“Plants are like people..takes a long time to die of thirst, but only a few minutes to drown”. Favorite saying of the greenhouse/nursery owner I worked for many years ago while I was in college. Love your channel…
Your videos are consistently some of the best, well presented, and most informative on You Tube. Always look forward to your postings, and always learn from rhem. Thank you.
Exactly what I was looking for. For most of my new garden. I know it’s impossible to cover everything and there are special needs for some plants. I planted 5 hibiscus last year. I think I’m supposed to water those every day. I’ll have to revisit that.
I’m getting better at not over watering and this video had lots of great information that I’ve made note of. Counting down the time until we visit your Nursery! Thank you Jason.
I think more people over water than underwater. I think some of it has to do everybody keeps saying keep your plants moist so they're afraid to let it dry some so they run for the water or the can.
I worked with Bachman's merchandizers, as a temp a few seasons. Those ladies could lift the pot at their accounts, and know, more or less how much water to add. Sort of like how a Deli worker can pick up .5 lbs, on the button, of OTB turkey.
Regarding watering when the sun is shining causing leaf burn…I’ve always told people this was a myth. However, I have had some pretty savvy gardeners tell me this is very possible where it is humid out, like the in the southeast US during summer. I live where the humidity is low so water droplets evaporate and cool the leaves. I could see in areas where the sun is intense but the humidity is high and the water droplet does not evaporate there could be some burning. But I agree with everything else in this video. Good job as usual!
Thanks. I do try to keep my distance from myth busting just for the sake of controversy - but in this case a misunderstanding of the cause of water damage on leaves can lead to mistakes. So no one is disputing that water standing on leaves for an extended period can cause fairly focused spots of browning, sometimes even followed by holes in the leaves as the tissue breaks down. The difference will be in the explanation. I've seen this pattern of damage in my cooler climate as well, where it's been diagnosed by the plant lab as bacterial in nature. The problem with the alternate (magnifying glass) theory is that it's never been tested or verified, and seems to fly in the face of physics. If you looked at a thermal image or measured water on a surface under most conditions, you'd find that the temperature is near ambient, except for a little cooling caused by evaporation. This is true over a wide range temperature and humidity conditions. It's why water feels cool on the skin, and why swamp coolers work. In high humidity situations, this coefficient of cooling may reduce to some degree - but what the "water droplet leaf burn" theory implies is that it not only slows, but *reverses* dramatically, leading to the water droplets becoming much hotter than ambient temperatures. Once again, this doesn't match observed results, but would lead to some bizarre outcomes being observed in the real world. Even in high humidity, water eventually evaporates from surfaces, and while doing so, it's cooling - not heating. Now if the concern about water on leaves leads to common sense gardening practices, like drip irrigation, pruning for proper air flow or watering early in the morning to allow time for drying, I'm all in favor. My problem is that I could see the bad explanation leading to poor practices: like avoiding watering on a sunny day even if the plants really need it, or watering overnight or on cloudy days instead (which increases rather than decreases the risk of standing water on foliage)
I'm just needing to vent. I've added raised beds and even raised some areas of my yard but the California atmospheric river is drowning my in ground plants. Last year I dug a trench around one rose to save it and then dug it out and created a raised area to replant it. All my seed starts are outside and I've had remove all the under trays that hold water and use covers to try and keep out the excess rain.
Another goodie Jason, Thank you❤ You solved a few questions I was having. I’ve been guilty of bottom watering. Also wanted to ask your opinion on adding Silica fertilizer in our gardens. I just saw a video pro silica from Gardening in Canada. You can add it to your water. Very interesting video. She’s a soil scientist. I wanted your thoughts before I bought anything😉😁Again Thank you!
Ashley generally does a good job of following reputable evidence (with maybe the sole exception with electroculture!) and silica supplementation is well supported - as I recall especially for improving resistance to diseases like powdery mildew. I leave cost/benefit to you though.
Maybe they're not perfectly precise, but some information is better than none - and if you're also actively checking and observing to confirm the readings, I'm all in favor.
Hi Jason, I liked the video on the watering. I wished I had seen it two weeks ago. I did an oops on some roses, but I didn't lose all of them .I have a question for you, I see in your propagating room that you have grow lights. Are they effective for the plants in the clear plastic totes. I have four foot led lights up now, and I like to get rid of them for something more efficient. Thanks for the videos. Steve.
I've been in hydro for some time. I found it easiest to keep water in the bottom tray and let the water wick up. This tray I call the reservoir. It's not unlike hydro-growing which is often in 100% water. Shortly, roots will grown down and into the reservoir. Then, all you have to do is keep water (nutrient-water for me) in the tray and this level is much easier to maintain than individual pot watering. In addition, when I pull the pot out to transplant, the hanging roots are not rootbound so plant shock is less. Trying to constrain roots in a small pot 'causes the "dance" you're speaking of. It becomes cumbersome if you have lots of pots/plants.
Starting next Monday, we will not be allowed to use outdoor watering of any kind (sprinklers, drip irrigation, faucet/hose) until early April. If I have been over-watering, there's a good chance we're going to see a lot of "1" or "2" watering levels unless we have ample rain storms. Not looking forward to those seven weeks or so.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Yes. LOL! The main reason is a shutdown of the larger of two water treatment facilities that supply the city's water in order to upgrade a large pipe section in anticipation of the additional water treatment facilities being added between 2025 and 2027. The smaller treatment facility being left online can only handle so much demand. The city did a poor job of planning out water demand 6-8 years ago, and residents are now paying the price. Throw in less than normal rainfall here in Central Texas (drought!) for much of the past four years, and what we have is the perfect storm (figuratively speaking).
From an ecology point of view, it’s useful to consider the habitat that a given species evolved in. Desert cacti vs tropical aroids for example. Cacti can survive and often prefer prolonged dry periods, aroids will wilt and drop leaves if not kept at relatively high moisture always.
Great point. I definitely breezed through the point that the species of plant should be taken into account. For 90+ % of plants, aiming for a 3 or a 4 on the top end, and then letting it dry down to a 2 will support healthy roots and growth. While there may be some exceptions, even when I grew succulents commercially we achieved our best growth rates with those same guidelines - we were just a little more cautious about the top end, and it took longer to dry down.
Hi Jason, I'm attempting to propgate a rose for the first time. Im not entirely sure variety as I just took a cutting from my parents bush and my dad is unsure. I did the rooting hormone and let it be. I was surprised after only 2 months, it sprouted some growth now! Was looking really nice, but now the poor little thing is wilty. I hadn't been watering much because its winter. But, I gave it some more water and it didn't help the situation. So, I moved it from the indirect light window to a window with direct light and that hasnt helped either. Any thoughts? The 4 leaves it did have look like they are now at the verge of dying off.
Thanks, I did pull this one up and it didn't have any roots and was rotting. Bummer. The other one though has a nice Root system Started just no growth yet.
It's pretty general for all potted plants. Some do tolerate (and even prefer) wetter soil, but for 90+% of annuals, perennials and shrubs it best to water up to a 3 or 4 and let dry down to a 2.
Thank you, does this apply to orchids? I have an orchid on a bark but suddenly when the hot season began and I moist it a litle bit more,, it loosed it´s leaves, turnign yellow and roted.
Differently for orchids - but still the same basic idea: the roots need some drying time and plenty of air in the soil (or bark, as it might be for orchids) to remain healthy. With experience you might also be able to make a judgement on when to water by the weight of the pot.
I have a small commercial greenhouse it holds around 8000 plants. I see others watering from the top. Using trays w holes. I hesitate to do this because 1 its always cloudy in the midwest. I work a full time job. I cant water like this in the am. And all the water flattens out things like petunia and all that fertilized water spills to the ground. I had been watering in the trays and easy to waterlog. So i am watering each 4 inch pot with a small watering can . Very time consuming. Not sure how to get this right
That sounds really labor intensive. I'd definitely have to go over to watering with a wand and fine water breaker nozzle, so it doesn't flatten things down too much.
I'll give that a qualified yes. Some plants will tolerate highly saturated soil well for a while, and in the qualities of the potting soil can make quite a difference as well. If it's blended with attention to drainage and aeration, then it's mitigating any overwatering. Ideal root growth is still within the 2-3 range with the occasional visit to 4. Giving the experts the benefit of the doubt, one issue they may be seeing is where gardeners are allowing the soil to dry out and become hydrophobic between waterings, and the "dunk" so to speak is advised because many inexperienced growers will underestimate how much effort it takes to get moisture back into hydrophobic soil. For my part, I'd favor repeated small waterings with time in between for the water to work its way in.
“Plants are like people..takes a long time to die of thirst, but only a few minutes to drown”. Favorite saying of the greenhouse/nursery owner I worked for many years ago while I was in college. Love your channel…
Lol. That's awesome! Thanks
Your videos are consistently some of the best, well presented, and most informative on You Tube. Always look forward to your postings, and always learn from rhem. Thank you.
Exactly what I was looking for. For most of my new garden. I know it’s impossible to cover everything and there are special needs for some plants. I planted 5 hibiscus last year. I think I’m supposed to water those every day. I’ll have to revisit that.
Literally just walked away from my seedlings/plants wondering if I am overwatering. Thank you!
Very welcome!
By far the most informative, thorough, and thoughtful videos on plant watering I have seen. Thank you!!
Thanks, it took me awhile to find the exact infor I was looking for and you provided it with that convenient side by side plant comparison!
Such excellent basic information as usual. Thanks!
This was so helpful, thank you!
Thanks, very helpful and to the point
Thank you for this video. I always struggle with when to water.
I’m getting better at not over watering and this video had lots of great information that I’ve made note of. Counting down the time until we visit your Nursery! Thank you Jason.
Thanks Lori
Thank you for sharing, this topic was really helpful.
Thank you. This is a very helpful video.
Very helpful video. Have definitely been overwatering my plants! 😕
Thank you. I so need this, I’m a famous over-waterer.
I think more people over water than underwater. I think some of it has to do everybody keeps saying keep your plants moist so they're afraid to let it dry some so they run for the water or the can.
Great vid Jason thanks!
I worked with Bachman's merchandizers, as a temp a few seasons. Those ladies could lift the pot at their accounts, and know, more or less how much water to add. Sort of like how a Deli worker can pick up .5 lbs, on the button, of OTB turkey.
Lol. Yes! Once you have the feel for it
Thanks! Great content as always!
Thanks so much
Regarding watering when the sun is shining causing leaf burn…I’ve always told people this was a myth. However, I have had some pretty savvy gardeners tell me this is very possible where it is humid out, like the in the southeast US during summer. I live where the humidity is low so water droplets evaporate and cool the leaves. I could see in areas where the sun is intense but the humidity is high and the water droplet does not evaporate there could be some burning. But I agree with everything else in this video. Good job as usual!
Thanks. I do try to keep my distance from myth busting just for the sake of controversy - but in this case a misunderstanding of the cause of water damage on leaves can lead to mistakes. So no one is disputing that water standing on leaves for an extended period can cause fairly focused spots of browning, sometimes even followed by holes in the leaves as the tissue breaks down. The difference will be in the explanation. I've seen this pattern of damage in my cooler climate as well, where it's been diagnosed by the plant lab as bacterial in nature. The problem with the alternate (magnifying glass) theory is that it's never been tested or verified, and seems to fly in the face of physics. If you looked at a thermal image or measured water on a surface under most conditions, you'd find that the temperature is near ambient, except for a little cooling caused by evaporation. This is true over a wide range temperature and humidity conditions. It's why water feels cool on the skin, and why swamp coolers work. In high humidity situations, this coefficient of cooling may reduce to some degree - but what the "water droplet leaf burn" theory implies is that it not only slows, but *reverses* dramatically, leading to the water droplets becoming much hotter than ambient temperatures. Once again, this doesn't match observed results, but would lead to some bizarre outcomes being observed in the real world. Even in high humidity, water eventually evaporates from surfaces, and while doing so, it's cooling - not heating. Now if the concern about water on leaves leads to common sense gardening practices, like drip irrigation, pruning for proper air flow or watering early in the morning to allow time for drying, I'm all in favor. My problem is that I could see the bad explanation leading to poor practices: like avoiding watering on a sunny day even if the plants really need it, or watering overnight or on cloudy days instead (which increases rather than decreases the risk of standing water on foliage)
Myth. Water will dry long before causing burn. You can water in the middle of the day.
I have always wondered if bottom watering could cause too much saturation. I seem to always overwater and have seedlings with little root structure.
I'm just needing to vent. I've added raised beds and even raised some areas of my yard but the California atmospheric river is drowning my in ground plants. Last year I dug a trench around one rose to save it and then dug it out and created a raised area to replant it. All my seed starts are outside and I've had remove all the under trays that hold water and use covers to try and keep out the excess rain.
Oof! I heard it was pretty heavy down your way. I hope it doesn't last much longer
Another goodie Jason, Thank you❤ You solved a few questions I was having. I’ve been guilty of bottom watering. Also wanted to ask your opinion on adding Silica fertilizer in our gardens. I just saw a video pro silica from Gardening in Canada. You can add it to your water. Very interesting video. She’s a soil scientist. I wanted your thoughts before I bought anything😉😁Again Thank you!
Ashley generally does a good job of following reputable evidence (with maybe the sole exception with electroculture!) and silica supplementation is well supported - as I recall especially for improving resistance to diseases like powdery mildew. I leave cost/benefit to you though.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm
Really glad I asked you. I have hundreds of plants. It wouldn’t make sense for me. Thanks so much!
Thank you very much.
It seems almost all of the channels are AGAINST using those green instant read probe type water meters( $10-$20) I be personally love mine!😎Scotty
Maybe they're not perfectly precise, but some information is better than none - and if you're also actively checking and observing to confirm the readings, I'm all in favor.
Thank you!
Hi Jason,
I liked the video on the watering. I wished I had seen it two weeks ago. I did an oops on some roses, but I didn't lose all of them .I have a question for you, I see in your propagating room that you have grow lights. Are they effective for the plants in the clear plastic totes. I have four foot led lights up now, and I like to get rid of them for something more efficient.
Thanks for the videos.
Steve.
I've been in hydro for some time. I found it easiest to keep water in the bottom tray and let the water wick up. This tray I call the reservoir. It's not unlike hydro-growing which is often in 100% water. Shortly, roots will grown down and into the reservoir. Then, all you have to do is keep water (nutrient-water for me) in the tray and this level is much easier to maintain than individual pot watering. In addition, when I pull the pot out to transplant, the hanging roots are not rootbound so plant shock is less. Trying to constrain roots in a small pot 'causes the "dance" you're speaking of. It becomes cumbersome if you have lots of pots/plants.
Thanks for sharing your method!
Starting next Monday, we will not be allowed to use outdoor watering of any kind (sprinklers, drip irrigation, faucet/hose) until early April. If I have been over-watering, there's a good chance we're going to see a lot of "1" or "2" watering levels unless we have ample rain storms. Not looking forward to those seven weeks or so.
That's rough! Is it some kind of infrastructure work, or seasonal/climate related?
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Yes. LOL! The main reason is a shutdown of the larger of two water treatment facilities that supply the city's water in order to upgrade a large pipe section in anticipation of the additional water treatment facilities being added between 2025 and 2027. The smaller treatment facility being left online can only handle so much demand. The city did a poor job of planning out water demand 6-8 years ago, and residents are now paying the price. Throw in less than normal rainfall here in Central Texas (drought!) for much of the past four years, and what we have is the perfect storm (figuratively speaking).
From an ecology point of view, it’s useful to consider the habitat that a given species evolved in. Desert cacti vs tropical aroids for example. Cacti can survive and often prefer prolonged dry periods, aroids will wilt and drop leaves if not kept at relatively high moisture always.
Great point. I definitely breezed through the point that the species of plant should be taken into account. For 90+ % of plants, aiming for a 3 or a 4 on the top end, and then letting it dry down to a 2 will support healthy roots and growth. While there may be some exceptions, even when I grew succulents commercially we achieved our best growth rates with those same guidelines - we were just a little more cautious about the top end, and it took longer to dry down.
thank you.
Most welcome!
I think a lot of people are scared of underwatering and end up overwatering as a consequence, I know I'm guilty haha
Totally understandable!
Another great lesson. Thanks. - Question: Do you have any recommendations for on-line horticulture courses or degrees?
Last I looked at it, the University of Guelph had a good program.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thank you
Hi Jason, I'm attempting to propgate a rose for the first time. Im not entirely sure variety as I just took a cutting from my parents bush and my dad is unsure. I did the rooting hormone and let it be. I was surprised after only 2 months, it sprouted some growth now! Was looking really nice, but now the poor little thing is wilty. I hadn't been watering much because its winter. But, I gave it some more water and it didn't help the situation. So, I moved it from the indirect light window to a window with direct light and that hasnt helped either. Any thoughts? The 4 leaves it did have look like they are now at the verge of dying off.
The top growth (shoots) are really far less important than rooting.
Thanks, I did pull this one up and it didn't have any roots and was rotting. Bummer. The other one though has a nice Root system
Started just no growth yet.
Is this just for roses or for all seedlings?
It's pretty general for all potted plants. Some do tolerate (and even prefer) wetter soil, but for 90+% of annuals, perennials and shrubs it best to water up to a 3 or 4 and let dry down to a 2.
Thank you, does this apply to orchids? I have an orchid on a bark but suddenly when the hot season began and I moist it a litle bit more,, it loosed it´s leaves, turnign yellow and roted.
Differently for orchids - but still the same basic idea: the roots need some drying time and plenty of air in the soil (or bark, as it might be for orchids) to remain healthy. With experience you might also be able to make a judgement on when to water by the weight of the pot.
Thank you Jason!
I have a small commercial greenhouse it holds around 8000 plants. I see others watering from the top. Using trays w holes. I hesitate to do this because 1 its always cloudy in the midwest. I work a full time job. I cant water like this in the am. And all the water flattens out things like petunia and all that fertilized water spills to the ground. I had been watering in the trays and easy to waterlog. So i am watering each 4 inch pot with a small watering can . Very time consuming. Not sure how to get this right
That sounds really labor intensive. I'd definitely have to go over to watering with a wand and fine water breaker nozzle, so it doesn't flatten things down too much.
👍❤️🙂
👍👌🤙
Do rose bush leaves yellow when not watered?
They can - the symptoms of severe drought stress can show up as a rapid yellowing and leaf drop of especially the lower and inner foliage.
Thank you. Wonderful channel.
A lot of houseplant experts say to drown your plants when watering. Should we be more measured when watering container plants?
I'll give that a qualified yes. Some plants will tolerate highly saturated soil well for a while, and in the qualities of the potting soil can make quite a difference as well. If it's blended with attention to drainage and aeration, then it's mitigating any overwatering. Ideal root growth is still within the 2-3 range with the occasional visit to 4. Giving the experts the benefit of the doubt, one issue they may be seeing is where gardeners are allowing the soil to dry out and become hydrophobic between waterings, and the "dunk" so to speak is advised because many inexperienced growers will underestimate how much effort it takes to get moisture back into hydrophobic soil. For my part, I'd favor repeated small waterings with time in between for the water to work its way in.
it depends how wet your water is.
Guilty as charged 😿