The Essential Guide to Watering Your Tropical Plants in Florida

Florida’s weather is kind of like you at the vending machine staring down the Kit Kat, the peanut M&Ms and the Snickers: it can’t make up its mind. 

So it’s hard to know what the heck to do about properly watering your tropical plants.

Sometimes it’s hot and dry, then it pours rain for days. The soil here is sandy, which means water drains right through it. But if you live in a newer housing development where builders brought in a ton of clay to build up the area, your soil is thick and sticky.

Different plants here have different water needs, too. While tropical plants native to rainforests are often thirsty, native plants need less water once established.

How long to water plants around here? In a nutshell, give them plenty of water at the beginning when you plant them, then ease back on the watering so their roots have to dive deeper into the soil to get a drink. And make sure your irrigation system is in top shape to keep the water flowing. 

Keep reading to learn more about watering plants in Florida, including: 

Give new plants a good long drink
 
How long to water plants? 

Too much water makes plants lazy

How water restrictions play a part  

Don’t forget the mulch

Use that rain sensor!

Keep your irrigation system running great 

Give New Plants a Good Long Drink 

You know that feeling when you just ran five miles then ate a whole bag of pretzels? No? Maybe it’s just us.
 
Anyway, pretend that’s how your new tropical plants feel when you first plant them: super thirsty. 

They need the most water right after you plant them, as the roots work to get established in the soil.

Your goal? Give them plenty of water at first, then slowly ease up on the watering as they get settled in.

Properly watering tropical plants at the beginning is so important, we won’t warranty your new plants unless we can set your irrigation controller to water them seven days a week for the first two weeks, then three to four times a week for the next two weeks, depending on the type of plants.

But after that first four weeks of extra watering for your new outdoor tropical plants, settle into a normal watering schedule — two days a week in the winter and three days a week in the summer. 

When is the best time to water plants in Florida? Shoot for early in the day, before sunrise if possible. You don’t want the hot sun evaporating any of your valuable water before it gets to your plants.

How Long to Water Plants?

Most of our customers have drip irrigation for their plants or low-volume Maxijet irrigation, which waters plants through tubes attached to short stakes at the plants’ base.
  
Plants watered with Maxijets need watering two to three times a week for 10 to 20 minutes each time. 

Plants irrigated with the slow and steady drip irrigation should be watered for about an hour two to three times a week.

The good news with these low-volume watering techniques— there are no county watering restrictions. You can water this way as much as you want!  But don’t go crazy — it’s still best to water plants in Florida less frequently, so your plant roots have to dive deep into the soil for moisture, growing long and healthy. (More on this in a bit.)

What about properly watering tropical plants if you have some plants that are thirstier than others? Way ahead of you. We can install shut-off valves on the Maxijet tubing to control the watering. 

Low-water plants like agave and baby sun rose get the shut-off valves, and, once established, will get plenty of irrigation from rainfall 

These are good rules to follow when watering plants in Florida but pay attention to your leafy pals. They might need more or less water.

Plants usually tell you when they need more water. Watch for signs of stress like leaves that are curling, turning brown or dropping.

Too Much Water Makes Plants Lazy

It’s tempting to give your tropical plant beauties lots of water. But too much water actually hurts them. 

You want those plant roots to have to reach deep into the soil for water, so they develop into deep, strong roots. Water all the time, and those roots can get lazy, easily finding water right at the surface. Then they become shallow and weak and your plants won’t thrive. 

Watering Plants in Florida: Water Restrictions Play a Part  

More and more cities and counties are limiting the amount of water you can use for your lawn and landscaping, setting aside certain days and times that it’s allowed.

How long to water plants? Sarasota water restrictions allow you to water new plants as much as you want for the first month — even the city knows this is important. 
But after that, restrictions kick in, with only certain days allowed, based on your house address.

Don’t Forget the Mulch

Once you’re properly watering tropical plants, a handy garden helper keeps that important moisture working hard — mulch. 

Mulch helps your soil retain that valuable moisture. Hardwood mulch conserves water, but it’s a real landscape multi-tasker — it also keeps weeds from easily sprouting and as it decomposes over time, adds nutrients to your soil.

Bonus: it looks amazing. 

Plan on a fresh delivery twice a year, in March, then November, so your mulch always looks — and works — great. 

Use That Rain Sensor! 

Here’s a sad scenario we see way too often: 
It starts to rain, so you turn off your irrigation controller, figuring you’ll save money. You’ll remember to turn it back on again when the rain stops, right?

Then you start watching The Real Housewives or your kid tells you he needs to build a diorama of ancient Rome or your cousin calls to tell you all about the perils of building a pool house (insert eye roll here) and…

Your irrigation system stays off. It gets dry. Hey, why is your precious ‘King of Siam’ croton dropping leaves?! 

Here’s a tip: use that rain sensor the county requires you to have. You can trust it. Its whole job is to turn your system off when it rains, then reactivate it again when it dries out. 

Keep Your Irrigation System Running Great 

Properly watering tropical plants involves more than turning your sprinklers on and off. 

Here in Sarasota, watering is more complicated than that, with our on and off rainy periods and sometimes wacky temperature changes.
 
Your irrigation system’s controller needs adjusting 6-8 times a year to allow for all that. Sometimes, three times in one month. 

Who has time for all that? You’re busy watching The Real Housewives and building dioramas! 

And there’s more. Stuff happens out there. 
Neglect your irrigation system, and entire zones might fail. Valves break. Heads get clogged. Worries multiply.

Regular irrigation system inspections means worry-free peace of mind for you.
 
You’ll know irrigation pros are keeping an eye on things, noticing small signs of potential problems before your precious landscaping suffers. 

Regular irrigation maintenance keeps the water flowing for healthy, thriving landscaping. 

Make sure you have a Sarasota landscaping company that stays on top of irrigation maintenance, so your outdoor tropical plants stay well-watered and healthy. 

Watering Plants in Florida? Talk to Us 

Watering tropical plants in Florida sounds easier than it actually is. 

Are your plants thirsty tropicals or low-maintenance natives? Or a confounding combination of both?

How do you set your controller to match up with Sarasota watering restrictions?
Are you sure your plants are getting enough water? Are they getting too much? HOW TO FIGURE OUT THIS PLANT WATERING MADNESS???!!

Your beautiful tropical plants should bring you joy, not cause you stress, Take a deep breath. Then give us a call.

Tropical Gardens provides tailored, full-service landscape maintenance services in Sarasota FL, including expert irrigation. We’ll make sure your tropical plant beauties get the proper watering and other care they need, all year long.