The Best Time To Water Your Container Garden To Keep Pots Thriving And Blooming All Summer

By June, many of us are spending more time admiring our container gardens than tending to them. Pots overflowing with petunias, calibrachoa, herbs, and tomatoes are one of the easiest ways to add color and interest to a yard, patio, or balcony, and yet...

Well, and yet as temperatures climb, they can also become incredibly thirsty. Unlike plants growing in the ground, container plants have a limited amount of soil available to them, which means they dry out much faster – making them especially needy during hot spells.

If you've ever found your containers looking limp and wilted by the afternoon despite watering them the day before, though, you're certainly not alone. Sometimes, keeping them hydrated just isn't enough; rather, it's about watering at the right time of day and using the right technique.

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The Best Time To Water Container Plants

Timing is everything, especially when it comes to potted plants. And, according to Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don, the best time to water your container-clad beauties is early in the morning, before the sun has had a chance to heat up the soil and foliage.

"Particularly if they're in a container so they do need watering much more often than normal," he explained. "In fact, every day when it's as hot as this and, if you can, the best time to water your container is early morning before the sun warms up."

For most gardeners, that means aiming to water sometime between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., depending on your climate and local temperatures. Watering during the cooler part of the day gives plants time to absorb moisture before the heat arrives, helping them cope better with the stress of hot afternoons.

If an early start isn't realistic, Monty recommends waiting until the evening rather than watering during the hottest part of the day.

"If you can't get it done early in the morning, don't do it during the middle of the day – wait till the evening. Basically, when it's cool."

Midday watering isn't necessarily harmful (although it can result in scorching, depending on the weather), but it's often less effective. High temperatures and intense sunlight can increase evaporation, meaning less moisture reaches the roots where plants need it most.

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if you're going to put in the effort to figure out the best time to water your container garden, you should also know that how you water can have a huge impact on the health of your plants.

Now, many gardeners make the mistake of giving containers a quick splash every day. While this dampens the soil surface, it doesn't encourage roots to grow deeper into the pot where moisture lasts longer.

"The rule of watering is always the same – soak, don't sprinkle," Monty says, which basically means you should water slowly and thoroughly at the base of the plant until water begins to drain from the holes at the bottom of the container.

"Water directly to the roots of the soil or the compost and go on until the water is running out of the bottom of the container," Monty explains, noting that this deep watering approach ensures the entire root ball is moistened, helping plants become more resilient during periods of heat and drought.

There is no real hard and fast rule when it comes to how much water your container plants will need; check the soil and see how dry it is to figure things out (although remember that smaller containers and hanging baskets may dry out much more quickly).

Once you know the best time to water your container garden, life is easy; just soak them when it's cooler and wait for your pots to gift you a colorful, and productive display right through the hottest days of summer. Win!