Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
joe_thurston

Using the finger to determine if it's time to water

joe_thurston
11 years ago

I've seen much discussion on using your finger and digging into the soil to determine if it's time to water or not. This confuses me, because I don't know what I'm looking for when I dig into the ground.

I have some Astilbes in the shade, I enhanced the soil with peat moss and compost prior to planting them this spring. They wilt after just a day or two. When I dig in with my finger, the top 1" of soil is dry, crumbles easily. The next inch doesn't crumble, but I couldn't say it's wet. So I water them, but they're still wilted. I'm afraid I'm watering them too often, but I know they like plent of moisture, and I hesitate to stop watering.

Can anyone help me out on what the proper technique for finger-checking is, and help me understand what I should be looking for?

Thanks!

Comments (13)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    well ..

    if it feels wet.. wait for it.. its probably wet.. lol ...

    dry is dry ...

    and hot and damp.. means dry in a day or two ...

    but the real trick.... is digging down 3 or 4 inches... and learn how to water that deep .. and then.. using your finger.. dont water again.. until the top... is as above ...

    maintaining water at that depth.. is the real trick ...

    just spraying the surface.. is just about useless ... its all about maintaining moisture at depth ... WHERE THE ROOTS ARE ...

    and if its wet at 3 inches ... MOIST ... then when the first inch or so.. is drying.. and you rewet.. then at 3 inches.. the dampness will remain..

    any clearer???

    ken

  • flora_uk
    11 years ago

    I have to confess that the finger test has never worked for me because I do not have the sensitivity as a human being to tell if soil is dry or moist enough for a plant. It doesn't have to be actually wet, just moist enough. Also it is only feasible if the soil/medium is loose enough to stick your finger in. Not to mention the dirt under the nails. With observation and experience you can tell if a plant needs watering by looking at the plant, not the soil. Not that that helps the OP much.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    With observation and experience you can tell if a plant needs watering by looking at the plant, not the soil.

    Agreed. I don't water until plants are about to wilt, especially perennials.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    or in the alternative.. have a few very touchy plants.. that wilt first ... perhaps a good new post subject ... to know when to water..

    those are usually the ones that are the shallowest rooted ...

    and when you get really good.. and the light is right.. i can literally 'see' which plants are declining in turgidity ... water pressure ... there is also a color change ...

    ken

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    11 years ago

    And as has been mentioned in another thread, wilting in the day does not necessarily mean water is required (to an established perennial). If the same plant is still wilted the next morning then by all means water it. I need to be more patient with regards to giving water to my plants.

  • joe_thurston
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback. I agree with flora_uk, I also have a hard time telling with my finger how moist the soil is. One thing I was NOT doing was going down the 3" that Ken suggested - I was probably only digging down an inch or two. I'll dig deeper!

    With regards to just observing the plants, I agree that that technique is probably the best. But as flora_uk pointed out, it takes experience.

    With Astilbes in particular, I see not only wilting, but curling and browning of the plant edges. When I don't water because I think I'm drowning the poor plants, they don't improve much. When I water to try to freshen them up, they stay browned and curled. We're having communication problems, I guess.

    I will check at the 3-4" mark, and see what the soil looks like at that level. I'll post back my findings.

    Thanks again for the feedback.

  • dowlinggram
    11 years ago

    Peat moss--there's your problem if you've put too much in. Once peat moss drys it is very hard to rewet. It clumps together and runs the water off of it. I would dig up the soil around your plants and replace it with soil that doesn't have any peat. Peat will add organic matter to soil if it's applied sparingly but too much is no good

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    do understand.. the digging 3 inches.. is just a SINGLE lesson.. TO LEARN ... maybe you do it once a month..

    otherwise.. when you are checking.. just getting your finger.. under the mulch.. to touch.. or see the soil surface is sufficient..

    its all about LEARNING how it all works .. in the soil ... in your yard..

    rather than just spraying things down.. and HOPING FOR THE BEST ...

    if you have a baby in the house.. and something is ripe in denmark.. you dont just spray down the babe.. you have to check.. and find out what the issue is.. and it wont take you long.. to learn.. w/o looking .... there.. how is that for an anomaly??? .. or better yet.. an analogy .. lol...

    ken

  • joe_thurston
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I have read much on the Internet about peat moss, much of it highly recommending the mixing of peat moss with soil. In fact, the little tag that came with the astilbe instructed me to excavate a hole 12" wider than the pot, and backfill with a mixture of 1 part peat moss to 2 parts soil, so that's what I did. I measured by volume - for every 2 buckets of soil I filled, I mixed in 1 bucket of peat. Do you think that's too much peat? Why would the nursery recommend that ratio?

  • joe_thurston
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Ken,

    Having had twin boys, I understand exactly what you're saying. Your advice has helped, I'll try being more observant and learning from what I see. I noticed on my lunch hour that my astilbe in question is totally wilted, I'll do the digging test today to learn what's going on down there. Thanks.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    11 years ago

    FWIW, the recommendation to test the level of soil moisture with one's finger I don't find to be very relevant for inground planting. That was something that was done only for container grown or houseplants that are limited in both root spread and root depth.

    Since roots of landscape plants tend to reach down quite a bit further than 3", IMO testing with your finger is just a waste of time. What if you use a pop-up irrigation system that mists the soil for a few minutes on a daily basis? That type of irrigation is never going to penetrate down into the root zone and will always test moist using your finger as a guide while the roots may be dying of thirst. Same thing with any sort of overhead sprinkler. You want irrigation water to penetrate down the full depth of the root zone - 8+ inches for the vast majority of plants - that's where the recommendation for low and slow and infrequent watering comes into play.

    Observation, understanding specific plant requirements/behavior and knowing your soil condition are really the only sure way to determine whether watering is needed or not. And it doesn't take all that long to tell. One quickly becomes attuned to one's garden if one is really interested :-)

    Peat moss is an excellent additive for both increasing soil acidity and for soil moisture retention. If the moss has been properly hydrated before incorporation into the existing soil it is not going to dry out - maybe in the Gobi desert but certainly not throughout most of the US. It is simply not dry enough here to have that effect. It can and does dry out if used as a mulch or topdressing and that practice should be avoided.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    11 years ago

    gardengal48 wrote: You want irrigation water to penetrate down the full depth of the root zone - 8+ inches for the vast majority of plants - that's where the recommendation for low and slow and infrequent watering comes into play.

    I need to work on this i.e. I admit I water too frequently and not deep enough. This is in part because I have too many plants which cant be reached with a hose so I am forced to water using a good old watering 'can'.

  • joe_thurston
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Wow, it appears I missed something - "if the peat moss has been properly hydrated." Oops.

    I only mixed it with soil in my wheelbarrow dry - I never hydrated it. I did water like crazy after backfilling - does that count as proper hydration? If not, is there a way to properly hydrate once the deed is done? What's the best way to hydrate BEFORE I incorporate into the soil? So many questions.

    BTW, on my astilbe. Since I bought three of them this spring, I thought I'd try an experiment. Last night I watered just one of the wilting Astilbes, and kept going with the watering can four times. That's 8 gallons of water for one plant. The soil just kept sucking the water in, in small batches, never slowing down. I think I could have even kept going. This morning it looks a little better, standing up straighter. The others continue to look wilted. I wish I had eyes that could see what was going on under there ...

    "low and slow and infrequent" - very interesting way to think about it. I am trying to tune in to what my garden is saying - it's looking better every year. Some plants are easier to read than others.

    -jwt

Sponsored
Potomac Shores Cabinetry
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars10 Reviews
Loudoun County's Well-Designed Spaces and Custom Crafted Cabinetry