Ways To Water Your Plant

Watering
Plants growing under artificial light have a long photoperiod, and no cloudy
days, so they grow extremely fast; one and a half feet per month is not
unusual. This means that the plants will use a lot of water. Since the space
around your plants is limited, you'll have to water them fairly often. This
does not mean watering them daily, or keeping the pots saturated. Plants grown
in a continuously wet soil are slower growing, and probably less potent than
normal. They often develop stem rot. Allow the pots to go through a wet and
dry cycle. This will add in nutrient uptake, especially on potassium, and
aerate the soil. In general, when the soil one inch deep is dry to touch,
water it enough so that the soil is saturated but not so much that water runs
out of the drainage holes, carrying away the soils valuable nutrients.
Self-watering plant pots are fine for keeping the plants alive while you go
off on holiday, but try not to use them in their intended role of keeping the
soil continuously moist.
If you underwater your plants, they will wilt. Plant cells are kept rigid by
the pressure of the cell contents (mostly water). With the water gone, they
collapse. First the bottom leaves droop, and the condition works itself up the
plant until the top lops over. If a plant wilts, water it immediately, and it
will recover within a few minutes. This happens so fast you can actually
follow the movement of the water as it goes up the plant.
There is no way we can tell you exactly how often to water your garden. Light,
temperature, humidity and the size of the plants and pots are only a few of
many variables that determine the water uptake.
Try to reach a median. Don't keep the pots constantly moist, and don't wait
until the plant dries out and keels over. Use some common sense, we have found
it in some members of the community. A six-foot plant in a four-inch pot will
have to be saturated almost every day. Large containers (10" width or more)
should not be watered to saturation, especially if the plants are small. They
will not dry out quickly enough and will encourage mould. Clay pots are porous
and "breath". They require more water than plastic or metal pots.
Don't disturb the roots when you water. Water around the stems, not on them.
Seedlings are likely to fall over if watered roughly. Use a hand sprinkler
with a fine spray for seedlings. When set on a coarse jet, these sprays are
invaluable for discouraging cats from sniffing the seedlings.
Use tepid water, it soaks into the soil more easily and will not shock the
roots. Try to water during the plants morning hours. Water from the top of the
pot. Refill the watering container then, and leave it ready for next time. Not
only will it all be ready, but the water will be at room temperature, and most
of the chlorine will have evaporated (see later).
Water from the top of the pot. If you insist on watering from the bottom with
trays, place a layer of gravel or pebbles in the trays to ensure drainage.
Don't let the pots sit in the water until the soil becomes super-saturated.
This prevents oxygen uptake and the plants will grow poorly.
The tap water in some areas is acidic (sulphurous) or alkaline (limestone) and
can change the soil pH. If you are in such an area, check the pH every week or
so.
Tap water in some locales is highly chlorinated. The chlorine does not harm
the plants, but it can kill the micro-organisms in the soil that are necessary
to break down nutrients to a form that the plants can use. Allowing
chlorinated water to stand overnight will eliminate most of the chlorine gas
and it can then be used safely.