Pakistan Gardening Forum

If you have a few containers you can assess the requirement and water accordingly, but if you have them in hundreds the job is Mali dependent.
He waters them by a hose, usually giving every pot the same amount on his routine, without caring for the size of the pot, the size of plant and the existing moisture in the soil. The result is, some pots are always over watered and others under watered, I have found lower half of large containers bone dry, water never reaching the bottom.
The only solution I could think of was The depth of soil from the rim of the pot to regulate the amount of water, but evaporation of water depends on the amount of foliage so on next watering the soil of larger foliage pots would be drier than the pot with less foliage and repeated watering at the same interval will lead to over watering.
In very large containers the water penetrates only a foot or so and repeated shallow watering leaves the lower half bone dry.
Any fool proof solution?

Because for this reason i have reduced the pots. Brig sb the so called malis even don,t know the ABCs of the gardening.

Very good point raised by Brig Sahib.Same problem with me.I always try to keep the soil 11/2 inches below the rim.So that water be retained in the pot but as the problem mentioned above,some plants roots may not get the water.

ka_khan wrote:some plants roots may not get the water.

We are forgetting one thing. Roots job is to 'Find" water.......
They will do so if it is available in the vicinity, even if they have to improvise ....traveling distances...growing closes to surfaces etc
Now a question arises......If the water is not reaching to the bottom....is it staying suspended somewhere in the middle? Meaningby at some stage it starts to defy gravity?
Are we assuming that only way of this water vanishing is "Evaporation"? or utilization by plant?

What i perceive, the bottom is felt dry only because it is checked too earlier after watering, and as watering amount is less there is no downward force to move it down immediately. Though delayed it will reach the bottom unless it a Zero G or -ve G condition

Farhan Ahmed wrote:

ka_khan wrote:some plants roots may not get the water.

We are forgetting one thing. Roots job is to 'Find" water.......
They will do so if it is available in the vicinity, even if they have to improvise ....traveling distances...growing closes to surfaces etc
Now a question arises......If the water is not reaching to the bottom....is it staying suspended somewhere in the middle? Meaningby at some stage it starts to defy gravity?
Are we assuming that only way of this water vanishing is "Evaporation"? or utilization by plant?

What i perceive, the bottom is felt dry only because it is checked too earlier after watering, and as watering amount is less there is no downward force to move it down immediately. Though delayed it will reach the bottom unless it a Zero G or -ve G condition

Yes the roots will go where water is, shallow watering means shallow roots.

A large deep container say of 100 liter capacity, has say 30% air capacity, if you add 30 liters of water, it will replace all air, slowly due to gravity say half of it is drained out and 15 liters remains as perched water and usable + non-available water.
When the plant starts wilting the pot still has moisture but this water is not available to the plant. If usable water capacity of the pot is 10 liters and on finding the plant wilting you top up the pot with 4 liters, it will provide the required moisture to upper half of the pot only the roots will adjust accordingly but lower half of the pot over a time will become bone dry and remain UN-utelised by the plant.

In that case best way is from underneath via separate container and wicking system so that what is required is taken up by the soil and its easy to see if the supply is empty. Perched water table is naturally taken out of the pot, even a big tray under the pot could work with some adapatation. Given if its a dry climate with valuable plants then its very important as a solution.

How about water logging due to capillary action from tray full of water?

Muhammad Arif Khan wrote:How about water logging due to capillary action from tray full of water?

How It Works
A wick watering system for potted plants employs a soft fabric string or ribbon, known as the wick. You'll find one end of the wick buried in the potted plant's soil, with the other hanging in a bucket or pot/tray of water. Water flows up the wick through a scientific principle known as capillary action and waters the plant with just the right amount of moisture. When the potting soil is completely damp, it ceases to soak up water from the wick until it dries out once again.
Materials
A homemade wick watering system uses materials found in most average homes. You'll need an old T-shirt/towel or even vest/underpants and scissors to cut it, or some wide cotton shoelaces/rope. A rock or some heavy nuts and bolts will hold the end of the wick underwater and a large bucket or pot will hold the water.

How to Make
Surround a bucket or other vessel with potted plants. Tie a weight to the end of a strip of fabric or shoelace, making one strip per plant. Bury the other end of a strip about 3 inches deep in each pot, placing it about halfway between the stem and the outside of the pot. Place the weighted ends of all the wicks in the bucket, and fill the bucket with water. Watch the level of water in the bucket and refill it when necessary. If you fill a large flat tray with water, you can place several pots just above the water line (maybe a shelf or even bricks) and connect them to the water with the wicks only.

Advantages
The soil will absorb only as much water as it needs, so a wick watering system avoids the problems of over- or under-watering. It relies much less on regular care, so the plant is more likely to get a regular supply of moisture. You can leave your plants alone for an extended period without worrying about how much water is in the pots for the plants. for several pots only bucket needs to be filled up.

Regards
Ifzal