Tips for Managing Watering Issues with Your Tropical Plants
You probably didn’t realize that watering your tropical plants has something in common with a James Bond movie.
Some of your outdoor plants might be crafty imposters, lurking in your garden looking suspiciously like tropicals but they’re actually…desert plants. Cue the sinister music.
How often to water tropical plants? You’ll have to sleuth out the truth. The basic plan is to give them plenty of water at the beginning as they make themselves at home in the ground, then ease back on the watering so their roots have to dive deeper into the soil to get a drink. But make sure you know if your plants are truly tropical varieties, or if they’re desert or native plants, which need less water.
Ready for an adventure? Let’s learn more about the best practices for watering tropical plants, including:
- Your New Plants Are Thirsty, So Keep the Water Coming
- How Long to Water Tropical Plants?
- Tropical Plant Care Watering: Some Plants Need Less
- Why Is It Important to Prevent Overwatering Tropical Plants?
- Irrigation Zones for Tropical Plant Care Watering
- Keep Your Irrigation System in Tip-Top Shape
Your New Plants Are Thirsty, So Keep the Water Coming
What’s the best watering schedule for tropical plants? The thirstiest time for your plants is the first month after they’re planted and their roots are working hard to settle into the soil.
How to water tropical plants? Give them plenty of water at first. This is so important that we won’t guarantee your new plants with a warranty 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 this generous all-you-can-drink policy doesn’t last forever. After that first four weeks, you need to get sort of stingy.
Settle into a more normal watering schedule of two days a week in the winter and three days a week in the summer. But some plants need less. More on this in a bit.
Does the time of day matter? It does. Plan to water your plants early in the day, before sunrise if possible. Otherwise that hot Sarasota sun will evaporate some of your precious water before it even gets to your thirsty plants.
How Long to Water Tropical 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.
Drip irrigation is great for plants. It delivers water slowly and consistently
directly to their roots, where they really need it. It keeps the leaves dry, which reduces the risk of fungal diseases.
It also uses less water and minimizes water loss from evaporation and runoff.
Plants irrigated with slow and steady drip irrigation should be watered for about an hour two to three times a week.
Maxijet irrigation uses micro-sprays and drip emitters attached to small stakes in the ground. These sprayers and drippers are designed to deliver water precisely to the root zone.
Plants watered with Maxijets need watering two to three times a week for 10 to 20 minutes each time.
If all that sounds super easy, surprise! There are exceptions…
Tropical Plant Care Watering: Some Plants Need Less
Lots of tropical plants are happy with the same amount of water — that reliable two days a week in the winter and three days a week in the summer.
But a few plants that are popular here in Sarasota are actually desert plants. Give them too much water, and they’ll die.
Here’s a look at a few you might assume are water-loving tropicals, but they aren’t:
Foxtail Agave
This graceful succulent is known for its arching blue-ish green leaves that form a pretty rosette on a thick, curving stem.
Its tropical look makes it a popular accent plant in Florida, but because it’s a succulent, it needs very little water. The soil needs to dry out completely between watering sessions to prevent root rot.
Blue Agave
Another popular succulent with blue-green leaves, this one is native to Mexico and thrives in the rocky volcanic soil there. Fun fact: it’s the main ingredient in tequila. This has nothing to do with tips for watering tropical plants but makes for fun outdoor dinner party conversation.
Yucca ‘Rostrata’
Also oddly called the beaked yucca, this dramatic, spiky plant is super popular and very expensive, at about $800 each. That’s an investment you want to protect. So don’t overwater.
It’s native to the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Mexico and western Texas.
It’s a striking tree-like plant, with a single trunk topped with a dense crown of blue-green, sword-shaped leaves.
These plants only need water as they get established in the ground. Then, just leave them alone.
When Tropical Gardens crews install these desert plants, they put a shut-off valve on the mister stake that waters it.
After two weeks we turn it off and never water again. They’ll get what they need from rainwater.
A Couple Other Picky Plants
Pitch apple is another popular plant that only needs water to get established. It doesn’t like wet feet.
One of the hottest plants in Sarasota, it’s popular for its versatile use as a shrub, hedge or tree.
The leaves of this drought-tolerant evergreen are thick and leathery and you can actually scratch a message into them with a stick or pen, and the scar will remain as the leaf matures.
Hibiscus seems just about perfect with its huge colorful tropical flowers, but it’s finicky about watering, too.
It likes its soil consistently moist but well-draining so the roots don’t get soggy.
Native Plants Need Less Water, Too
You might have some plants that look tropical, like they belong in an exotic rainforest, but they’re actually native to Florida.
That means they don’t need much water, either, because they’re used to the natural conditions here and are happy living on rainwater.
Coontie, passion flower, muhly grass, beach sunflowers, saw palmetto — once they’re established, they rarely need extra water.
Why Is It Important to Prevent Overwatering Tropical Plants?
Most tropical plants love water, so why not give them a bunch? If somebody rationed your drinking water, you’d get kind of huffy about it, right?
Too much water makes your plants lazy, and can actually hurt them.
How to water tropical plants? You want your plant roots 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.
Irrigation Zones for Tropical Plant Care Watering
If you have a variety of plants you might need more irrigation zones than you think to properly water everything.
Think you need three zones? You might need six, especially if you have plants with varying watering needs.
It’s a great case for partnering with an irrigation company that also specializes in plant health care.
At Tropical Gardens, we know exactly what each of your landscaping plants needs and can expertly install your irrigation system so each plant gets the right amount of water.
Our irrigation technicians know a proper irrigation system inspection goes beyond just making sure the water is flowing. How do your plants look? Are they healthy? Getting enough water but not too much?
If there are any problems, we’re on it.
And speaking of irrigation maintenance…
Keep Your Irrigation System In Tip-Top Shape
How to water tropical plants? It’s kind of tricky here in Southern Florida.
Sometimes it rains so much, you forget you even have an irrigation system. Other times it's hot and dry.
The soil here is really 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.
So you can’t just set your irrigation controller and forget if. It needs adjusting 6-8 times a year to keep up with the wacky weather. Sometimes, three times in one month.
No offense, but you might not remember. You’re too busy watching James Bond movies.
Plus, your irrigation system is working really hard out there. Irrigation heads get clogged. Valves can break. A whole zone might fail.
Regular irrigation system inspections mean 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 tropical plants stay well-watered and healthy.
How to Water Tropical Plants? Talk to Us
Now you’re wondering if your plants are thirsty tropicals or low-maintenance natives or succulents from Mexico that barely need a drink at all. Or maybe they’re a perplexing combination of all three, and you’re the one who needs a drink. (Good news: if you have a blue agave you can turn it into tequila, remember?)
How should you set your controller to keep all your plant pals happy? Are they getting enough water? Are they getting too much?
Relax. We’ve got this.
Tropical Gardens provides full-service landscape maintenance in Sarasota FL, including plant health care and expert irrigation. We’ll make sure your tropical plant beauties get the proper watering and other care they need, all year long.
Give us a call or fill out our form today! Let our skilled, attentive crews handle it. You rest easy and just enjoy your beautiful plants.
