Can one day without water kill? (Update-PIP)

[kaylie]

My plants have been in for just over two weeks. I didn't water them on Tuesday because it was going to rain and on Wednesday most of the tomato plants were droopy and brown. One was flat out dead. Some of the leaves on my basil were also brown. Did I just underwater or is there something else going on?

[InBetweenDays]

Are they in pots or in the ground? I'm somewhat of a newbie to vegetable gardening, but I'd be surprised that one day without water would kill them completely. We actually realized we were over watering our tomato and pepper plants which was causing ours to droop. We cut back and they're doing much better. It isn't hot here, but we haven't watered them in 3 days.

[statlerwaldorf]

I'm a newbie too, but I only have been watering mine once I put them in the ground every other day. I'm sure it would depend on where you live. I try watering them late in the evening. If I water them in the middle of the day, the water doesn't get as deep and the soil dries out much quicker.

[treedimensional]

There is something else going on - like rot. Tomato plants can dessicate quickly, but when they do, they stay pretty green. They just shrivel and become crispy. If they are droopy and brown, that sounds like rot. Especially if they were soft, as opposed to crispy.

[kaylie]

I just got home and it's too dark to go check it out, but I'll take pictures in the morning to clarify.

I don't think / hope it's not rot because it happened in the garden and to the seedlings that were on the other side of the yard and not yet planted. The garden is an in-ground bed and it's mulched. I usually water every AM because I read that it's better that the leaves dry during the day to avoid rot.

The part of the yard that they're in gets a lot of sun - probably 8-9 hours a day. it just seemed weird how quickly it happened.

[mouse]

May 24, 2012 13:20:18 GMT -5 statlerwaldorf said:

I'm a newbie too, but I only have been watering mine once I put them in the ground every other day. I'm sure it would depend on where you live. I try watering them late in the evening. If I water them in the middle of the day, the water doesn't get as deep and the soil dries out much quicker.

FYI, watering in the evening isn't a great idea because the plant leaves and stem don't have time to dry out. That can make your plant more inviting to pests and disease. Morning is best. Also, when you water try to get as much as you can at the base of the plant and not the leaves. And try to water less often but more deeply to encourage a deeper root system.

[Knight]

I water in the morning every other day. It's best to do it in the morning so they have time to dry out like PP mentioned. You have probably been overwatering them. I would cut back for a few days and let them dry out a bit and then see if they can be saved. If they can't it's still early enough to buy new plants and start again. You live, you learn.

[Deleted]

I water daily but I live in hot ass balls GA and need to. I doubt this is the case in PA.

[statlerwaldorf]

May 24, 2012 23:12:09 GMT -5 mouse said:

May 24, 2012 13:20:18 GMT -5 statlerwaldorf said:

I'm a newbie too, but I only have been watering mine once I put them in the ground every other day. I'm sure it would depend on where you live. I try watering them late in the evening. If I water them in the middle of the day, the water doesn't get as deep and the soil dries out much quicker.

FYI, watering in the evening isn't a great idea because the plant leaves and stem don't have time to dry out. That can make your plant more inviting to pests and disease. Morning is best. Also, when you water try to get as much as you can at the base of the plant and not the leaves. And try to water less often but more deeply to encourage a deeper root system.

Thanks! We usually water in the evening because DH leaves for work before dawn and I can't drive to the garden because of my injury.

[foodie2012]

The people at the nursery told me evening waterings were a bad idea too. I've always had pests in my tomatoes, and now that I'm doing morning watering, no pests yet. :-D

[kaylie]

Alright, I did not water this morning. I'm wondering though, is it possible that I've trained them to take water every day and not they need it? Not sure if that's a stupid question, but I've never shied away from those =)

Here are some photos of the carnage. Thoughts? Can any of these be saved?



i129.photobucket.com/albums/p208/kbkeesling/2012-05-25061841.jpg[/img

[treedimensional]

You need to get the mulch/chips away from the stem of the plant! They should NOT touch the plant.

[treedimensional]

quote author=mouse
"try to water less often but more deeply to encourage a deeper root system."
This is a myth. Research done by U of FL Dept of Ornamental Horticulture has largely disproven it. In controlled studies, root growth was retarded when this was done.

[kaylie]

May 25, 2012 17:44:34 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

You need to get the mulch/chips away from the stem of the plant! They should NOT touch the plant.

Do you think that's the problem? How far away from the plant should they stop?

[NitaX]

This pictures don't give me much hope. Check the soil first before you water again. And pull the mulch back from the stem a few inches. Trim the brown and crispy leaves from the plant. Leave the green leaves and any suckers (little offshoots growing in between the steam and the limbs). Also, I wouldn't do any overhead watering, use a watering can and water at the base, ground level.

Give it a few more days to see if your plant will recover. If it doesn't yank them and start over.

[NitaX]

May 25, 2012 9:28:32 GMT -5 @habbsies said:

I water daily but I live in hot ass balls GA and need to. I doubt this is the case in PA.

Same here. It's been in the upper 90s all dang week. I was out this morning watering my tomato plants. I'll be dayumed if I lose my yellow pear tomatoes to blossom end rot due to uneven watering. Last year, I was PISSED because I lost my first crop to BER. Not this year. I got my mouth all set for those babies.

[dirtyred]

You know, the soil could be infected with something like blight and the watering issue is just a red herring. Could you grow tomatoes in a pot at your house?

[kaylie]

Thanks everyone. I already ripped a bunch of them out and bought replacements. Treedimensional hit it on the head with the mulch - the stems were rotted where they had contact with the mulch.

I actually always water directly at the base. The guy at the nursery suggested I do every other day for the next two weeks and then do every 3-4 days.

[mouse]

May 25, 2012 17:53:06 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

quote author=mouse
"try to water less often but more deeply to encourage a deeper root system."
This is a myth. Research done by U of FL Dept of Ornamental Horticulture has largely disproven it. In controlled studies, root growth was retarded when this was done.

That's good to know. I'd read it so often in books and gardening magazines I thought it was established fact. Is best practice just to water as the soil dries? A little every day? Or is deeply when you notice it's dry still best? I pretty much only water in July and August here.

[treedimensional]

May 27, 2012 10:44:13 GMT -5 mouse said:

May 25, 2012 17:53:06 GMT -5 treedimensional said:

quote author=mouse
"try to water less often but more deeply to encourage a deeper root system."
This is a myth. Research done by U of FL Dept of Ornamental Horticulture has largely disproven it. In controlled studies, root growth was retarded when this was done.

That's good to know. I'd read it so often in books and gardening magazines I thought it was established fact. Is best practice just to water as the soil dries? A little every day? Or is deeply when you notice it's dry still best? I pretty much only water in July and August here.

Different watering techniques, depending on many factors (species, goals, when it was planted, soil proerties, etc).
I hear the same thing. What we know is that roots do not grow downward, they grow outward; and we have seen roots "reach" for water when water was CONSISTENTLY applied to the periphery of the root ball. This is especially useful information if you are trying to establish a new plant.
Most of this research strongly suggests that irrigation frequency is more important than water volume, and that consistent moisture at the peripheral root zone resulted in the most root growth. Allowing soil to become dry during the establishment period slowed root growth and delayed establishment.