# How often should outdoor potted plants get watered? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-should-outdoor-potted-plants-get-watered/622767 "2012-05-22T23:09:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-should-outdoor-potted-plants-get-watered/622767/1 "2012-05-22T23:09:18Z")
I bought five 12 inch clay pots and a bag of potting soil. Vinca, Celosia, Petunias, and a dwarf rose were potted. How often do they require watering? Daily? Every other Day? how long? How about seeds? I planted dwarf sunflower seeds in one pot. I don’t want to rot the seeds before they sprout. Any suggestions on watering those? Here’s what I want my Celosia to look like. [![](https://riversidenurseryva.com/gallery3/var/albums/Products/Plants/Annuals/CELOSIA.jpg?m=1270321092) ](https://riversidenurseryva.com/gallery3/var/albums/Products/Plants/Annuals/CELOSIA.jpg?m=1270321092) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-should-outdoor-potted-plants-get-watered/622767/2 "2012-05-22T23:19:59Z")
By watering, I mean a watering can filled in the kitchen sink. Seems like one gallon can easily waters all five pots. I don’t fill the watering can to the top because it sloshes out the spout. That’s about a pint per pot that I’m using. 8 pints = gal I’m not spraying potted plants with a hose. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-should-outdoor-potted-plants-get-watered/622767/3 "2012-05-22T23:29:03Z")
It’s pretty variable. Unglazed clay pots will dry out faster than glazed pots. In hot weather, pots might need to be watered more than once a day. If they’re situated where they get rained on, that will obviously affect your watering schedule. A general rule of thumb is to stick your finger (so maybe it’s really a rule of finger) about an inch into the soil. If the soil feels dry (really dry, not kinda dry), water. Do your pots have a drainage hole? They should. If they don’t, it’s REALLY easy to overwater your plants. If they have a drainage hole and are sitting in saucers, don’t let them sit in the standing water. Water then wait at least an hour and dump the saucers. If you are watering a lot, you may also need to feed, unless your potting mix was the kind that contains fertilizer. One easy way to feed is to get a pelleted fertilizer like Osmacote. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-should-outdoor-potted-plants-get-watered/622767/4 "2012-05-22T23:33:12Z")
I did buy unglazed pots. Didn’t realize it would let moisture out quicker. Thanks for the tip. I went with a bigger 12 inch pot hoping they didn’t need watering as often. They all had drain holes in the bottom. I also bought the clay saucers for them to sit in. Went with Miracle Grow potting soil. Already has some fertilizer in it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-should-outdoor-potted-plants-get-watered/622767/5 "2012-05-23T13:28:19Z")
Just tried the finger test freckafree mentioned. Time to water. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-should-outdoor-potted-plants-get-watered/622767/6 "2012-05-23T14:23:14Z")
depends on the plant too. if the plant likes dryness most of the time then unglazed are fine. some plants like the higher moisture of a glazed pot, some will rot easier. if the plant is in sun outside the soil and root temperature will be different between glazed and unglazed pots. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-should-outdoor-potted-plants-get-watered/622767/7 "2012-05-23T15:27:46Z")
It’s generally best to err on the side of underwatering than overwatering. With many plants, they’ll be fine if you wait until they start to look a little bit droopy before giving them a drink. Petunias in particular don’t like their feet kept wet, in my experience. In reasonably big pots, and unless the temperature is really high or they are in full sun, I doubt you’d need to water more than 2 or 3 times a week. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-should-outdoor-potted-plants-get-watered/622767/8 "2012-05-23T21:11:07Z")
Do they get full sun all day? Part of the day? (I hope so - none of those are shade plants.) Anyway, that’ll make a big difference, especially as summer wears on. Watering when they’re slightly wilty should be fine - once you get a feel for how often that is, you can up it just a bit.