Container gardens require frequent watering in hot weather.
Outdoor containers filled with vegetables or flowering plants feel the stress of summer heat and dry weather sooner than garden beds because of their limited soil areas. Keeping the soil moist ensures the plants don't suffer drought-stress or death. Container plants suffering from too little water begin to wilt and eventually stop flowering or fruiting. If the stress continues, the plants may die. Does this Spark an idea?
Container Considerations
Some containers dry out more quickly than others. Clay and wood containers wick moisture from the soil and allow it to evaporate from the sides of the pot. Plastic containers retain more moisture in the soil. Planting in plastic helps prevent rapid evaporation in hot weather. Using plastic liners equipped with drainage holes inside decorative wood or clay containers provides the moisture retention benefits of plastic without compromising the aesthetic value of the clay or wood pot.
Watering Frequency
It's more difficult to remoisten dry soil than it is to keep it moist. Checking the soil and watering more frequently prevents the soil from drying out in hot weather. Depending on your locale's heat and dryness factors, containers may require twice-daily waterings during the summer. Most containers need water when their top inch of soil feels dry. Feeling the soil once in the morning and again in mid-afternoon can help you determine if watering is necessary before the soil dries out completely.
Water Amount
Most plants grow best in soil that remains evenly moist without becoming soggy. Excess water contributes to root rot problems; pots with drainage holes ensure that water doesn't collect in their bottoms. Adding water at each irrigation until the excess drains from the bottom drainage holes further ensures that moisture has penetrated the entire root zone, which helps prevent the soil from drying out too quickly in hot weather.
Mulch
While mulch is more commonly used in garden beds, it can also help prevent water evaporation from pots during hot weather. Most containers have a 2-inch space between the top of the soil and the rim of the pot. Filling this space with bark nuggets, straw or another organic mulch keeps the moisture in the soil where it belongs. Mulch that sits against plant stems may cause rot problems, so leaving a small space between the mulch and the plant's stem is necessary.
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