How to Cut Down on Container Watering

Spend less time watering and more time enjoying.

About the only drawback to container gardens is the need to water them frequently.

Here are some ways to cut down on your watering time:

• Plant drought-tolerant plants such as moss roses, herbs, marigolds, cupflower, and sedum. But even these need regular watering while they're getting established.



• Use big containers, which hold water longer. You can also use double pots, one inside the other, to insulate the soil and slow the evaporation process.



• Line porous pots with asphalt. Paint the inside of clay, wood, or concrete containers with asphalt roofing sealer. Paint clay and concrete pots up to the soil line; paint wood containers up to the top edge.



• Cover the soil with 1-2 inches of mulch to slow evaporation. Use leaf mold or shredded bark as mulch.



• Add a water-absorbing polymer to the soil. These products, available at garden centers, absorb tremendous amounts of water and then gradually release it.



• Use drip irrigation for timed release of water to each container.



• Cluster containers in sunny spots so the plants will shade one another and block the wind.

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