If you have lots of potted plants, you may want to set up automatic irrigation rather than hand-watering them all.

I confess, I enjoy hand-watering some of my plants. Most of my containers are hand-watered. I find the time it takes to water them relaxing, and I take the opportunity to check on my plants and see how they’re doing (yes, I talk to them). This approach works for me, but it may not be practical for everyone. Fortunately there are ways to set up irrigation to your containers so you don’t need to hand water them every few days.

The first thing to remember is that our climate is very hard on container plants. The Pima County Master Gardeners recommend containers that are at least 24 inches in height and diameter as smaller containers will result in overheated, dry roots.

Second, make sure you adjust the watering frequency depending on the type of plant you are growing and consider this when you’re setting up your irrigation system. For example, don’t put non-native plants like citrus or hibiscus on the same watering circuit as your prized exotic cacti. Any containerized non-natives will need watering at least three times per week, while cacti usually do well with watering less than once a week (these are general guidelines of course).

Third, choose the appropriate soil type for your plants. Palms and cacti need different soils in containers than tropical plants, food plants, and the like. Make sure you have a fertilization routine appropriate for the type of plant you are growing, as well. Container plants will use up their food quickly, and regular applications of slow-release natural fertilizers will serve them well. In addition, you will want to flood irrigate your containers about twice a year to wash out the salts that inevitably build up (do this before your fertilization).

Finally, protect your container plants from the harshest aspects of our climate. This means partial shade for many non-native plants (and even native cacti like saguaro), avoiding reflected heat and sun from paved surfaces, shelter from wind and dust, and protection from cold and frost during the winter. Also, mulch your container plants — with the important exception of palms and cacti.

Nurseries and hardware stores sell a variety of kits you can use to quickly set up a DIY irrigation system for your pots. You can also purchase kits online. You can run the irrigation off your regular irrigation system if appropriate; make sure this will not result in too many emitters on one irrigation tubing. Check out my article on irrigation to help you figure this out. You can also hook up the irrigation to a hose bib, in which case you will need a filter, pressure compensator and a backflow prevention device. Many manufacturers sell this as one single kit so you only have one thing to connect.

Here are some helpful videos to get you started:

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If you have lots of potted plants, you may want to set up automatic irrigation rather than hand-watering them all.

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