Watering plants under covers - rules of conduct

Plants require a few elements for overall happiness, and one of these factors is regular watering. Generally, outdoor crops have unlimited access to water, but that too can get disturbed sometimes, due to drought. The frequency of watering the plants depends entirely on us, and the types of specimens that are being grown. Different rules of conduct that are worth knowing are as under:

Don't afraid to ask

Watering seems to be like a simple task, isn’t it? We think of it just as a task of providing water to the plants. But, to do it properly and without harm to crops, it should be made sure that irrigation is done by bearing in mind and remembering many things. To do this right, it is essential to ask wise and accurate questions, because the answers to these questions will help you in heading towards the right direction.

• What natural environment do the plants come from? Decorative plants, crops and other specimens come from different habitats, which mean that they all have different water requirements. Some will need water every day, others every two days, and another one once in a while. So, it is important to know their origin before treating them all in the similar manner.

• What kind of genre, what variation? Just like the previous point, it is also important to consider the diversity of specimens to determine their water needs. For instance, one group of plants, for example alstroemeria, needs a lot of watering whereas, the other ones, for example epiphytes, need lesser water because these include majority of orchids.

• Does the age of the plant matter? Considering the age of the plant is important in determining whether it requires too strong or weak irrigation, because excess of both these has a very negative effect on plants. It is easily seen that too-abundant watered plants have a lots of diseases. It happens because we forget the fact that the specimen needs water for rooting, but requires air too. And, over watering suffocates the roots and causes the plant to die.

• Do other factors affect the amount of water? Yes, definitely! Factors such as temperature, substrate used or lighting affect the intensity of watering.

Modern irrigation systems

In the past, there was scarcity of irrigation sources. Plants were watered either by hands or with party mechanized equipment. However, the downside of using these equipment was that they did not provide optimal amount of water for plants, and used a large amount of water at the same time.  At present, there are various irrigation systems and each of them has adopted different rules of conduct. Let's get to know them!

• Drop watering is one of the methods used to provide right amount of water to the plants. Each plant gets the correct amount of water using an individual dripper. This method saves a lot of water, time and also requires very less commitment. The tensiometers used in this method inform you about the low level of hydration in the substrate. Hence, you do not have to worry about other issues.

• The flood system. In this case, pots are placed on the watertight, level tables, to which water flows through the pipes, and returns to the tank after some time. It is important to pour the table once – at a height of 2 to 3 cm, for a limited time of around 10 to 20 minutes. Doing this every day is essential during summer, but during winters, you can do so less often, once every few days.

• Absorbing mats are made of non-woven fabric, and are basically cheaper than flooding tables. The principle of their operation is very simple – the water from the mat drips into the substrate in the pot. In this method, it is important to make sure that the system is constantly moist. Although they can be watered by hand, but it is better to use drip lines for this purpose.

Overall, these are some of the most recent ways to automate watering. All these are of  great importance for every plant.