More container plants die from watering mistakes than from anything else. The fix is to stop watering on a schedule and start checking.
The finger test
Push a finger into the mix. If it feels dry at depth, water. If it feels moist, wait and check again tomorrow. Sources say anything from the top inch to 2–3 inches; use about 2 inches for a big pot and 1 inch for a small one.
A pot may need water twice on a hot, windy day and none at all for several days in a cool, wet spell. In summer, check every pot every day.
When you water, water properly
- Water until it runs out of the drainage holes. One long watering does more than several quick splashes.
- Aim at the mix, not the leaves. Wet leaves invite disease.
- Water in the morning when you can.
- Empty the saucer afterward. Roots standing in water rot.
Too much or too little?
A wilting plant is not always a thirsty plant. Plants wilt when they are too dry, and they also wilt when they have been kept too wet, because drowned roots cannot take up water.
| Too little water | Too much water | |
|---|---|---|
| The mix | Dry 2 in down; pulls away from the sides of the pot | Wet for days; water may sit in the saucer |
| The leaves | Fade, wilt, die back from the edges and tips | Yellow from the bottom of the plant up |
| After watering | Perks up within hours | Stays wilted, which usually means the roots have rotted |
Three things that make it easier
- Mulch: a layer of straw, shredded bark or compost on top of the mix cuts water loss.
- A bigger pot: more mix holds more water.
- A self-watering planter: the reservoir can carry a plant through a few days.
Sources
Every fact in this guide comes from the publications below. None of them reviewed or endorsed Balcony Bounty.
- Purdue Extension. HO-200-W: Container and Raised Bed Gardening. extension.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/container_raised_bed_garden…
- University of Illinois Extension. Container Gardens: Watering. extension.illinois.edu/container-gardens/watering
- NC State Extension. Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 18: Plants Grown in Containers. content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/18-plants-grown-in-co…
- Penn State Extension. The Art of Container Gardening. extension.psu.edu/the-art-of-container-gardening
- University of Maryland Extension. Maintaining Container Grown Vegetables. extension.umd.edu/resource/maintaining-container-grown-vegetables
- Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. FS1215: Outdoor Container Gardening with Flowering and Foliage Plants. njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1215/
- University of Maryland Extension. Growing Vegetables in Containers and Salad Tables. extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-vegetables-containers-and-salad-tab…
- University of California Statewide IPM Program. Water Deficit and Excess. ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/water-deficit-and-excess/
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. E-545: Vegetable Gardening in Containers. aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2011/03/E-545_…
- University of Maryland Extension. Self-Watering Containers. extension.umd.edu/resource/self-watering-containers
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