Watering Like This Stimulates Strong Plants (And Saves Time & Water)

[@HuwRichards]

Some of you have been asking about what I use for watering so here is a rough breakdown which for full transparency is all from Gardena (which I am a brand ambassador for) - Soaker hose 15m - Soft sprayer nozzle (excellent for seedlings) - Premium multi sprayer - Aquabloom (solar powered irrigation set) - Battery rainwater tank pump - Long spray lance - Wall-mounted hose box - Any of their pipes, frost and UV protected!

[@HuwRichards]

That's the Gardena sensitive sprayer, absolutely the best hose gun I've used for seedlings!

[@loumoon7660]

No way this is his garden. He looks like a paid actor 😂

[@HuwRichards]

@@loumoon7660 this is absolutely my garden😂 Why do you think it's not? 😂

[@loumoon7660]

@@HuwRichardsjust look so fancy

[@HuwRichards]

@@loumoon7660 I'm sorry for letting the aesthetics down😉

[@Mark723]

I could listen for hours to your voice - you must start a podcast for those of us who recognize and appreciate such a fine diction and cadence.

[@hc3021]

I know, he could just do a whole audio file of just reading the backs of seed packets and I’d probably buy it.

[@HuwRichards]

Ahh that's very kind thank you but there's much finer out there😉

[@MichaelGawesebmainone]

You sound like a musician😂

[@debbievilleneuve9799]

​@@HuwRichardsthe information I gain here is helpful even though I live in zone 9b. Smart gameplay in the garden.

[@florinnatu]

​@@HuwRichardsyou could stay in the garden with all those sounds and read Lord of the rings to us 😁

[@kristinacarr4963]

I have no words to tell you how much I have learned from you and your books. You have inspired this 70 year old gal to bring my garden to another level. Bless you for being you. Merrickville Ontario Canada

[@HuwRichards]

That's just so lovely of you to share, thank you so so much!!🌿

[@Desert-Dweller]

Im in Gambia. west Africa. We have a very long dry season, this year reached 43°C with 7% humidity, so sometimes i have to water morning, noon and night. He sun is extremely strong and I've never seen scorched plants from watering in the sun.

[@AmandaJuneHagarty]

Something I find a lot of beginner gardeners doing is under watering when rain is in the forecast. At least here in the Pacific Northwest a summer shower just does not water deeply enough. And so these people usually struggle to produce a great garden. Like tomorrow we have rain in the forecast, but we just had 3 days of brutal sun and heat. So I went out and gave a good long drink to the garden.

[@Greywulff58]

Yes, I’m from Seattle and although we haven’t had a lot of sun until just recently, we also haven’t had much rain. I find I am having to water much more now than in years past. I have a couple small rain barrels but think I’m going to get a big tank to collect rain water this winter.

[@marijeb278]

The rose garden is looking gorgeous. Great job!

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you!

[@suepowlesland8541]

Excellent info Huw! I used to irrigate 15 mins each day, but changed to 30 mins every 3 days and my plants are healthier. I also made ollas from old terra cotta pots and put them next to my tomatoes and they are thriving 😊

[@thebluebutterfly5177]

Huw you’re ace! Appreciate and enjoy your videos very much indeed!

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you☺️🌱

[@kamilk.3182]

Great episode!

[@HuwRichards]

Thanks! You must have watched this on 7x speed to say that a minute after release, impressive... 😉

[@lornabaker4039]

With our very hard water, soaker hoses get completely clogged up in a year or two, and have to be replaced with annoying frequency. Regular drip hoses last longer in our case, and save so much time and water, versus manual or sprinkler watering! Also, less weeding, because we’re not watering the pathway as a sprinkler would. Love your videos!

[@dudeusmaximus6793]

They make filters for the iron at the faucet point. Many are cleanable too, and not terribly expensive. Bought one and they work pretty good.

[@sydneygardener540]

Your own RHS, released a study on the watering of plants just last year. I heard it on the RHS Podcast. RHS Wisley found that there is no effect of sunburn or scorching upon plants watered during the day. They only found problems when the water contained fertiliser. So yes it is untrue

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi Huw, love your videos, always plenty of useful hints & tips. This watering video is just brilliant, never thought of watering in the evening, we always go early in the morning to our plots. That will be my hubbys job when he retires next year 😊 thanks,so much for sharing and take care 😊

[@rasserfrasser]

Thanks for showing the groundwork for watering and an automatic watering system for buckets. I didn't think that I could use one of those because I don't have beds. As always, awesome stuff.

[@georgeasgautr]

Learned a lot from this, cheers Huw 👍🏻

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you!

[@sosgardening]

Another thing to remember for slug / snail problems is to make sure you either have no mulch or a coarse mulch to discourage them! Fully agree with your points as i've tried different hose attachments over the years and am now trying a lance sprayer to get into the areas I need to with particular plants but I always make sure my schedule is a morning watering to avoid problems

[@susangumbrell3874]

Hi Huw, thank you for all the great advice, you always make everything sound so achievable. Enjoy your weekend. Blessings Susie 🇬🇧🙏🥕

[@HuwRichards]

That is so kind, thank you!

[@CherrieMcKenzie]

This video came at the right time because it has been unbelievably hot and I have really had to stay on top of watering almost every day otherwise the plants get stressed. I don't feel bad now about watering during the day or later at night. Thanks!!

[@mesutoezdil]

I have been looking for useful videos on rose growing! This video will be useful. I hope you will also share videos specific to roses.

[@magpie1492]

Sage advice.

[@ninemoonplanet]

It has been very warm and dry for a week, so I was going to water. Clouds built up and nature did the watering. Just enough to supply a good amount. That's a bonus here because this rain keeps the forest 🔥🔥🔥 fires down. It definitely got muggy, but I'll take that over smokey any day.

[@juless9277]

It's just incredible to imagine being in an environment where slugs and excess moisture would be an issue! Coming from the arid high desert in Colorado, USA, we deal with low relative humidity in windy springs, drought in summer, and intense sun at ~ 6000 ft / 1800m elevation. We set up drip irrigation typically with 6" emitters on timers. Depending on the time of year, our water comes from our irrigation ditch which we are lucky to have water rights to or from our well. We run irrigation overnight, a few hours after sunset so the soil can cool off. We try to rotate crops based on water needs, so that our irrigation zones can rotate along with our crops. Longer season crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons, and gourds go in our caterpillar tunnel, and I am trying your method of watering deeply but less frequently for the greenhouse zone this year! So far, so good.

[@tinamtani]

This is especially important if you live in dry hot climates!!

[@emma-511]

Such a great video!thank you

[@HuwRichards]

My pleasure!

[@milliosmiles5160]

As always Huw, a great video, thank you.

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you!

[@ninad9626]

Yup that all sounds good. That's what I like about your videos, your ideas always make complete sense👍

[@HuwRichards]

Thank you, I try my best to be no-nonsense as possible!

[@grjk3991]

What I'm trying this year is terracotta pots (apparently are slightly permeable) medium small sized ones buried every few meters in the soil, up to it's rim. cover it with its right sized lid (never noticed they are more expensive than the pot itself til now!), put a wine cork in the hole at the base and fill with rain water as needed. In theory the water won't soak in so much if it's saturated down there in the soil, so the ground has a regular drip fed source all the time. Great for going away for the weekend! Apparently they sell specially permeable ones for this exact technique but not seen them.

[@deedaw9246]

Where I live over the pond, our "mains"'water is very high in calcium/lime. Add to that I live in the low desert. Anything with small holes will plug up over time, and anything plastic gets hard and eventually brittle. We even put a filter on the watering system to stop the minerals and it still plugged up our misting system.

[@Trundlebugg]

I’ve ended up using about 8 inches of hedge clippings on my terraces this year! Have limited access to compost and manure as our allotment site broke ground 2 years ago and it’s taking a while to build up the soil (mainly clay and shale) and I currently save all the compost I make for seedlings as it makes the most difference there. I have worried about using so much fresh mulch but as long as I plant deep enough into the compost layer underneath it seems to be working ok 🤞 And thank you for the nettle tee recipe! Used molasses and the plant are loving it! 🤩

[@Llifo]

Every video is always so helpful and full of practical info. I love the advice about approaches, how to prioritise etc. I'm a perpetual beginner, making all the mistakes as I go, and at the moment - overwhelmed by weeds and "what ifs....?" - but I'm trying to look and listen to the garden, and it is teaching me things every day. Tending to the garden is helping me through a bereavement and I find your videos really motivating to get out there and do a little bit each day. So a big thank you Huw. And all the best to other gardeners around the world reading this today. ❤ from north wales

[@HuwRichards]

I'm sorry I missed this lovely comment!! Thank you so so much☺️ Hope you're having a lovely growing season🌿

[@hikerlindacanadianrockies8478]

Great video! My only comment is about watering in mid-day. If temperatures are hot (above 25C) and you're using water from city pipes, which is cold, you can cause your plants to completely wilt from shock. A neighbour of mine did this, and it took several days for the poor things to recover fully.

[@karenmarieperpetua2183]

I love your channel. Your a breath of fresh air ❤

[@HuwRichards]

I really appreciate that☺️

[@karenmarieperpetua2183]

@@HuwRichards 😊😁❤️

[@slaplapdog]

I have many sites that I cant get to on the regular. A soaker hose on a gravity feed might be perfect!

[@HuwRichards]

That's exactly what I'm doing and works so well!

[@eraramasamy3104]

Another very informative video. I really appreciate how you delve deep into each topic u r addressing. Thank you 🙏

[@Jocelynflores302]

Un saludito desde Chile siempre lo veo claro que uso traductor no entiendo mucho Inglés, pero compartimos el mismo gusto por las plantitas 🌱🌷🌻🌶️🍅🫛🥬

[@PattonScr]

great video! thank you Huw!

[@stantall7855]

Well done

[@chelleb3055]

I'm sorry, is there any audio? My ears stopped working from the shock of seeing that gorgeous rose garden! How incredibly beautiful is that?!!! I'm pretty sure Huw is a magician.

[@GARDENER42]

I've recently installed an Irrigatia, solar powered watering system in my polytunnel, with a mix of drippers & porous hose. It's reduced the amount of water I was using by more than 50%. Might get another for next year to water my 30litre potato containers, as they're not the easiest things to water without wetting the leaves & thus giving a pathway for blight.

[@Equulai]

The coolest thing about the drip and soaker hoses is that they put the water really deep into the ground over time. There it stays and keeps the ground wet for days, even in scorching East German summer heat. This works really well for our Corn, Beans, Zucchini and Strawberries. For our Tomatoes, we want to try out the Olla approach next year. The only thing my parents need to learn still is to plant the seedlings around the drip hose holes and not far away from them. Since the drips build up a bell-shaped wet dome, planting the crops too far away from the holes, makes it a bit harder for them reach the moisture.

[@louisedouglas8215]

Excellent video! Side comment, does anyone else think Huw looks like Colin Bridgerton?

[@kathygriffin28]

You bet!

[@gardentours]

The soaker hose is an interesting way to water 💦 your plants 🌱 even when you're not able to go to the garden for a few days 👍

[@HuwRichards]

Absolutely! You can get a tap timer for holidays and you are all sorted :)

[@Wonderland_Homestead]

For such a calming personality, Huw, that thumbnail is truly intimidating. I don't know what I did wrong, but I promise to change.

[@rethablair6902]

New subscriber here and thank u for the content 🥰

[@Veggiesrule1908]

Huw please can you do an in-depth video about setting up a soaker hose. How do you get it into you poly tunnel how does the set up work. I’d love one in my poly but not a clue how to start! PS I’m following your tomato experiment eagerly 😊

[@Jocelynflores302]

Creo que soy la única escribiendo en Español 😄😄 I love your Channel

[@toriahennesey]

Huw, this upload needs the video boxes around 11:00 for liquid feed and mulching

[@HuwRichards]

Whoops! Thanks!

[@cturinetti]

Is the soaker hose gravity fed or do you have a pump on it?

[@Lyniem1989]

That's great, my friend. New subscriber for you ♥️

[@Mel-vu9ss]

Huw, what kind of flowers are you holding in your opening segment? They’re stunning.

[@HuwRichards]

They are roses

[@Mel-vu9ss]

@@HuwRichards oh lol. They don’t look like my roses. They’re beautiful. I was just showing my husband what you were showing about your soaker hoses that are attached to your tank. He’s wondering what capacity the pump you’re using is.

[@letajohnson8838]

I water in the evening because it gets cold where I live at night, and hot and dry during the day. This encourages toads and tree frogs to bury themselves in the cool damp dirt. They keep the aphids and harmful bugs off of my vegetable's.

[@mfr58]

Great advice. A couple of questions. The soaker hoses generally aren't suitable for food stuffs as they are often made from recycled rubber products containing toxic substances. I wonder if you have found a safe version? The other thing is, do you get algal growth in the plastic water cubes?

[@johnkay4701]

Hi Huw, thanks for your watering video. I have a question, (ohhh noooo he mutters out of earshot - lol). At time-point 6:11 in your video, you have filmed a pump-thingy in the bottom of your metal water barrel. It seems to be very small diameter. Could you reply & tell what this is & where I could purchase one please. The reason is that, I want to bore a few small diameter bore holes in my veg garden, & be able to drop a small diameter pump down to draw up water via pump & hose into my main IBC water container. Thus be able to recycle water up from my fairly high water table when the weather is wet-ish & store it for the coming inevitable dry / drought season. The diameter to put down a bore hole needs to be no more than 4" dia. & be able to pull up a total water head-height of about 6ft. I don't need any massive flow rate, indeed low flow rate would be better. I have mains electrical supply available via an extension lead powered via my solar PV system. Regards, JohnnyK.

[@johnkay4701]

PS. If you or anyone else, has any remedy to defeat the hordes of woodlice that are mercilessly consuming my strawberries, then please educate me. Thank you.

[@crystalwaldrep5775]

Does watering in the morning in a warm month give you a risk of growing powdered mildew? I hate that stuff , and it seems like I water in warm months. The humidity that comes from the warm wet dirt could create that? I battle slugs, too, in East Bay, CA. Thank you for your knowledge 🙏

[@trish3580]

Hi Huw - Could you give links for the actual items you use :) I don't want to guess and need a nozzle asap. thanks And thank you for what you've shared. So glad you are talking about this as not everyone believes it's ok :)

[@HuwRichards]

Thanks I have just posted a pinned comment :)

[@trish3580]

@@HuwRichards thanks-for some reason soft sprayer nozzle doesn't come up - only the 1 litre bottle soft sprayer. Maybe not available in our country.

[@elizabethwilliams3267]

Unfortunately our city council forbids watering systems on their allotments, your soaker hose looks very effective!

[@kitdubhran2968]

Important caveat to watering at midday. If you’re using a large overhead/arching watering device don’t bother. If it’s hot enough to evaporate it’s literally going to evaporate out of the air as the water is arching up to hit the plants. If you’re watering with a hose, try to spot water specific plants. I grew up in the southwest and watering a lawn at certain times of day is illegal because it literally wastes water. You’re just throwing the water into the sky to give away. 😂

[@Miss_Lexisaurus]

How, if at all, does growing in containers affect watering? The water runs out the bottom so it's not retained in the soil for the roots to go searching for - is there a different technique for effective watering of container gardens or is it similar?

[@akzorz9197]

Watering at night is more beneficial as plants process their nutrients, suck up water and root growth is more vigorous during the night and create /convert their proteins etc during the day from leaves and the roots are more dormant. So there are other reasons other than evaporation and water conservation. It's a bit like sleep for humans, we regenerate over night and can then be active during the day.

[@jenyoung2473]

Would you like a road trip to Stranraer to cone help me with my garden. Free b and b ❤

[@kurtkrienke2956]

Yes, sun scorch absolutely is a myth. There have been organized experiments to determine this and to my knowledge none were able to produce any examples of sun scorch. Anecdotaly, I have never experienced sun scorch on any plant either and don't know anyone who has.

[@HuwRichards]

Exactly! I wish I knew where it came from! A bit like the myth that tomato suckers don't produce fruit haha!

[@milliosmiles5160]

It goes through my mind every time I water during a sunny day. I have never had a problem. I figured it must pertain to a specific vegetable/plant, but in ten years of growing I still haven't found any plant to be affected by my sunny watering sessions.

[@Trivdgun-]

My bush bean sprouts got sunscalded recently, I thought it was a plant disease at first. 😂

[@hc3021]

@@HuwRichards I think it might come from those with lawns watering lightly midday in the scorching heat. Lawns have very thick woven tangled networks of roots, and very light waterings under full sun would result in much of the water evaporating. The resulting thirsty lawn would dry up and yellow, and people would believe it was sunburnt rather than dead. LOL I grew up in the 70s and 80s in a very lawn centric suburb in southern Ontario and that’s where I heard the myth. Anyways, great video as always. 😊

[@kurtkrienke2956]

@ArtemisSilverBow You're right, I was imprecise in my wording. What I was referring to was the myth that water droplets can act as lenses and make the sunlight scorch plants that they sit on. In all research that I am aware of water droplets evaporated before such an effect could take place.

[@Deedee1987dee]

You need to invent a soaker hose that woukd work when attached to water butt without any pump and would work with elevations

[@HuwRichards]

That's exactly how I use this one, only a bit of elevation

[@NiamMorjaria]

Do we still need to water in december/january - i live in london if that helps

[@HuwRichards]

Only undercover spaces like cold frames and polytunnels ☺️

[@brendamarie7627]

Have always heard to only water before noon.

[@HuwRichards]

Nature doesn't really care when it rains :)

[@BoJ-gn3iv]

The vind is also drying out The soil and I hade The vind on daytime

[@Karincl7]

Soaker hoses encourage a shallow root system that dries more quickly that needs more water, not a fan

[@knowledgeandmultiskilled]

I disagree. How to water is equally as important as when to water. Overwatering, and underwatering, and not watering when plants need it can kill whatever you have. Doing all 3 of these previously mentioned actions can kill plants, or tress, or anything else that grows. Something can easily go wrong when growing something!!! I speak from experience by the way! A slug is a pest, and what you are growing has NOT been treated. Pests are not good to have in a garden. Properly treating plants should prevent from having a pest problem. I will strongly emphasize on the words properly treating!!!

[@nicothenatural]

What do you recommend for treatment that's safe to eat and organic? I won't use anything in my garden that's chemical or pesticide based.

[@knowledgeandmultiskilled]

@@nicothenatural Since you are refusing to use something in your garden then you might have a pests problem. The natural habitat of bugs is the outdoors, and whatever slugs are considered as, and this is something that you should try to keep in your mind! I can offer safe treatments that can be used in a garden, but I see no point of me doing, so if people do not want to use anything else in their garden.

[@knowledgeandmultiskilled]

@ArtemisSilverBow I already know his plants are not treated. Because he has a pest problem, and I did see it, so thank you, for telling me something I already know. Bla Bla Bla, and that is why he has a problem with no experience. I already know how to manage different kinds of pests, and it is not because of any information provided by this youtube channel, and by him!

[@HuwRichards]

You're a bit full of yourself aren't you Franco? So much so that you couldn't even hear me chat about how to water...

[@knowledgeandmultiskilled]

@@HuwRichards I recommend, for other people to move on from this misinformation, and uninformative based youtube channel. I will unsubscribe from this youtube channel!

[@barbararoyal6139]

Very helpful. Thank you🌱