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#1
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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
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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. :-)
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#3
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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
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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
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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... |
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