A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 watering with finesse

So how does one perfectly water their tomatoes so that they are watered deeply but seldom to encourage deep roots but not too seldom so as to avoid contributing to blossom end rot? It is a quandary! I think I let mine get a tad too dry yesterday. It was SO HOT and I didn't get out when I should have to water which should have been Friday afternoon or so but I watered Saturday afternoon and they were curled up- not too bad; it was just so hot here. So I hope that doesn't give them trouble accepting the water and then get blossom end rot. And it was too hot yet to spray for the stuff too! I will try Tuesday morning. Any suggestions for perfect watering? :

*shrugs* I dunno when BER sets in (when it does), but i havent seen any probs yet with mine. i have 6 tomatoes that SHOULD be turning red on teh vine here within a weeks time i presume with this hot weather. I just keep my soil moist. . only have been watering 1x a day but we've had REALLY crappy weather here in michigan, and now the 90's are setting in! I dunno about watering DEEP as they say, but i surely keep the soil moist!

Would a moisture meter work on plants that are in the ground, or are they just for potted plants?
I've been thinking about getting one.

i spent like 13$ on one and it was a waste of money i think. I dunno. . i'm not having problems that i see here on this forums I just water at least 1x a day. . and not alot of water. . just enuff to moist the ground. Now that its 90's all day long i water 2x a day. Just a quick blast from the garden hose with a shower-type head attachement.

My tomato plants are still curling here and there, i think its more due to the heat than anything.

Soaker hoses!

I used soaker hoses 2 years ago, but the things never watered the ground enough. And the places that weren't under mulch, were severely over-watered. Plus, within about 2 months about 5 feet of hose on the end furthest away from the spicket stopped working entirely. By the end of the summer most of the hose had quit working. So now I just turn on the hose real low and lay it next to my plants to get the soil good and moist. This way plants that require more/less water get exactly what they need!

Soaker hoses are great, cheap and easy. Give them a try and see how they work for you.

I'm not sure why they failed you LandOfOz, might you have gotten a defective one? Was it old?