#3 - Jan 2017 - Garden Stuff - © Sandy Lang - slang@xtra.co.nz
POT PLANT WATERING
January/February: Mid to late-summer. Hot and windy. The season for salads – tomatoes, zucchini. Summer fruits full on - plums, cherries. Holidays away - great for you, not great for your plants. You’ve nailed your garden with automatic irrigation but a terrible time for your precious pot plants.
Pot-plants: The water in the pot is enough for only one or two days in summer. More if the plant is out of the sun and the potting mix is fresh - less in strong light and old potting mix. Indoor watering systems are tricky and neighbours are unreliable. What to do…? Aim to greatly reduce plant water use, so the pot water lasts much, much longer.
There are three things increase plant water use: (1) low humidity, (2) high light and (3) draughts. So, crowd your pot plants in a small, south-facing room (bathroom?) and close doors and windows. Crowding raises humidity, a south window gives some light (needed) but not direct sun. The closed door and window minimise draughts allowing humidity to rise. Place bowls of water around to raise humidity more. Don’t part-fill the bath. Plugs can leak and taps can drip. If the plug leaks, all the water is lost in a day. A drippy tap and a non-leaky plug will flood the floor in two days…
Extras: •Roots die if left long under water. •High humidity encourages pests. Spray for aphids in case some are lurking. •Water pot plants very well. Sit pots in the bath for an hour with the water to the soil surface, then pull the plug and let them drain. •If you have only a few pot plants, put a plastic bag over each - heh presto, high humidity, no draught, diffuse light… A pot plant will last for several weeks if you seal the bag round the pot with a rubber band…___________________________________