Ron Finley’s 7 Tips for Watering Your Plants

Most plants need sunlight, pruning, and water to thrive. Watering is a critical part of plant care: too much water leads to disease, too little water leads to wilt. Learning to properly water the plants in your garden is an essential skill for gardeners of all levels.

Ron Finley comes from a place where much of what grows must force itself through cracks in the concrete. The “Gangsta Gardener,” as he’s known, hails from South Central Los Angeles, a neighborhood so often portrayed in film and on television as a harsh landscape of poverty, gangs, and endless drive-thru fast-food joints. Thanks to Ron, South Central is now also becoming known for its communally-managed organic fruit and vegetable gardens.

Watering isn’t just a necessary chore: It’s a conversation between you and the plants you’ve taken under your wing.

1. 1. Pay attention to the signs. When a plant needs water, it tells you. There are two ways to tell when a plant is underwatered: The state of the leaves and the dryness of the soil. Underwatered leaves will curl in on themselves and start drooping. An adequately watered leaf, by contrast, has strength in it, and the stalk is stiff. After wilting leaves, another good way to tell if your plants need water is to stick your hand in the soil, a couple inches down, and see if it’s dry. If it is, it needs water. If it’s not, hold off.
2. 2. Create a watering schedule. Overwatering can be detrimental to your plant because the excess water fills the air pockets in the soil that the root system needs to survive and thrive. Excess water and moisture also promote fungal diseases and root rot. Establish a watering schedule to keep track of which plants you’ve watered and when you watered them to avoid doubling up by mistake.
   
3. 3. Prepare your site with drainage in mind. Whether sowing your vegetable garden in containers, raised beds, or directly in the ground, soil moisture is key to the success of your plants. Gardeners should aim for soil that is moderately moist. In order to bring this moisture balance to your own garden, you will need to become familiar with the soil you’re working with. Soils with high clay content are effective at holding moisture and nutrients, but they tend to drain poorly, leading to fungal diseases. Adding organic matter like compost to your planting site will help sandy soil hold water and nutrients, and improve the drainage of clay soil, making it easier to work with.
4. 4. Use proper drainage. Proper drainage is essential when growing plants inside of a container. A lack of drainage can lead to overwatering, which, in turn, leads to disease or rot. If your container didn’t come with drainage holes, or you’re using a found object such as a planter, use a drill to give create drainage holes. (A general rule of thumb when watering container plants is to stop when water runs from the bottom of the pot.)
5. 5. Water from the base. To protect new leaves from developing mildew, avoid wetting the foliage, and water directly onto the soil surface instead. This is easy to do by hand with a watering can, but if you want to automate things, opt for a soaker hose, or drip irrigation system (a system of tubing that directs small quantities of water precisely where it’s needed, preventing the water waste associated with sprinkler systems).
6. 6. Mulch is your friend. By covering the soil with organic matter, not only do weeds have a harder time germinating, but the earth is kept cool and moist. (Without it, water is more likely to evaporate from the soil in particularly hot weather.) In cooler seasons, mulch helps to insulate the soil. It’s important to match the right type of mulch with each crop: Wood chips are ideal for fruit trees, shrubs, perennial flowers, and other large, long-lived plants. Dainty little vegetables prefer less weighty mulch, such as straw or leaves.
7. 7. Summer requires extra vigilance. Most plants will need about an inch of water a week, but different plants have different water needs, and extreme temperatures change everything. What works for a fruiting tree may not work for an evergreen shrub, or an herb garden. Keeping track of the weather is important when growing plants. If a heatwave is coming to your region, take care of any watering in the morning or late evening, when it’s coolest. Pay attention to the look of your plants and water them according to what you see (and feel).

Grow your own food with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community - and the world - a better place.