Watering Tomato Plants

Like all living things, tomato plants need water to survive, and watering tomato plants properly is crucial to their success.

How Often Should You Water Tomato Plants?

You don’t need to water tomato plants everyday unless they’re in a pot, and over-watering can cause damage, as can under-watering.

Tomatoes thrive in moist soil, but saturated, soggy soil may cause root rot.

Wilting after a day in the summer sun is to be expected – your plants will most likely return to normal overnight. If they are still wilted in the morning, water them right away.

As a general guide, tomatoes need a minimum of 2.5cm (1 inch) of water per week, and preferably 5cms (1.5 inches) in summer. That’s the minimum amount needed in one week and you could easily double this is summer.

What Time of Day Should You Water Tomato Plants?

It’s best to water your tomato plants in the morning. This will reduce evaporation, and give your plants time to dry out (plants that remain wet overnight are prone to disease).

Irrigation that distributes water on the surface of the soil, and not on the leaves and stem, can be used almost any time of day. Midday watering should still be avoided, as evaporation losses are highest.

Adding mulch can reduce evaporation and evenly distribute water.

Watering Pots

Containers dry out very quickly, especially on a concrete patio in full sun. Daily or even twice daily watering may be necessary. If the soil appears to be drying excessively fast (plants wilting every day is one sign), group the containers together so the foliage creates a canopy to help shade the soil and keep it cooler. Mulching and wind breaks help too.

This is just the tip of the iceberg though when it comes to watering! In our comprehensive tomato-growing guide,How to Grow Juicy Tasty Tomatoes. we provide very detailed instructions on calculating precise watering needs, setting up irrigation systems, checking watering quality, fertigation and more.

Grab your copy today.