Irrigation for a Flower Pot

Growing Flowers in Containers

• Cultural practices and watering needs differ for indoor container flowers and those grown outside. Most importantly, plants in containers are typically cultivated in growth media rather than outside soil. Containers are also porous by design so that water applied to plants can drain out of the container. Both of these factors affect the way that container-grown plants absorb moisture and thus affect the way that they should be watered.

Irrigation and Container Flowers

• Given the aforementioned factors, the exact watering schedule used for flowers grown in pots depends on factors such as the size and species of the plant your are growing, the size of the container, the material out of which the container is constructed and the type of growing medium you used to cultivate your flowers. In general, however, plants should be watered whenever the growing medium feels dry to the touch, as often as once a day or more for some plants.

Watering Tips

• Plants grown in containers should be watered until the growth medium is thoroughly soaked and until excess water drains out of the bottom of the container. Growers should give time for the growth medium to dry out before watering again, but avoiding letting the growing medium dry out excessively, as this can lead to health problems for the plant. If your growing media you use dries out too quickly, consider adding a wetting agent when watering your plant or transplanting the plant to a container with a different growing medium.

Other Considerations

• For flowers grown in containers or in outdoor soil, over-watering is just as much a hazard to your plant's health as under-watering. Even if you do not water plants more often than they should be watered, if your growth medium is not porous enough and water does not drain quickly enough out of the medium, over-watering symptoms can quickly become evident on the plant. If adjusting your watering schedule does not restore the flower to full health, consider transplanting to a more porous medium.