Is there a right technique to watering tomatoes? One of the biggest mistakes home gardeners make when growing tomatoes is not watering their tomato plants enough.
The second mistake is watering your tomatoes incorrectly.
You might be asking yourself well, then what is the right way to water my tomato plants and how much water is really necessary for my plants to be healthy and produce all those juicy tomatoes I've been wanting? It's really not that complex of a question to remedy as long as you can remember a few key points and by the time you finish reading this article you should know all the ins and outs of watering tomato plants.
Tomatoes need water to grow.
Once your tomato plants are about 4 weeks, they will require a lot more water than when they were seedlings.
Tomato plants grow vigorously, and if cared for properly they are heavy-producers.
Which is a very good thing because that's our end goal to have loads of tomatoes.
When watering tomatoes we are helping the plant by providing energy and a coolant.
When we water our tomato plants the water is absorbed by the roots and then transported up the plant to the leaves.
It is in the leaves that the water is transformed into food for the plants by converting sunlight in to energy.
This process, if you can recall from school science classes, is called photosynthesis.
Some of the water that is transported up to the leaves is used to cool them.
So there is a lot more going on when it comes to watering tomatoes.
As a home gardener, this is one part of growing tomatoes that we do have control of.
But how much water is enough? Well for starters tomato plants love to be dry, that is, they do not like water on their leaves.
On the contrary, the roots of the tomato plant love water, not just a cup or two they like plenty of water.
Getting water on the leaves of the tomato plant could easily lead to diseases of the plant.
This is why it is so very important that you never pour water directly on the plant or leaves.
The proper way to water your tomato plants is by soaking ground around the plant trying to avoid any contact with the visible part of the plant.
A good soaking 3 to 4 times a week letting the water saturate the soil so that it moistens the ground around the plant to at least 6 to 8 inches deep.
This will in turn help the plants develop a strong root system.
It' is hard to believe, but as the your plant develops and matures it's root system spreads out about 3 feet from the plant.
Now, if the weather is extremely hot then it is best to water your plants daily.
Sometimes watering is required both morning and evening depending on what kind of soil you have.
This is why mulching your plants is important to conserve moisture and in preventing weeds from drawing up all the water from the surrounding soil.
Finally, the best time of the day for watering tomatoes is in the mornings.
The reason for this is that it ensures that the tomato plant has enough moisture to enable it to convert the sunlight into energy and thus carry out it's photosynthesis.
Another good reason for watering your plants in the morning is if any water should happen to get on the leaves of the plant it will have the day to evaporate.
Thus, leaving the visible plant dry and helping to avoid the spread of diseases.
If you remember these few important points when you are watering your tomato plants, it will make a huge difference in the health of your plants and in how many tomatoes your plants will produce.
A little TLC goes a long way when growing tomatoes.
The second mistake is watering your tomatoes incorrectly.
You might be asking yourself well, then what is the right way to water my tomato plants and how much water is really necessary for my plants to be healthy and produce all those juicy tomatoes I've been wanting? It's really not that complex of a question to remedy as long as you can remember a few key points and by the time you finish reading this article you should know all the ins and outs of watering tomato plants.
Tomatoes need water to grow.
Once your tomato plants are about 4 weeks, they will require a lot more water than when they were seedlings.
Tomato plants grow vigorously, and if cared for properly they are heavy-producers.
Which is a very good thing because that's our end goal to have loads of tomatoes.
When watering tomatoes we are helping the plant by providing energy and a coolant.
When we water our tomato plants the water is absorbed by the roots and then transported up the plant to the leaves.
It is in the leaves that the water is transformed into food for the plants by converting sunlight in to energy.
This process, if you can recall from school science classes, is called photosynthesis.
Some of the water that is transported up to the leaves is used to cool them.
So there is a lot more going on when it comes to watering tomatoes.
As a home gardener, this is one part of growing tomatoes that we do have control of.
But how much water is enough? Well for starters tomato plants love to be dry, that is, they do not like water on their leaves.
On the contrary, the roots of the tomato plant love water, not just a cup or two they like plenty of water.
Getting water on the leaves of the tomato plant could easily lead to diseases of the plant.
This is why it is so very important that you never pour water directly on the plant or leaves.
The proper way to water your tomato plants is by soaking ground around the plant trying to avoid any contact with the visible part of the plant.
A good soaking 3 to 4 times a week letting the water saturate the soil so that it moistens the ground around the plant to at least 6 to 8 inches deep.
This will in turn help the plants develop a strong root system.
It' is hard to believe, but as the your plant develops and matures it's root system spreads out about 3 feet from the plant.
Now, if the weather is extremely hot then it is best to water your plants daily.
Sometimes watering is required both morning and evening depending on what kind of soil you have.
This is why mulching your plants is important to conserve moisture and in preventing weeds from drawing up all the water from the surrounding soil.
Finally, the best time of the day for watering tomatoes is in the mornings.
The reason for this is that it ensures that the tomato plant has enough moisture to enable it to convert the sunlight into energy and thus carry out it's photosynthesis.
Another good reason for watering your plants in the morning is if any water should happen to get on the leaves of the plant it will have the day to evaporate.
Thus, leaving the visible plant dry and helping to avoid the spread of diseases.
If you remember these few important points when you are watering your tomato plants, it will make a huge difference in the health of your plants and in how many tomatoes your plants will produce.
A little TLC goes a long way when growing tomatoes.
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