How much water

Toastie 4/13/2010, 10:08 pm

OK, how do I know if I am overwatering the plants I got from a nursery and from a friend
I have already had 1 squash plant die out and the others have yellowish leaves now
Right now I was watering about half a cup per plant a day, should I cut back. I pretty much put the water on the outlaying areas

Cornerstone 4/13/2010, 11:16 pm

I bet you're over watering. There are a few thing that can turn a plant yellow . . . Over watering is one of the. Plants do a pretty good job of letting you know what they need (water wise) Drooping or leaves turning brown try watering. Turning yellow back off on the watering. Hope this helps!

Toastie 4/13/2010, 11:17 pm

Thanks. I will try not watering them tomorrow and see what happens
Is it a good practice to water every other day or then

Cornerstone 4/13/2010, 11:28 pm

I over watered last year. I watered every day. My brother watered every week or two and his plants thrived. My water was just soaking into the ground below the box *frown*.

When to water depends on several things in including but not limited to amount of rain fall, temp, size of plants, and type of plants. It is a great thing to check the plants every day. Not only to check for water but also bugs and other problems.

i would just use the finger test. Put you finger in the soil and see if it feels wet or dry.

boffer 4/14/2010, 12:31 am

Toastie wrote:OK, how do I know if I am overwatering the plants I got from a nursery and from a friend I have already had 1 squash plant die out and the others have yellowish leaves now Right now I was watering about half a cup per plant a day, should I cut back. I pretty much put the water on the outlaying areas

If you're using Mel's mix in the proper ratio, I don't think your problem is overwatering. First, Mel says you can't overwater his mix. Second, it takes about 1/2 gal of water per square to go from dry (when you're mixing the ingrediants) to saturated and ready to plant. 4 oz. a day isn't much.

I took Mel at his word. I water till it starts running out the bottom; I haven't had problems. I agree with the finger test, but, go to the bottom of the box. Sometimes the top couple of inches is nicely damp, and the bottom is dry. In my larger, deeper boxes, I'll leave one square empty just so I have a place to stick my hand in to the bottom.

Some folks water several times a day because their climate is so hot and dry. You might check in your regional forum to check with folks about how frequently to water.

Toastie 4/14/2010, 7:47 am

When I made those boxes I did not have the proper mix. Gonna wait and see how much I enjoy gardening this year to see if I want to continue doing this

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