murray.jana•4d agoProlific Poster

My neighbor the master gardener changed how I water my tomatoes

I was out back last Tuesday watering my tomato plants like I always do, just hitting the leaves and the soil around them. My neighbor, a retired guy who grows these huge heirlooms every year, came over and pointed out I was wasting water. He said the leaves don't need wet, it's the roots that matter, and I should be using a soaker hose or just watering at the base directly. I tried it that same afternoon with a slow trickle from a regular hose for about 10 minutes per plant. After four days, the lower leaves stopped yellowing and curling up like they used to. Has anyone else had a simple garden trick like this that made a big difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ruby4d ago

Kept up a whole bed of basil one summer just by dumping the leftover ice from my cooler on them every morning. Drove my neighbor nuts because he said cold water stunts growth, but those plants were huge by August. I figure if the plants are happy and I'm not peeling off dead leaves every week, it's working. Your neighbor's advice makes sense though, I switched to drip lines for my peppers last year and they went wild. Sometimes the old timers just know what's up.

jasonallen4d ago

Hang on, are we really acting like wet leaves are the end of the world? I've been splashing water all over my plants for years and they're still kicking (though maybe they could be bigger). It's probably just a coincidence that your leaves stopped yellowing, maybe the weather just cooled off a little. Plus, ten minutes per plant with a trickle sounds like a lot of water, I'd be worried about drowning the roots or wasting even more water that way.

ray3564d ago

Yeah but the thing is Jason, depending on what you're growing and how thick the roots get, drowning them is a real concern. I had a buddy who watered his tomatoes like that every day and they just sat there getting root rot until I told him to back off. @the_ruby's drip line idea is probably the sweet spot, keeps the leaves dry and gives the roots a slow drink without wasting it all.