, and even your containers, a thick layer of organic mulch. Use hearty garden compost such as chopped-up leaves, grass clippings without weedkillers, evergreen needles or composted manure for lusher plantings. Your soil will hold water better. Here's how to start composting at home.

Deadhead to Keep the Flowers Coming

 One of the secrets of spectacular summer flower displays is to pick or snip off dead flower heads regularly. This prevents the plants from setting seed, encouraging them to produce flush after flush of beautiful blooms. Deadhead annuals and most perennials to guarantee a longer season of flowering color from your garden. Take a look at these pretty edible landscaping ideas.

Go Vertical

 Maximize your growing space with pocket wall planters. Fill them with colorful flowers to brighten vertical surfaces or grow salads and leafy herbs, like basil and parsley. You could add edible flowers, such as nasturtiums or violas, to pep up your salads and your backyard display.

Grow Veggies in Raised Beds

A raised bed kit takes little time to assemble and makes a neat and productive home for your vegetables. Container aficionados will tell you the soil require less attention and fewer weeds will threaten your veggies. Just add a thick layer of garden compost or well-rotted manure whenever the soil is bare, and let the worms take it down into the soil for you. Here are a dozen vegetables you can grow in pots.

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A Big Selection

To say there’s a large selection of garden containers available for sale these days is an understatement. Fortunately, there’s a pretty big selection of vegetables that like growing in those pots. The secret: fill them with a lightweight potting mix containing a slow-release fertilizer and moisture-holding crystals. And, of course, keep your veggies well watered because pots dry out more quickly than ground soil.

Banana Peppers

You can grow any number of peppers in a container, but one of the absolute easiest vegetables to grow in pots or containers is the banana pepper. Less fickle about temperature ranges when it comes to pollination, it easily sets fruit when bell peppers are struggling at the same feat. The upright plants need no staking, and the sweet, banana-shaped peppers are a nice addition to fresh salads. Remove peppers with pruners, as pulling them often breaks the stems. Check out our favorite banana pepper recipes for some tasty uses.

Do you know that with good light and smaller varieties, you can also successfully create an indoor vegetable garden and some fruits after you’ve put your outdoor garden to bed?

Onions

Onions are a great addition to the garden, growing equally well in the ground or in containers. The key factor is water for these easy vegetables to grow in pots. They need a loose, well-drained soil so the bulbs don’t rot. But with short roots, a consistent source of moisture is important for plump bulbs to develop. Grow your choice of white, yellow or red onions. These are easy vegetables every gardener should grow.

Leaf Lettuce

Leaf lettuce is nutritious and delicious. Unfortunately, it can also be expensive, which is why more and more gardeners are growing it themselves as they make easy vegetables to grow in pots. This cool-season stalwart is easy to raise in place from seed. And it’s so productive you can harvest the veggies continually for weeks on end. Many different varieties are available, some with colorful and frilly leaves that give it cache as an ornamental. A large container is best so there’s room for multiple plants. Here are some of the most popular lettuces for salads.

Kale

This nutritious superstar has quickly jumped from the garnish tray to the dinner table. Although some varieties of kale can get awfully big, there are smaller varieties like ripbor kale and curly kale that grow just 1 to 2 feet tall and are better suited to containers. Kale prefers the cool temperatures of spring and fall but can be coaxed to continue bearing in summer in northern gardens if given some shade in the afternoon. When harvesting these veggies, snip the outside leaves so the interior of the plant can keep developing new leaves.

Determinate Tomatoes

While it’s true tomato plants can get quite large and unwieldy, plant breeders have come up with smaller varieties of these veggies to grow in containers. These are usually determinate types, meaning they grow to a certain size and stop. No need for heavy metal cages. The only real drawback is that they mature a crop all at once. Love tomatoes? Here are the best ways to use popular tomato types.

Chives

Chives are a perennial, so you only have to buy them once. In fact, after three or four years, they will need dividing, so you’ll end up with extra plants. These are very popular plants for mixing in the ornamental garden, due to the rosy purple flowers. Both the flowers and the stems have a mild onion taste and are used to flavor many different dishes. They’re fairly easy vegetables to grow in pots. Take a look at these 25 ways to use fresh chives.

Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are one of those veggies you can grow almost anywhere there’s soil, sunlight and water. That also goes for containers, or in this case, hanging baskets, where the cherry tomatoes can hang down. How convenient for harvesting! Keep them evenly watered to avoid the dreaded cracking that occurs when a dry spell is followed by an abundance of water. Read up on the top 10 tomato growing tips.

Radishes

Radishes mature in as little as a month. They also prefer cooler spring temperatures. Did we mention they’re also one of the more compact veggies you’ll find? Those attributes mean they make a great spring container plant. And the best thing is, once they’re harvested, the container is open for a summer favorite or even an ornamental. By the way, these houseplants actually improve air quality.

Hot Peppers

Hot peppers are a cinch to raise, so long as temperatures stay below 90 degrees F. They’ll continue growing in hotter weather but will drop their flowers without setting fruit. When they do set fruit, watch out. Their bright colors and interesting shapes make them quite the ornamental plant. When harvesting, wear gloves or wash your hands after handling to avoid irritating your eyes. These are the most popular types of peppers, from sweet to spicy.

Eggplant

Some smaller varieties, such as Patio Baby mini eggplant, grow just 1-2 feet tall, so they’re perfect for containers. Larger eggplants need larger pots—up to 24 inches in diameter per plant—and staking to support the fruit-laden branches in late summer. Even so, containers are a good idea in cold climates because the soil warms up quicker, much to eggplant’s liking.

Broccoli

Broccoli does just fine in pots—if the pots are large enough. A 6-inch container won’t be any match for these plants when they become top-heavy with produce and tip over. Whiskey barrels, on the other hand, have the necessary mass and rooting space to accommodate broccoli. Cool temperatures and plenty of moisture are the main requirements of these veggies. Harvest the center head but leave plants in place because they will develop side florets that can also be harvested. We love using broccoli in these healthy recipes.

Microgreens

Here’s a vegetable you can grow on your kitchen counter! Microgreens are the recently sprouted seeds of various vegetables, from radishes to alfalfa, after they have developed their first true leaves. This usually takes 1 to 3 weeks, depending on species. Microgreens are nutritious and the leaves and stems add interesting texture and taste to salads and sandwiches. Find out what you should plant side-by-side and why.

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