Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1   Report Post  
Old 13-10-2008, 12:14 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2007
Posts: 41
Default watering habits - dry/drench vs. always damp

So it seems that some plants like to get completely dry, then flooded
and not watered again until dry - but is there an easy way to
determine which will work best for a particular plant or family? I've
been doing the dry/drench on my ficus benjamina and it has been
thriving! Sometimes I go 10 days before adding a drop of water.
However I tried the same with my bougainvillea and it wasn't so happy.
Creeping fig and grape vines also seem happiest with being damp all
the time...

Other than that, I'm adding a little bit of organic fish and seaweed
fertilizer to every other watering or so.

Another curiousity - I spray the leaves every morning on all the
plants - does that actually help them, or just make them look shiny?

Thanks!

- jaydee
  #2   Report Post  
Old 13-10-2008, 02:00 PM
Registered User
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Location: Bedfordshire
Posts: 444
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JayDee View Post
So it seems that some plants like to get completely dry, then flooded
and not watered again until dry - but is there an easy way to
determine which will work best for a particular plant or family?

Thanks!

- jaydee
My greenhouse tomato plants are in 12" pots which sit in 2" deep trays which I keep full of water, so they are always damp and they thrive quite well on that treatment. But I'm sure someone else will come along and say it's wrong. :-)
  #3   Report Post  
Old 13-10-2008, 03:34 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Aug 2006
Posts: 210
Default watering habits - dry/drench vs. always damp

On 2008-10-12 23:14:39 +0100, JayDee said:

So it seems that some plants like to get completely dry, then flooded
and not watered again until dry - but is there an easy way to
determine which will work best for a particular plant or family? I've
been doing the dry/drench on my ficus benjamina and it has been
thriving! Sometimes I go 10 days before adding a drop of water.
However I tried the same with my bougainvillea and it wasn't so happy.
Creeping fig and grape vines also seem happiest with being damp all
the time...

Other than that, I'm adding a little bit of organic fish and seaweed
fertilizer to every other watering or so.

Another curiousity - I spray the leaves every morning on all the
plants - does that actually help them, or just make them look shiny?


"Little and often" is a bad watering regime since it encourages plants
roots to stay close to the surface of the soil. A thorough drenching
from time to time is the right way to go so that the water permeates
deep into the soil and takes the roots with it.

Water should always be applied to the roots, ie under the leaf canopy.
Spraying water onto leaves can be harmful: in hot sun the droplets can
focus the heat so as to scorch the leaves; and mildew or other fungal
attack is more likely if the leaves are constantly damp. Plants' leaves
are designed to absorb sunlight, to breathe and to shed water down to
the root area. The amount of water they can absorb is miniscule.


  #4   Report Post  
Old 14-10-2008, 12:13 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,166
Default watering habits - dry/drench vs. always damp

Stan The Man wrote:
On 2008-10-12 23:14:39 +0100, JayDee said:

So it seems that some plants like to get completely dry, then flooded
and not watered again until dry - but is there an easy way to
determine which will work best for a particular plant or family? I've
been doing the dry/drench on my ficus benjamina and it has been
thriving! Sometimes I go 10 days before adding a drop of water.
However I tried the same with my bougainvillea and it wasn't so
happy. Creeping fig and grape vines also seem happiest with being
damp all the time...

Other than that, I'm adding a little bit of organic fish and seaweed
fertilizer to every other watering or so.

Another curiousity - I spray the leaves every morning on all the
plants - does that actually help them, or just make them look shiny?


"Little and often" is a bad watering regime since it encourages plants
roots to stay close to the surface of the soil. A thorough drenching
from time to time is the right way to go so that the water permeates
deep into the soil and takes the roots with it.

Water should always be applied to the roots, ie under the leaf canopy.
Spraying water onto leaves can be harmful: in hot sun the droplets can
focus the heat so as to scorch the leaves; and mildew or other fungal
attack is more likely if the leaves are constantly damp. Plants'
leaves are designed to absorb sunlight, to breathe and to shed water
down to the root area. The amount of water they can absorb is
miniscule.


I know that these are the perceived wisdoms regarding watering, but I often
wonder if they are old chestnuts.

Rhododendrons are said to be shallow rooted, but appear to do just fine,
even in a short drought. What happens to deep-rooted plants in areas with
an intermittently high water table? Surely they would be more likely to
suffer root rot than shallow-rooted plants.

Has anyone seen leaf scorch following watering in intense sunlight? How do
equatorial plants survive in climates characterised by intermittent showers
and tropical sun?

Agree about the fungal diseases in damp atmospheres. Trouble is, do you
prefer fungal problems or red spider in greenhouses?!...

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)


  #5   Report Post  
Old 14-10-2008, 03:46 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Aug 2006
Posts: 210
Default watering habits - dry/drench vs. always damp

On 2008-10-14 11:13:54 +0100, "Jeff Layman" said:

Stan The Man wrote:
On 2008-10-12 23:14:39 +0100, JayDee said:

So it seems that some plants like to get completely dry, then flooded
and not watered again until dry - but is there an easy way to
determine which will work best for a particular plant or family? I've
been doing the dry/drench on my ficus benjamina and it has been
thriving! Sometimes I go 10 days before adding a drop of water.
However I tried the same with my bougainvillea and it wasn't so
happy. Creeping fig and grape vines also seem happiest with being
damp all the time...

Other than that, I'm adding a little bit of organic fish and seaweed
fertilizer to every other watering or so.

Another curiousity - I spray the leaves every morning on all the
plants - does that actually help them, or just make them look shiny?


"Little and often" is a bad watering regime since it encourages plants
roots to stay close to the surface of the soil. A thorough drenching
from time to time is the right way to go so that the water permeates
deep into the soil and takes the roots with it.

Water should always be applied to the roots, ie under the leaf canopy.
Spraying water onto leaves can be harmful: in hot sun the droplets can
focus the heat so as to scorch the leaves; and mildew or other fungal
attack is more likely if the leaves are constantly damp. Plants'
leaves are designed to absorb sunlight, to breathe and to shed water
down to the root area. The amount of water they can absorb is
miniscule.


I know that these are the perceived wisdoms regarding watering, but I often
wonder if they are old chestnuts.

Rhododendrons are said to be shallow rooted, but appear to do just fine,
even in a short drought. What happens to deep-rooted plants in areas with
an intermittently high water table? Surely they would be more likely to
suffer root rot than shallow-rooted plants.


Drought may not harm tough plants: their roots go ever deeper in search
of moisture. I wouldn't plant deep-rooted varieties in a place where
their roots might sit in the water table.

Has anyone seen leaf scorch following watering in intense sunlight? How do
equatorial plants survive in climates characterised by intermittent showers
and tropical sun?


My friends who garden in the south of France will definitely get
scorched leaves if they water in the heat of the day so they do all
their watering between 5-6am. Of course, this also minimises
evaporation loss.

Agree about the fungal diseases in damp atmospheres. Trouble is, do you
prefer fungal problems or red spider in greenhouses?!...


Different rules for greenhouses - at least for tropical plants...

Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
watering habits - dry/drench vs. always damp JayDee Gardening 7 21-10-2008 08:50 PM
Creeping Fig and watering habits and sunlight JayDee Gardening 0 30-03-2008 09:12 PM
Always Shady and Damp. homer United Kingdom 9 06-04-2004 10:50 PM
Always Shady and Damp. homer United Kingdom 5 06-04-2004 10:48 PM
dry dry dry Rosie United Kingdom 0 02-04-2004 05:21 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:38 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 GardenBanter.co.uk.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Gardening"

 

Copyright © 2017