Common Watering Problems

Many, many problems are caused for houseplants and garden plants by common watering mistakes.  These include under watering, over watering, watering at the wrong time, improper watering and watering on a schedule.  All of these can lead to plant diseases especially those caused by fungus.  They can aid in the spread of plant disease and the leaching of nutrients in container plants. I can't tell you how many times I have gone by a house with the sprinkler going full force while it was raining.  What an absolute waste of resources!  Sprinklers by their design waste water so an eco-friendly home garden doesn't use sprinklers to begin with.  I've talked about watering problems before so here are a few more comments on the subject.

• under watering - Under watering causes the soil to dry out enough that the plant can wither and die.  Unless a plant's care stipulates it must dry fully between waterings, do not allow plants to dry out.   Avoid this problem especially in indoor or outdoor container plants by using self-watering planters, watering globes or gravity fed self-watering system.
• over watering - Over watering is a very, very common problem both indoors and outdoors because the home gardener fails to realize the needs of the plant.  Outdoors, overwatering can occur naturally (eg. a week of storms with heavy rains) or by improper watering (eg. watering too much or watering when it is raining).  Over watering leaches nutrients from the soil and causes problems for plants that don't like their feet wet (eg. tomatoes).  It can lead to plant diseases caused by a variety of fungus and cause damping off in seedlings.  Avoid over watering by using self-watering planters, watering globes or a gravity fed self-watering system. 
• watering at the incorrect time - It is important to water plants as they need the water.  Outdoor plants should be watered in the morning after the dew has burned off, before the heat of the day (1 PM - 4 PM) and early enough they have a chance to dry a bit before the evening hours.  Always water during daylight hours when watering indoors to allow the soil to dry a bit before lights go out.
• improper watering - Plants should be watered at the soil level without getting the foliage wet.  Wet foliage aids in the spread of plant fungal diseases and cause sunburn on both indoor and outdoor plants.  Indoor plants can benefit from a shower to clean off dust on the leaves but should be allowed to dry fully before returning the plant to its location.  Outdoor plants get sufficient rain to wash off any dust although if you have a container plant in a location where rain will not reach it, a short shower from a watering can can be beneficial.  
• watering on a schedule - Home gardeners make the mistake of watering on a schedule rather than on the basis of whether or not the plant needs watering.  Watering should always be tailored to the plant's needs.  If in doubt or on vacation use self-watering planters or water globes both indoors and outdoors.  Avoid using timed watering devices (eg. timed sprinkler systems) for watering your plants outdoors as this can result in over watering if it happens to rain.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

A Basket Full of Vegetables

Vegetable Basket

August 22, 2010

We had a bit of rain overnight the night before so yesterday I went through the garden to do a clean pick.  My 14" diameter wicker basket is overflowing!  I am so very happy with the California Wonder green peppers.  This heirloom variety is really performing nicely.  Everything in the basket as well as the cucumber are heirloom varieties.  I will be saving a lot of seeds this year but then I save a lot of seeds every year. 

It rained a bit more overnight and is threatening rain today.  We've had a bit of drizzle but nothing much so far.  The radar is showing mainly cloud coverage with light rain in our area but there is another storm cell behind it so perhaps we will get more rain yet.  In the meantime I will be putting up those lovely green peppers to enjoy through the winter.  The plants are loaded so there are more to come and I don't want to waste any.  That might be the last cucumber though.  There are a couple of small cucumbers but I'm not sure if they will reach maturity as the vine isn't looking very good.  I'll keep an eye on it. 

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Overgrown Garden Beds

Overgrown Garden Bed

August 19, 2010

This morning I ended up watering the raised beds again.  Rain is predicted this evening but I'm not taking any chances.  We've had rain all around us but not actually hitting us for the past couple of weeks now.  Despite the cooler weather the last couple of days the heat and humidity have shot right back up there today so watering was a must.

As I puttered in the garden this morning it dawned on me what a mess the raised beds were.  The plants obviously have not read the square foot gardening book.  This is the time of year my raised beds look unruly to say the least!  I really need to get out there to do a bit of trimming and staking.  For the most part the plants are looking quite healthy though.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Emergency Container Resuce

Ontario and Quebec are experiencing a heat wave with hot, humid weather.  This is the type of weather that can end up killing off a few container plants.  The problem is even if the container is watered thoroughly in the morning by early afternoon it may need watering again.  This year I added SoilMoist™ granules to my non-edible planters to help with water management but even that is proving to be minimally effective against this heat wave.  Every home gardener has at some point encountered a plant under stress due to lack of water.  There are a few ways that I deal with this problem.

• containers - I move the container to a shady location then water the soil well trying not to get the foliage wet.  Wetting the foliage when a plant is quite wilted can cause further stress.  I keep an eye of the plant then once fully recovered I move it back to where it was.  
• in the garden - From time to time one or more plants will show stress due to drying conditions.  The biggest problem here is reviving the plant without causing further damage to it or other plants.  Since the garden bed can't be moved it is very important to not get foliage wet where water droplets can act as a magnifying glass causing burning from the sun's rays.  I water around the base of the affected plants enough to get them through to the evening watering.
• general watering - During a heat wave like this I deep water if needed twice a day.  I water as early in the morning as possible as soon as any dew is off the plants.  I water again in the evening allowing enough time for the soil surface to dry before it gets dark.  Twice a day watering for container plants is pretty much a must during a heat wave.  The larger raised beds are usually fine with one deep watering per day.
• shading - During high heat wave periods I temporarily hang shade cloth to help shade some of the more sensitive plants in the gardens during the heat of the day.  Shading simply reduces the temperature around those plants to slow the evapouration of soil moisture. 

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Using SoilMoist™ Granules in Houseplants and Planters

I posted awhile ago about my waterball garden using Deco beads by the makers of SoilMoist™.  I was impressed enough with the Deco beads that I wanted to try the SoilMoist™ as well.  SoilMoist™ has been successfully used in the horticultural industry as a water management system.  Essentially what the granules do is absorb moisture like a sponge then releases it to the soil as the soil dries.  It is used for planting trees, shrubs and containers.  While it is used for transplanting edible fruit canes like raspberries to lessen transplant shock I've decided not to use it for any edible plant until I can be sure there are no issues with the polyacrylamide breaking down to acrylamide after several seasons of use.

I bought 4 - 3oz (85 g) packages of SoilMoist™ online ($3) for use as a cutting starting medium and for water management in my non-edible containers.  According to the package you mix half of the required amount of the granules evenly in the plant hole, add the balance then backfill.  The granuals are added when dry then the plant is watered well.  If using to prevent transplant shock the granuals are hydrated first then the plant is dipped into the gel and planted in the prepared hole where the gel will give back moisture as needed.  The amount needed per container size or tree are on the back of the package.  It is important to not use too much as the gel when it expands can force the plant out of the container or tree out of the ground.

I did a test run of the SoilMoist™ granules just to see how they would perform.  I placed 1 tsp of the granules in a 4 oz (125 ml) bowl then poured the 4 oz (125 ml) water over it.  The granules did not look like they would expand as much as they did.  These granules expand considerably faster than the Deco waterballs.  They also seem to hold a lot more water as I had to add more water.  I added water again.

The granules should be kept away from all drain systems as there is the potential to cause blockages.  They should also be kept out of reach of children and pets.  One of my concerns when using outdoors in planters is to be sure the granules are buried well below the soil surface.  Shiny objects tend to attract some birds but this is one item that should not be where birds could get at it whether it is hydrated or still in granule form.

After about an hour the SoilMoist™ gel was over flowing the small bowl.  I ended up dumping the gel into a larger bowl then adding more water where to my amazement the gel pieces just kept growing.  I ended up with about 8 oz of gel from the 1 tbsp of granules.

The granules are a milky white hard crystal.  Once they expand they turn into a shimering clear jello-like substance looking very much like crushed ice except sparkly. It is easy to see from the expansion how the gel could push plants from the container when they expand.  I will report back on how the gel performed in my non-edible containers and houseplants.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Automatic Watering Globe

A couple of days ago I was pondering the problem of container plants drying out and wanted an inexpensive solution to ensuring houseplants were adequately watered when we are away.  Houseplants are as problematic if we are gone for 2 or 3 days but outdoor container plants can easily become too dry in the period of a few hours.  I recently wrote about a gravity fed watering system that I am planning on setting up for this year's garden experiment.  While this system has a lot of potential for containers grouped together as in patio or balcony gardening it would be a bit more difficult to expand to using with containers spread a distance from each other and modifications would need to be made for indoor usage.  So I've been looking at other options while tweaking the gravity fed watering system design for indoor usage as well.

I know watering globes and clay watering spikes have been available for quite some time.  I didn't use them mainly because there wasn't a lot of need.  Usually the kids check our house and water plants when we are away.  I found watering globes at the dollar store for $2 each and decided they would be a good idea especially in the sunporch where plants tend to dry out quicker than those in the house.  I bought 2 of them to try.  The dollar store watering globes came in at just under half the price of those sold at Canadian tire.

A watering globe is made of hand-blown glass.  It provides a bit of a decorative element to potted plants while ensuring they do not dry out.  They are quite easy to use buy simply filling then inverting and inserting the stem into the soil where the water will be released into the soil via gravity and osmosis.  The size I bought will keep a plant watered for up to 2 weeks.  I think these watering globes will be wonderful for use indoors and in the sunporch.  I'm a bit concerned over direct sun exposure for outdoor potted plants where the water could heat in the reservoir to the point of being too hot for the plant.  Since the watering globe is made of glass it is a bit more fragile than other watering methods as well so this won't be an option I use much outdoors other than protected areas. 

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Heinz 1439 Tomato

Tomatoes are likely the first choice of any vegetable grown in home gardens and for good reason. Homegrown tomatoes are the best tasting tomatoes you can ever eat! They are simply the best fresh picked from the vine, still warm with the sun's kiss and moments away from a sandwich or salad. Most home gardeners will grow more than one variety of tomatoes usually chosen for a particular use. This year I'm growing 5 varieties which is well under my normal 25+ varieties but if you recall my new beds went in late this spring. Next year I will be back up to my normal numbers.

Inside

Tomato vines are classified as determinant or indeterminant depending on their growth patterns. An inderterminant tomato vine will keep growing and growing whereas a determinant vine will only grow to a certain size and that's it. Indeterminat vines generally require staking or some type of support in home gardens whereas determinant vines do not. Indeterminant tomatoes are preferred when using the square foot gardening method simply because they can be trained to grow upwards on supports. They also have a higher yield than determinant tomatoes.

The Heinz 1439 tomato pictured is an indeterminant with fruit about the size of a tennis ball. It is a deep orangy red with a rich semi-sweet flavour when ripe. Despite the size this is a beautiful slicing tomato for sandwiches or salads. The inside is thick and meaty making this a fairly good sauce tomato as well. Of course near the end of tomato season when frost is threatening any tomato can be used for sauce!

Tomato Splitting

Any home gardener who had grown tomatoes will have at least once per season encountered split tomatoes. Pictured is a Heinz 1439 tomato that split. Tomatoes split due to too much moisture. This can be due to excessive rainfall or improper watering. Unless you protect your tomatoes with some type of canopy to prevent excessive rainfall from hitting your tomatoes chances are very good at least one heavy downfall of rain will cause splitting in tomatoes that are almost ready for picking. This will not affect green tomatoes but will affect those with a good blush. If this happens pick the tomato and wash well. Providing there are no signs of moulding around the split usually quite obvious by white fungal growth the go ahead and use the tomato. For aesthetics cut away the split portion.

If you find splitting happening and you are watering by hand or hose you are watering incorrectly. Tomatoes do not like wet feet aka roots. Water only when the tomatoes need watering and then at the base of the plant not on the foliage. Water thoroughly but do not over water and let them dry a bit before watering again! Do not water if there are any indications that rain may fall the day you are planning to water. Do not water in the evening as this will encourage fungus problems.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Watering Tips

Watering can be the single most make or break of gardening. Improper water whether too much, too little or at the wrong time can spell disaster. So here are some of my watering tips most of them learned through trial and error. They are by no means perfect and you will have to adapt to your situation.

Timing:
I prefer to water in the early morning before the full force of the sun hits the plants. Water acts as a magnifyer to the sun's rays causing sun burn on the plants. Watering in the morning also helps them get through the heat of the day. The only time I water during the heat of the day is if I see a plant in distress. Most times this is a container plant that dried out too quickly. Then I hand water the soil not the plant. I have watered in the early evening after a very hot day to give my plants a little pick-me-up but I'm always sure to water early enough that any wet foliage is dry before nightfall. Sometimes raised beds just like containers need a little extra water. Watering at night without time for the foliage to dry encourages mold and fungus. Wet soil encourages snails and slugs.

Amount:
I think this is one of the critical points to watering. Make sure you water enough but not too much! A brief spraying isn't going to do any good. It will create demanding plants with shallow roots. Too much water will create water logged soil and unhappy plants dying from root rot. So you need a happy medium. In general water once a day but only if needed. Soak the soil well but don't oversoak. For containers that means soak until water runs out the drain hole then stop. My rule with my raised beds is when I see small puddles I know that is enough water. You really have to dig into the ground to see how far the water has penetrated to determine how much to water with raised beds but once you've watered them a few times you will instinctively know. A rain guage is handy when watering raised beds. Watering both raised beds and containers are different than watering traditional in the ground gardens because the soil is controlled but the principles are the same. My neighbour has a large in ground vegetable garden. He handwaters if necessary but seldom uses the hose and never a sprinkler. Basically he let nature take its course. Then he complains his garden doesn't do well. OTHO, I have over producing raised beds watered regularly but not always daily depending on the weather.

Weather:
Sorry but if you are going to garden you need to pay attention to the weather. That means learning to read the skies and keeping in tune with your local conditions. I have found true the the sailors warning is true and being a boater I heed that warning, there is no point watering my garden if the sky is red in the morning. If the night is clear and there is a ring around the moon, don't water because rain is coming! If the leaves on your trees especially maple are turning over, don't water because it is going to rain. I can smell when it is going to rain because of increased ozone in the air but some can't pick up on this smell. My bones ache when it's going to rain too so that is another sign. In our high tech days, sometimes we fail to notice these signs. As gardeners check your weather report and planting guide daily but also learn some of the old ways to help you with your watering needs.

Water:
We are under water restrictions here allowing for watering every other day. I devised rain barrels to help with the watering if needed. We live on the water so we could always cart water to the gardens but that is rather a pain as would pumping water to the gardens. Rain barrels are inexpensive and easy to set up. Get a 50 gal plastic drum and remove the lid. Add a spiggot with hose attachment near the bottom if desired (preferrable). Test you spiggot for leaks "before" continuing. Turn the barrel right side up and attach window screen to the top of the barrel. This will keep debris and leaves out of your barrel. Place your barrel near your downspout. Cut downspout and/or redirect into the centre of the barrel. Wrap chicken wire around the barrel and secure. Now, push the barrel into place. The downspout should be in the centre of the barrel. Plant vining plants of your choice such as ivy or clematis around the base of the barrel. These will grow up the chicken wire masking the barrel. When your barrel gets about half full, add feeder goldfish or ruby red minnows to control mosquitoes. Now you have an inexpensive but visually appealing water barrel to help your watering needs. There are two ways to use your barrel. Hook up a soaker hose or hand water. If you have access to a natural source of water which we do you can either cart water or hook up a pumping system if allowed. Some municipalities will not allow you to do this but most will. If you can it will provide a nutrient rich souch of water hopefully chemical freee. At any rate any type of water souce for your garden should be used to its full potential without wastage. Municipal water is easier to use but conservation is still necessary. In most cases there is a charge for municipal water.

Methods:
This is by far the largest area to differ on. I like easy methods that don't waste water and for that reason I "prefer" soaker hoses. They can be concealed by mulch or ground cover. Once in place they only need to be hooked up and used with draining in the winter if you are in an area that freezes in winter. No muss, no fuss and easily adaptable to the water barrel. They best part is of all watering methods they put the water where it is needed and reduce evapouration and wastage. Second to that I use hand watering for the vegetable gardens consisting of a multi-sprayer set to shower. In the greenhouse I use the mist or shower setting but my son is experimenting with a drip system so that might be changing very soon.

Hand watering by watering can works well too. It is more time consuming but can be a great diversion for a restless young one :) I still very much enjoy watering this way. My neighbour still does it this way the majority of the time.

Sprinklers waste a lot of water through evapouration, large coverage area and they soak the foliage creating problems you don't want such as mold and fungus especially if used in the evening. There is a tendency to overwater because you walk away then forget the sprinkler is on. The problem is they are a cheap and easy solution for the novice gardener. So most of us have at one time used them and some of us still do. I think a rain guage is important when using a sprinkler. Water to your desired amount in the guage then turn the sprinkler off. While a sprinkler is an easy solution, try to use it only when necessary.

Containers present their own problems because they can dry out so fast. I use the shower setting with the hose but have come up with a couple of other ideas. I'm testing my sons drip system on a couple of plants so if that goes well I'll post the instructions. So far so good. I use the wick method on other container plants. Simply take a plastic container like a sour cream container. Fill with water. Poke a hole in the top and tread synthetic wick through it long enough to reach the bottom of the container. Put the lid on the container. Push wick up through the drain hole of the pot to near the surface. Set pot of reservoir (plastic container) and the plant will water itself for about a week. Use larger reservoirs for larger containers.

Miscellaneous:
While you are considering water, add a water feature or a couple of bird baths. You want to encourage birds, butterflies, and bats into your garden. They all need water. There are several ways of doing this of which I won't go into detail now. Keep your bird baths clean. Change the water daily! Add the sounds of water flowing buy using a smal recirculating pump and air tubing to create a fountain or bubbling water. Birds are drawn to the sounds of tinkling water. The sound is rather pleasant while you pull weeds in the garden :)

Happy Gardening

Garden Gnome