I used to overwater my balcony plants like crazy, now I wait for the leaves to droop first

Started growing tomatoes and peppers on my roof in Austin three years ago, and I was watering them every evening out of habit. Took me a whole season to realize I was drowning the roots (and probably wasting gallons of city water). Now I only water when I see the leaves start to go a little soft around midday, which is maybe twice a week in summer. Feels weird at first, like you're neglecting them, but the plants actually look healthier and I get way less fungus gnats. Has anyone else found a weird trick that goes against common advice for small space growing?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_lucas27d ago

My basil did the exact same thing when I first started growing on my balcony in Phoenix. I was out there with the hose every single evening for the first two months, convinced the dry heat would fry them if I skipped a day. Turns out I was basically giving them a bath every night and the roots just sat in water. Now I stick my finger in the soil about two inches deep, and if it's still damp I leave it alone. I actually wait until I see the leaves go a little soft too, especially with my cherry tomatoes, and they bounce back way better than when I was drowning them. The fungus gnats disappeared almost completely once I cut back, which was a huge plus.

henryreed26d ago

Well I've been doing the same thing with my poor mint plant for months now.