How To Properly Water Plants: 12 Important Tips & Tricks

Plants are one of life’s great pleasures: breathing color, fresh air, and beauty into even the blandest places. If you own plants (or want to), one of the most critical things you need to learn is how and when to water them. It might seem easy, and for some plants, it truly is, as they can live with very little water. However, many people accidentally damage or even kill their plants because they don’t water them correctly. To help, we put together a list of 12 tips and tricks you can use to ensure you water your plants perfectly and on time, every time.

The 12 Important Tips & Tricks to Water your Plants Properly

1. Don’t Water the Leaves of your Plants

Many people make the common mistake of watering their entire plant, including the leaves, roots, and flowers. Instead, they should avoid the leaves and put the water directly onto the soil. The reason why is that water can cause leaves to rot, which can then cause bacterial and fungal infections. To avoid these problems, water the soil, not the leaves, when watering your plants.

2. After Watering a Potted Plant, Dump Out the Excess Water

Have you ever stepped in a puddle with shoes on and soaked your foot, sock and shoe completely? As with the leaves, too much water can cause your plant’s roots to rot, eventually killing your precious plant. The solution? After watering, wait a few minutes to let any water drain into the saucer under the pot. Once it does, dump the water into the sink, so your plant doesn’t stay wet all day.

3. Water Outdoor Plants Early in the Morning or Late in the Afternoon

This tip is important for all home gardeners. Water sprayed on hot soil evaporates very quickly in the heat of the day, especially in the late morning and early afternoon. In the early morning, however, the soil is much cooler, so the water evaporates less quickly. The same can be said for the soil in the late afternoon (although less so) after things have cooled down. For this reason, watering your outdoor plants should never be done in the middle of the day.

4. The Right Soil Makes a Huge Difference

Different plants have different soil needs, some wildly different from others. For example, cacti and succulents need soil that drains faster and keeps their roots relatively dry. Vegetables need soil that holds water longer to get enough before it evaporates. Many plants are in the middle, needing soil that will stay moist but drain well. Choosing the right soil is thus essential, but how do you do that. The labels on soil products usually state what type of plant they are perfect for, making it very easy to choose.

5. Choose Garden Containers Larger than 10 Inches in Diameter

One mistake many folks make when choosing garden containers for potted plants is they choose one that’s far too small. Sure, a tiny succulent can go in a tiny pot and be fine for quite a while, but an outdoor plant requires more space. That’s why, when buying containers for outdoor plants, you should always go larger than 10 inches (25 centimeters). The bigger the container, the more space your plant’s roots will have to grow. Also, a bigger pot holds more soil, moisture, and nutrients for your plant.

6. Water Should Drain Out of the Holes at the Bottom of the Pot

When watering your plants, it’s essential you water them deeply and thoroughly. The question is, how do you know if you’ve watered them deeply and thoroughly enough? When water starts flowing out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot or container, you’ve watered your plants enough and can stop watering them for the day..

7. Don’t Count on Rain to Water Your Plants

Depending on where you live, you might get a little, a lot, or a moderate amount of rain. Even a heavy rainstorm might not penetrate the soil below if you have older, mature plants in containers with thick foliage. That’s because the leaves often behave like a parasol, keeping the ground underneath surprisingly dry. The solution is to check to see if your plants have gotten enough water after heavy rain.

8. One Watering per Day Might Not Be Enough

If you live in a dry, windy, and hot area, you might need to water your plants more than once a day. Also, if you use terra cotta, coir, or metal containers, they can make it so that the water evaporates more quickly. It’s also why larger containers are better than smaller containers, as we saw in Tip #5. Watering twice a day might be necessary if your plants are drying out too quickly.

9. Use a Watering Wand When Possible

A watering wand is a special device you attach to a garden hose. It’s a long tube or pipe that connects to the hose on one end and a specialized nozzle on the other. Most watering wands are between 1 and 3 feet (30 to 90 centimeters) in length. Watering wands mimic rainfall and are slower and gentler than regular spray nozzles. They also let you reach the soil rather than water the leaves, which we now know is bad for your plants. Lastly, watering wands help you get to plants that are hard to reach. You can find watering wands at any nursery or home improvement store for less than $30.

10. Broadcast Sprinklers Are an Inadequate Watering Tool

One of the most inefficient tools you can use to water your outdoor plants is a broadcast sprinkler. On a hot, windy day, a large portion of the water being sprayed by a broadcast sprinkler never even makes it to the soil or your plants! Instead, it evaporates first, wasting water and leaving your plants thirsty. The solution? Spray water yourself using a simple garden hose and sprayer.

11. Never Use Treated, Softened Water on Your Plants

If your home has a water softener, you should avoid using the water it creates to water your plants. The reason is that water softeners change the mineral levels in the water, which, in time, can also change them in your plants. These devices remove magnesium and calcium from the water, which plants need to thrive. They also put more sodium and potassium into the water, which can be too much for certain plants. The solution? Use water from an outdoor hose that’s not connected to the same piping system as your water softener.

12. Purchase a Soil Moisture Gauge

Using a soil moisture gauge is one of the easiest methods of determining if your plants have enough water. The devices, which you can find at any nursery, cost around $25.00. What’s great about them is you can stick them directly into a plant’s soil and, almost instantly, tell if it’s too wet, too dry, or just right. The beauty is that when you have a soil moisture gauge, all the guesswork of watering is removed. You won’t need to guess or try to remember the instructions found on that little plastic plant tag. (You know, the one you threw away the day you purchased your plant).

Final Thoughts

How do you properly water plants? Not watering the leaves of your plants is a big problem that likely surprised many readers. You can’t overlook the wonders of a watering wand and soil moisture gauge, either. Plus, the time of day, type of soil, and even the container all play a vital role. Best of luck watering all your plants and keeping them happy, healthy, and beautiful.

Featured Image Credit: BeautyStars, Shutterstock