Wilting pot plants

Let's be honest, there has not been too much to worry about with the watering so far this year. But in optimism of a better summer, make sure you know what to do in case of watering emergencies!

LEVEL ONE RESCUE
 
Hot sunny days can catch out the best of us, and you can end up with some sad, wilty specimens. What to do?
First of all, don’t spend ages stood there pointing the end of a hose at your dried out pot plants.
It is a waste of your precious time and of precious water – if the compost has dried out then the water will flush straight through and out the bottom before the roots have had the chance to grab any.
 
Instead, if you can, put the pot into a saucer, a bucket, a washing up bowl or anything that will hold a pool of water. Fill the base of your chosen item with water (an inch depth should be plenty), give the plant a normal watering from above and then leave it there until tomorrow.
 
If your pot is too large to move, maybe a hanging basket, or your wilting plant is in the ground, then you should carry out multiple waterings.
Consider the first a ‘pre-soak’ that will just dampen the compost enough to bind it back together.
Go off and have a leisurely cup of tea and when you return give another normal watering – this should be much more effective as the compost should now be moist enough to retain the water you give it.
If things are looking dire you might want to give a third drink a few hours later. Fingers crossed tomorrow your plant will be right as rain!

LEVEL TWO RESCUE
 
You forgot to water your plant, you tried the life-saving techniques, waited a day, but unfortunately they weren’t enough and you are now staring at a crispy, browning plant.
 
The time has come for drastic measures. If leaves have gone brown then there is no coming back for them.
 
Brown leaves don’t get better so remove them (this rule is relevant for lots of gardening circumstances including black spot, rust, being munched by beasties etc. Green colouring will not magically reappear, holes will not magically refill).
 
However, it is likely your plant’s root system is still fighting strong, so unburden it of useless material like dead stems and leaves so it can concentrate its energies on recovery.
 
If it is a woody plant, cut back to healthy growth.
If it is a soft stemmed plant, you are probably better off cutting down the entire plant.
For some plants a hard chop can be a ‘do or die’ move, but it is usually the plant’s best chance of healthy survival, and at this time of year you won’t be waiting long for it to grow back.

MAKING LIFE EASY
Save time, effort, water, and the environment.
Saucers under pots make a huge difference. In winter you should have your pots up on trivets, also known as pot feet, so water can drain out freely and prevent root rot and frost damage. In the summer you want the reverse – saucers stop precious water disappearing out the drainage holes and provide a little well of water for the roots to drink from.
 
Make sure you don’t end up overwatering though – only pond plants want to be sat in water all the time!

The simplest way to find out if your plant needs watering is to poke your finger into the soil. The top inch being dry is fine, but if you've got down to two inches and there's still nothing, it's time to water. If it's sodden at the top, hold fire.

The amount of water to give is down to numerous variables: a young plant in a large pot will need a lot less than a pot-bound specimen. A plant in shade will need less than one in full sun. If it's raised up on a stand it will dry out quicker in the breeze than one in a sheltered spot. If it's midsummer it's going to have many more hours of sunlight on it than in spring. And some plant families are much thirstier than others. An Acer in a pot will mostly survive on rain, rarely wanting intervention from you, whereas a Lupin could need watering twice a day. Keep doing the poke test and you will soon learn which plants need what.

As well as keeping the water in at the bottom, make sure you keep it in on top too. At Katie’s Garden almost all our plants have a bark mulch covering the compost to stop the water evaporating away.
 
If you do your watering in the evening then the plants will have plenty of time to absorb the water before the sun can steal any away. Don't wait till complete darkness though: the plants go to sleep and their roots will not take it up. If you are plagued by slugs and snails you will be better off watering in the early morning.

Water butts are a huge asset in the garden. In East Anglia we have very hard water. You know how your kettle gets clogged up with limescale? Well the roots of your pot plants don't fair much better with our tapwater, so use rainwater as much as you can.

And finally, make sure you do it properly! The classic jibe from old lags to new nursery workers: “Are you watering those plants or giving them a wash?”

The plants want their water at their roots. Splashing it all over the leaves could lead to scorching, increase the chances of fungal diseases, and generally mean the plant can't make full use of the water.