How Often Should You Water Tomato Plants?

How often should you water tomato plants? It is important to be extremely careful when watering tomato plants.

These plants might need to be watered twice a day to keep them thriving and prevent rot. As the temperature increases so also are tomatoes need for more water. Tomatoes are relatively easy to grow and sustain which is why they can be found in almost all gardens across the globe.

Tomatoes are scientifically classified as fruits and these species of plants are popular worldwide. Although tomatoes are categorized as fruits, they are often seen in the vegetable section. Tomatoes can be found in lots of soup recipes and are hardly eaten as fruits.

To plant a healthy tomato, a good rule of thumb will be to water once every two or three days but watering tomatoes goes deeper than that.

There are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes and they are easy to care for but how much water they need can be a bit difficult to specify. However, with few tips, you should be able to water your tomatoes the right way.

How To Water Tomato Plants

Watering tomato plants are not as complicated as it sounds, you just need to understand their basic needs and the current temperature determines how much water it needs. Trial and error are quite okay as this can help build your skills and help you understand your tomatoes better.

Generally, how much water your tomatoes need depends on if the plant is actively growing and how hot the weather is. While you can easily develop your own watering technique, here are simple ways and tips to guide you on how to water tomato plants.

1. Water Slowly

It is important that you go deeply but slowly with watering your tomatoes. You don’t water to overwater them hence never rush the process of watering them. Too much water at once can wash away the nutrients from the soil, so use drip irrigation or drip hose and water it slowly to let the soil soak in at least 5 inches of water.

2. Frequent Watering

Your tomatoes definitely need water but water only when they need it. There is no specific rule that says they need to be watered every day. You might want to water twice a day, to begin with, though especially if the weather is hot, and keep in mind you just need to moisten the soil. When the summer season is over and the fruits are setting, once a week of watering will do just fine.

3. Water The Stem

The stem does indeed need more water than the leaves. Watering the leaves and fruits can cause a tomato disease called sunscald to develop on the fruits and pests are likely to attack the plant as well. Hence it is best to put water straight to the root rather than from the leaves.

4. Water Early

The best time of the day to water your tomatoes is early in the morning before the sun sets and avid watering in the night. Watering at night prevents the water from draining out and moist conditions can lead to tomato plant diseases.

5. Mulch

Mulch should be used to slow down water evaporation and it also provides nutrients to your soil.

How Often Should You Water Tomato Plants?

Tomatoes typically need to be watered once every two to three days but keep in mind that watering once a week might still work for some regions.

There is no general rule on how often you water your tomato plants and this is because there are lots of factors that can influence how often you water your plants. Some of the factors that determine how often you water your tomato plants include the type of soil, size of the plant, age of the plant, humidity, temperature, weekly rainfall, and amount of fruit produced.

Newly planted tomato plants need to be watered regularly to keep the soil moist for its growth. 2 inches of water a week if it’s planted in the ground, however, it’s best to depend on a water gauge or indicator to let you know if that is too much.

If you are still confused on how often your tomato plants need to be watered, start by watering once a day and as temperature increases, you might need to watering twice a day and remember to water them slowly so you don’t flood the plant.

Improper watering your tomatoes can lead to:

Diseases such as root lost and blossom end rot
Stunted growth
Decreased resistance
Becomes susceptible to pests
Reduces the quality and production of fruits.

How Often Should You Water Tomato Plants? — Image: Envato Elements

How Often Do You Water Tomato Plants In Pots Or Containers?

The watering frequency of tomato plants in pots or containers depending on the type of container or pots being used.

Some pots and containers come with drainage holes and drip trays which enable you to know when they are being watered too often. You need to be careful on how often you water plants in pots or containers as the excess water can easily wash out the nutrients.

To water tomato plants in containers, experts recommend watering twice a day during fruiting, once at dawn and once in the evening. Ensure to do a daily gauge to know whether your tomato plants need water or not.

Signs of overwatered tomato plants?

Watering your tomato plant might be the key to successful cultivation but it is also important to be careful so you don’t overwater it. Too much water and your tomato plants are sure to drown. The common early sign that your tomatoes are overwatered includes a cracked fruit, blisters, or bumps on the lower leaves. As the overwatered plant continues to grow, the leaves curl inward and upward. Eventually, the roots begin to drown, rot and die.

When should you water tomato plants?

To prevent overwatering or underwatering your tomato plant, you need to know when is the best time to water your tomato plants. The best time of the day to water tomato plants is early in the morning as this gives enough time for the moisture that made its way to the leaves to dry before the heat of the day. You may need to water twice a day as the temperature increases though.

How To Fix Overwatered Tomato Plant

An overwatered plant is likely to show signs of rotting, fortunately, tomato plants tend to recover fast from being overwatered.

However, if several symptoms mimic environmental conditions and diseases then this means your plants have been flooded with water. To save an overwatered tomato plant, you will need to remove it from the ground to treat its root before replanting. Below are simple ways to fix overwatered tomato plants.

First, you need to elimate stagnant water which are the cause of the plant being overwatered. If it is planted ina container, remove the water that is sitting in the drip tray underneath the container and if it is planted in the ground. You will need to have it treated by removing it from the ground to analyse the damage
If you are dealing with indoor plants, simply have the roots and soil cleaned to be repotted. Proceed by cutting off the spoilt root and removing and residual soil. Use clean and sanitized hears for this.
For outdoor plants, let it dry b exposing them to sunlight to help get rid of the excess moisture. For potted plants, you can into a new pot with drier soil.
After drying the roots, replant it into a more suitable well drained soil.

The process of fixing overwatered tomato is quite a simple and easy one, however, take note that your tomato plant might have gotten some side effects such as Edema, mold, and bacteria from being overwatered. To fix the issues to fungal bacteria on your tomato plant, treat the affected area with fungicides and move your tomato plant to healthier soil.

To fix the case of Edema in overwatered tomato plants, expose your plant to natural lightning avoid scalding the plant by doing it gradually. Ensure your plant is also provided with enough calcium and potassium to offer it adequate protection. As the plant gets exposed to sun and heat, the water in it evaporates which can help restore nutrients to your tomato plant.

Final Thoughts

To prevent disease and the burning of the plants, you need the right way to keep your plants properly watered. Note that it is also recommended that you water your tomato plants thoroughly after a fresh transplant to get rid of any air gaps in the soil.

Tomato plants definitely need plenty of water when they are developing but as soon as they are fully formed, you need to slow than on the watering. To ensure you don’t underwater or overwater it, this guide above is sure to help with that.