Frequency of Watering and Fertilizing.

[M MADDY]

Assalam-o-Alaikum
This is my very first Post.
Living in Karachi
A few months back I purchased around a dozen of container plants from local nursery (N.Nazimabad) including, 7 Roses, 1 Orange Jasmine, 1 Royal Jasmine (Chameli), 2 Jasminum Sambac (Motiya), 1 Cestrum Nocturnum and two Unidentified plants (Photos will be uploaded soon for identification). I used to water them in the evening on daily basis. After losing one of my rose plant I changed the watering schedule to Morning for all, however in the rose plants I water only when the soil is almost dry and I till it a bit before watering. Also in every plant except roses I do overhead shower when I water them and since the Royal Jasmine is pretty tall I spray its leaves with water. Another thing, for roses I spray its leaves twice a week. Like I changed the watering method for roses, Should I change it for my other plants as well ? or watering on daily bases is fine for them?

Another thing, I purchased Polytrin C scpecifically for roses as a pescticide and for mosquitoes. I have just recetly bought this and have only applied it once this last sunday (15 Dec). I dilute it by mixing a quarter teaspoon of Polytrin C in 500 ml of water. I merely sprayed lightly on all of my plants including roses. Is it ok to use it on my above mentioned plants other than roses? What precautions should I take while spraying my plants regarding my own safety as well as plant"s ? Last time I wore Protective Goggles and covered my nose with clothes. Was it neccessary?

Also I purchased Engro Zerkhez (8-23-13) or something, they are granules (sea green color). I don't know how to use it and how much should i give it to my plants and how often ? I specifically bought it for roses.

Any further or additional advice?

Will upload pics of my Container plants soon.

P.S : Love this website ! ! !

[Mustansir Billah]

Welcome to the forum! First thing is when you are new to gardening use natural fertilizer i.e Compost, Well Rotted manure etc. For watering I would say that water your plants when the upper soil is dried. Yes! you can water your plants in evening except roses. Rose plants should be watered in the morning if still the soil is dried up in the evening but in harsh summers you can water your roses in evening also but be careful not to water its stems or leaves.
The thing it what is the concentration of the pesticide but it is good for your safety. I do not wear them as spray them with a distance.

[M MADDY]

So, that "wait till soil is dry" technique should be applied to all of my plants? and about roses, should I then stop spraying water on their leaves? I do that twice a week. Thanks for the advice Now Uploading pics of the unidentified plants in the appropriate forum.....

[mikhurram]

Giving correct amount of watering is an art which is learnt usually over a passage of time. Over-watering and under-watering both result in plant deaths so one has a strike a watering balance. Usually it’s over-watering which accounts often for plant casualties and i can safely predict that most of your plant died from over watering. It's a fallacy to assume that plants will grow stronger if given more and more water. I hope you aren't watering your plants these days on a daily basis regimen described above. If so then your plants are likely to die from water logging.

Some tips regarding watering which hopefully would make it easier for others to achieve the right balance in terms of watering.

First a simple rule of thumb for watering is to poke fingers in the soil by at-least 1 inch. If it feels moist then avoid watering. Water only you if you perceive the soil to totally dry.

Secondly each plant have their own specific watering requirements i.e. some are drought tolerant e.g. Adenium or Cactus etc and some thrive in moisture e.g Lousiana Iris or Canna. Identify which are drought tolerant and which are moisture. While giving water don’t give them the same amount of water as not all the plant varieties require the same amount of water. Give preference to indigenous plants which are more drought tolerant & hardy compared to imported varieties.

Third it’s better to water in the evening rather than giving water in the morning as sunshine tends to evaporate the water especially in our summers. In winters only this advice may be disregarded.

Fourth when applying water its better to water at ground level which ensures that water goes to plant roots directly. Sprinkling water over the leaves results in sheer wastage of water and cause fungal diseases like powdery mildew on roses.

Fifth deep watering is preferable over frequent watering but should it should be done less frequently. Roses remain happy if sufficient water reaches the roots in sufficient quantity but also it should drain well also. Good drainage is a must for roses. You would also have to work on identifying the right soil for your roses as well as keeping on vigil on desi suckers which need to uprooted on a weekly basis. You can read more about rose care in the rose thread.

Sixth consider mulching your plants which conserve water and reduce the need for watering especially when the weather starts warming up.

Pesticides should only be given if a plant is suffering from a disease. They cannot be applied as a preventive measure in advance. Doctors give medicine only when patient require it and thus pesticides should only be considered as a last resort when there is no other option. Pesticides have a harmful side effect of killing beneficial insects like Lady Bugs, Lace Wings, Spiders, Bees etc. Also it’s a mistake to assume that side effects of chemical pesticides can be mitigated by washing the fruits/vegetables which mostly are grown by spraying pesticides. Research indicates that the residues of these systemic pesticides like Polytrin remain. This has been discussed in the link below.
viewtopic.php?f=107&t=3105

Digging or tilling is bad for the soil. When the top soil is removed it contributes to soil erosion as important nutrients are leached out apart from destroying the beneficial micro-organisms like worms and fungi which enrich the soil are mostly present in the top soil. Also more watering is also required as the soil is now more disturbed and has less ability to conserve water. You may choose to practice 'No-dig" gardening' by using your compost. The details can be found in the middle part of the link shown below.
viewtopic.php?f=107&t=3080&start=10

Care needs to be taken in applying pesticides by wearing goggles and face masks.

Application of rose fertliser is easy. Apply 1 teaspoon in a circle atleast 2 inches away from the plant stem and resort to watering. The NPK ratio of roses should be ideally should be 5:5:10 or it can also be given Tomato fertilizer feed.

[M MADDY]

Learned so much! Thank you for your detailed and instructive reply.

So this is what I will do from now;
- I will change my watering method.
- Stop tilling the soil, (just read the article of no-dig gardening).
- Start the practice of Mulching and Compost

Now, about that mulching part, I read your reply in the link you provided, I will do the following;

- Weed the soil, cover the soil with soaked cardboard pieces (from a Milk carton) making sure no part of soil is visible and that the cardboard layer is atleast 1 inch away from the plant's stem.

- After thal I will add two layers of Soaked Newspaper (as they are) with the same precautions as above.

- After that I will surely get stuck. How to make a mulch? I don't have dried leaves, composted leaf mold, grass cuttings, straw, wood scraps, untreated sawdust etc, But I have paper, alot of organic material (Khaad), Egg shells, tea bags (Literally, Lipton Yellow Label) and dried banana peels (drying to use it on all rose containers).

Now, about that mulching and making a compost, can I use it in all of my plant containers? Roses, Jasmines?

And about that NPK part, the ratio you mentioned, is it in granular form or liquid? also after how many days should I give it to my plants?

[mikhurram]

You need to ensure that the mulching material spread over should not touch the plant stems which would suffer adversely from the heat generated by new mulch. Thus i would advise that you should NOT practice the "No Dig' approach on your existing soil bed having perennials (roses, vines etc).

The 'No Dig" approach ideally should be practiced in an site having annuals ONLY and that too when the bloom of the spring annuals are over at end of April.

I was referring to usage of Rose Food fertliser in the form of granules. Tomato Fertliser is available in the form of liquid feed. Fertlisation of roses has been discussed in detail in the image file article in the following url.
I usually apply the rose fertiliser once a month (1 teaspoon per plant once a month) and that in December, January and Feb mostly. Sometimes i do not apply fertlizer to my roses like in the current season but would probably apply it at end of month. The fertlisation schedule would differ from location to location but the most important thing is that fertilizer should only be applied to plants in active growth stage only and should NOT be applied to freshly planted plants or those in dormant stage.
The text in the article image can be zoomed on clicking the files. Hopefully this detailed article would provide you with you with all answers to any query pertaining to roses.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=2433