Umm. I use a watering can to disperse the water or a similar gentle shower hose attachment.

Imho, there's a lot of reasons why doing as you're suggesting is unwise...

1) Very dry mix gets hydrophobic
2) You can't really gauge the root growth from the top growth.. it may race to the edges of the pot before you know it. Watering just at the base of the plant would then stunt it.
3) Keeping the whole pot moist allows the chemical reactions to occur that make fertilizer available, lessen the potential nitrogen draw-down of the bark, allow the lime to neutralize the acidity of the peat/pine park... etc.
4) High container heat can easily kill small transplants, and watering the whole pot resets the temperature every time you do it. May not be an issue in New Jersey.

That's just what I can think of off the top of my head. I'm all for conserving water, but I'm not sure this is a great way to do it. Perhaps others will disagree.

Any water that's not used by the plant gets evaporated into the sky. No harm done.

I be sure that I flush the pots every time I water them -- as in by the time I'm done the whole patio is wet.

I've read here in several places on this forum that you must flush the pots out with 5-1-1.

This post was edited by woodlandpatio on Mon, May 12, 14 at 14:21

Very good points, none of which I even thought of. I certainly don't want a hydrophobic mix and the fact that a wet soil mix keeps roots cooler than a dry mix definitely makes sense, especially since not only are these containers fabric pots, but they get direct sun all day long as well as the reflected heat off the side of my garage. Last year the tomatoes next to my garage grew 8 feet tall (in a 50/50 mix of compost and ProMix BX) which was a first ever for me. Everything is different this year (or so I would think) because I'm using 5-1-1 instead of a soil mix.

You've convinced me to water uniformly and will do so effective .....right.....now.

Now the next question would be....assuming worst case scenarios...intense summer heat and humidity and very little rain (all of which are usually a given in NJ) HOW MUCH water should I expect to add to each container with each watering and how frequently?

Does 1 gallon in a 20 gallon container every other day sound like too much? Or rather than measuring (I tend to over-complicate things like this) should I just stick a garden hose in there and water the surface (under low pressure) until it reaches the lip of the container? The 5-1-1 mix is about 3 inches from the top of each container. Doing it this way will ensure that water drains more uniformly throughout the container (assuming they are all level).

Does the fact that I have fabric pots substantially reduce the possibility that I could end up overwatering?

Does anyone use any special garden hose nozzle that produces a gentle stream of water under very low pressure?

I water as often as I like in the summer months..My plants love it and are always evenly moist, but not sopping wet to cause any root rot, especially in this mix..

Because I water copiously with my hose, set on shower that I bought at Home Depot, everything gets watered evenly....This is teh best part about having my plants outside..

Now for those of mine on a porch, I use a watering can with a shower end piece, or a spray pump and water until it runs out...

Does anyone use any special garden hose nozzle that produces a gentle stream of water under very low pressure?

I like the Dramm water breakers. Linked is the 400 but I like the 1000PL for the softest water stream. They have standard garden hose threads. For low flow you may need the 170. They are nice on their wands but you can thread one on the end of your hose.

Zeuspaul

Here is a link that might be useful: Water Breaker

I don't measure how much water I put in my 20-gallon containers, but I would guess it's about four or five gallons each time. I use a regular hose because our water pressure is not very high. I make sure to water the whole surface. What I often do is make sure I run the hose at full open for five to seven minutes. If we have a full inch of rain in a 24 hour period, I don't water for two days or so. But with no rain and high temperatures, I water about every other day making sure to drench the whole container each time. If you do this regularly, and allow the top few inches to dry out between waterings, your roots will go deeper in the pot seeking moisture. You really can't overwater a fast growing plant in a 20-gallon pot of 5-1-1. Last year we had rain almost every day in June, and probably totaled about 10-12 inches for the month. I only watered once. My neighbors who garden in the ground lost many plants and farmers were in crisis due to flooded fields. My 5-1-1 containers thrived.

If you are using grow bags, you will have to water daily if there is high heat and little rain. They drain very quickly. If you are using plastic containers you will have to judge. But don't be afraid to water especially with the 5-1-1 mix. And you will still need to fertilize frequently but with a very weak dose every couple days. Even with slow release fertilizer in the mix, plants in containers need more because of the frequent watering due to the evaporation. And the foliage from the tomatoes and eggplants can prevent even a heavy rain from getting the potting mix overly wet. I agree with ohiofem, don't worry about overwatering. Let it get good and wet.

I think watering too much and flushing can also wash/leach the nutrients. I would water just enough until a small amount comes out of the drain holes. But I understand in hot climates flushing can cool off the roots which is ok.

I use soft/fine plain shower head type (with a control valve, installed separately). This way I can better control the amount of water, like to 1 GPM. Fully open garden hose shower head can deliver up to 3 GPM. That might fine for watering a big bed.
Another thing that I try not to do is getting the leaves and fruits wet, as much as possible. Rain does plenty of that already.

Yet anther point: I avoid watering late evening. When the foliage get partially wet and stay wet, it may be an invitation for some fungal diseases. Early in The morning is the best time.

JMO & practice.