Watering flowers – in the morning, in the evening, when and how often?

If you only reach for the watering can or the water hose in the midday hours, you may do more damage than good to your flowers. Especially when the sun is shining at the same time, every single drop of water on the leaves, flowers and shoots turns into a mini burning glass. There are burns that cannot be repaired. In addition, up to 90 percent of the irrigation water is wasted. The higher the temperatures during watering, the more extensive the degree of evaporation.

This basic rule applies to the flowers in the garden as well as in the room, the conservatory or the greenhouse.

Watering garden flowers in harmony with nature

Flowers thrive in the garden all year round. Even when the snow is still on the ground, the first early bloomers, like snowdrops and crocuses, squint towards the sun. New types of flowers bloom continuously until well into autumn, and in addition to sunshine and nutrients, they need one thing above all: water. Since they are directly exposed to nature, nature naturally has a say when it comes to watering flowers. If you heed the following basic rules, your garden flowers will always be well supplied with water:

• Ideally water flowers in outdoor cultivation in the morning
• By the time the sun develops strength, the water has penetrated the leaves and roots
• Water again after sunset during hot summer periods

The early hours of the morning, as soon as possible before sunrise, are therefore the first choice for watering the garden flowers. If you have time, use a watering can to water directly to the roots instead of spreading it over a large area with a hosepipe or sprinkler. Soggy leaves and flowers are always a target for fungal infections and attract voracious pests like slugs.

How often water flowers in the bed?

A lush root system is an advantage so that flowers in bedding soil have good stability, access as many nutrients as possible and can tap into the water reserves of the soil. With daily, superficial watering, this goal moves far away. You promote the resilience and lifespan of garden flowers if you water them thoroughly at longer intervals. During normal summer weather conditions, one watering every 7 to 10 days on average is sufficient for a sufficient water supply. Of course, this admittedly quite general rule does not make the regular thumb test superfluous. Press your thumb into the soil during your daily patrol of the garden. If it feels dried out, the flowers are watered – regardless of

Water potted plants more frequently

In the planter, the flowers have a noticeably smaller volume of soil than in the bed. Depending on the material, pot substrate dries much more quickly. This is especially true for clay pots, which are more porous and permeable to air than plastic pots. If there is also a wind-exposed location, daily watering during a dry period is not uncommon. In this case, the thumb test becomes important and should be at the top of the daily care protocol. In addition, penetrating watering in the bucket or flower box is only possible to a limited extent, due to the higher risk of waterlogging.

Water hardy flowers during frost

Perennial garden flowers that retreat to their perennial organs in the ground for the winter are also at risk of drought during the winter. In the case of a frost, these plants are in great danger of dying of thirst. During normal winter conditions, freezing temperatures pose no threat to hardy plants as long as they are kept hydrated by a thick layer of snow. On the other hand, if there is no snow while the ground is frozen, perennial flowers can no longer get water from any side and dry up.

• Water hardy flowers during frost
• Water in the course of the morning on a frost-free day

Do not use warm water. The blatant difference in temperature would explode the tissue cells in seconds.

Water indoor flowers as needed

Very few indoor flowers thrive under the same conditions all year round. Depending on the species, they need a more or less pronounced hibernation in order to remain vital and healthy in the long term. The water supply is adjusted accordingly.

• Water according to thumb test in spring and summer
• Dried substrate surface signals the need for water
• The ideal time is during the morning
• In the winter quarters, water only enough to keep them from drying out

For sun worshipers under the flowers on the windowsill, the midday watering ban applies just as strictly as it does for garden flowers. Sunbeams behind glass have an even more intense effect on leaves and flowers anyway. For flowering plants in a semi-shady to shady location, this rule can of course be applied a little more loosely.

Special case hydro flowers

For flowering plants in hydroponics, the timing and frequency of watering becomes secondary. Planted in inorganic material, the flower is self-watering. The reservoir must of course be refilled regularly. It doesn’t matter what time of day that happens. At the latest, when the water level indicator is at minimum, pour more. The display preferably oscillates in the middle. In this case, water is available for 4 to 6 days. You should only fill up to the maximum if you go away for a while.

Watering flowers on vacation

A critical period for amateur gardeners and their flowers is the time of summer, when the long-awaited vacation is coming up. If there is no helpful neighbor available to water the flowers while you are away, that is by no means a reason to give up your well-deserved trip. Thanks to the following measures, you can ensure the water supply for your flowering plants during your holiday:

indoor plants

• Water the flowers in reserve just before departure
• The water is then a maximum of 1 cm high in the pot
• Darken the rooms in the house a little
• Only really robust flowering plants go in the bathtub
• Alternatively, put water-filled bottles with a perforated lid upside down into the substrate
• Soak clay pots in a bucket with water

Garden flowers Water your garden
flowers extensively before you leave and then spread a thick layer of mulch. In this way, you significantly reduce the evaporation of the irrigation water. If you are going on vacation for 2 weeks or longer, clay cones will water your flowers. These are placed in the bed soil, and they are connected to a rain barrel or a similarly suitable water reservoir via a thin hose. When the soil dries up, it sucks up the water. Waterlogging cannot occur. This mechanism is only set in motion if the clay cones have been allowed to soak up water for at least half an hour.

Balcony plants
Clever hobby gardeners have developed an ingenious solution for flowers on the balcony, provided that the holiday is limited to a short period of up to a week. Tubs and flower boxes are placed in a second container with water so that they have a false bottom. The containers are connected via small openings in which felt wicks are stuck. If the soil dries in the root area, it draws the water from the storage upwards via this path.

Watering flowers according to the lunar calendar

For many generations, gardeners have attributed some degree of influence to the moon in gardening. Even modern-minded hobby gardeners like to take a look at the annual lunar calendar when planning the care of their plants. In addition to sowing, weeding and repotting, they also take into account the favorable days for watering the flowers. Devotees of lunar gardening are confident that this will save water and fertilizer, encourage more blooming and keep the flowers healthier for longer.

• Watering flowers on a humid day
• On such days the moon is in the zodiac sign Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces

If a moisture day and a leaf day come together with increasing force, the positive effect of watering should reach its optimum. These requirements are met when the moon is in the sign of Pisces. Cancer and Scorpio also speak of a leaf day, but in this case with decreasing strength, so that the upper parts of the plant receive less moisture than the root area.

App takes care of timing and frequency

Professionally very busy hobby gardeners can now let an app decide when and how often they water their flowers. The free memory aid is based on a German-language database, chock full of information on the water requirements of hundreds of indoor and outdoor flowers. In the first step, all flowers that are in the local culture are selected. As part of the calibration, the app then ‘learns’ which flowering plants can get along with the irrigation water and for how long. After this learning process, the program reminds the stressed hobby gardener in good time to carry out the thumb test in order to water if necessary. Proud owners of a green thumb will smile mildly at this app. One or the other hobby gardener with a demanding job will be grateful for the little tutoring.

Incidentally, the app for watering the flowers correctly can also be upgraded with a WiFi plant sensor. This is inserted into the substrate and independently measures the moisture content. At the same time, the sensor determines the temperature of the environment and the lighting conditions. If there is a shortage, the hobby gardener is notified by smartphone. However, this luxury has its price. A single sensor costs 90 euros, so this purchase should only be worthwhile for particularly delicate flowers.

Watering cut flowers is useless

The magnificent bouquet of flowers in the vase will wither within a few days if it does not get fresh water in time. In this case, because of the soft stems and any leaves that may be present, rot quickly forms in the water, so there is little point in watering it again. Replace all the water in the vase every 2 to 3 days and you will be able to enjoy the flowers for a long time. Putting another copper coin in the water will prevent it from rotting.

Conclusion
If you want to water your flowers properly, you should not take this topic lightly. Inadequate water supply may well thwart all other care efforts. If you observe the top premise of never watering your flowers in the blazing midday sun, this is already a big step in the right direction. In addition, trust your instincts, especially your thumb, and then water when the soil has dried. As a rule of thumb, infrequent, thorough watering is more beneficial to the flowers than daily watering in small amounts. If you then adapt the watering rhythm to the season, not much can go wrong. Alternatively, get help with the lunar calendar or the app for watering flowers.