Succulent Watering Advise Needed

[BillLuck]

Hi all,

I live in an apartment in Sydney. We have a concrete planter built into the apartment block(outside).

The outside planter box measures approx. 12 x4x4 feet.

The question I have is if I have a limited area to water and I pour a whole bunch of water into one area of the planter box , if i pour enough will it be distributed evenly so all plants are watered?

I am probably being naive but I am concerned that if I water in only one area the other plants will miss out!

My theory is if I pour enough water in the planter box surely it will fill the whole box and all plants will be watered.....

 

[Marck]

Water travels downwards through the soil, but it also travels laterally. However, a planter box planted with succulents would (should) have fairly fast-draining soil and lateral water spread in such soil is somewhat reduced. In your case, this may or may not be a problem. Approximately what percentage of the soil surface do you water? Do any of your plants appear drought-stressed? I do recommend trying to water as much of the soil surface as possible. If you can't reach the whole area, maybe an extended hose attachment or a watering can with a longer spout would help.

Of course, I am assuming the planter box drains well. If not you will have a problem more akin to over-watering. Also remember, after watering the entire soil column, you should allow the soil to partly/mostly dry before watering again. With time you will be able to estimate this by looking at the plants and soil surface.

 

[DirtMechanic]

There is more than 7 cubic yards of space in a 12x4x4 foot space. Thats just a lot of everything, including water. Depending on what is in it, 12,000 lbs of soil is not out of the question. Following a 1 inch per week rule, you need about 30 gallons a week. Putting that on one side is tough because it weighs 250 lbs and will try real hard to go down. Plus even though is does not seem like it, the volume is only 4 cubic feet watering at least 160 or so in one spot if you have 6 yards of soil. The alternative is to get really wasteful and just let the hose run. Its only money right?