Nope....that's the way it is.....every day.....and twice when it's windy!
Linda C

If the chore seems a bit much, you should consider drip irrigation. You can get kits that can be set up to water automatically every day.

First - Both peat & pine bark based soils become hydrophobic (has to do with how Fe ions are attached to soil particulates as they dry) & difficult to rewet if they dry to less than about 30% moisture content. It's very possible that you're watering, but actual soil particles are repelling the water & it simply passes through the root-ball without wetting it (This condition kills roots BTW & leaves the plant even more vulnerable because of an even greater lack of ability to hydrate the top of the plant). Try soaking your pants in a bucket or tub until you're sure the soil is saturated & see if that gets you through a day. Often, watering once & then returning in a few minutes to water a second time will cure the water repellent nature of these soils, too. You can also use a wick to supply additional water from a reservoir to the plants. Also, a bigger container with a larger volume of soil will make more water available for plant uptake.

Second - If your soil will not hold sufficient water to get your plants through a 24 hour period, it will not hurt them to utilize some sort of saucer/drip catcher that can act as an additional reservoir. The trick is not to add so much water that your roots are constantly soggy. You can water from the top (but try not to wet foliage unnecessarily) as usual to flush the soil, but leave a little extra water in the saucer to help the plant through the day. As long as there is gas exchange at the lower region of the pot after the extra water is absorbed, roots will not rot.

Drip irrigation systems are convenient, but there are three reasons I don't use one.
- It's a sure bet you'll become dependant on it. When you do, you're at the mercy of any system failure which can easily result in the demise of all/some/most of your plantings.
- It's very easy to be lax during periods of rain &/or cool weather & over-water to the degree that roots rot.
- When you manually water every day, you get up-close & personal with your plantings as you water. This is the time you should be looking for signs of over/under watering, insect infestation, or signs of nutrient shortages. Automatic watering eliminates the need for that interaction.

They're great when you go on vacation, though.

Al

I'd agree with Al, here- I think you're not actually saturating the soil. every once in a while, I will take a tomato stake, and poke about 50 holes straight down into my bigger containers before I soak them to make sure that they get wet straight through- and with all but my biggest pots, I dump them in my rain barrel and really soak them good once a week or so.

a drip pot will certainly help, though!

my potted plants have been doing great, but here in the past couple of days they have started to wilt. My fiancee says i am watering too much, but i have been watering them everyday. we have had a some really hot temp. but the plants are in the shade on my porch. any suggestions

If they can drain freely, chances are you are not watering too much.
Linda C

If the plants have been in the same pot without being repotted when the weather got warmer - they may have run out of room, too.

If there are roots peeking out the drain holes, or, when you carefully take off the pot you see a mass of white roots from top to bottom - you'll probably need to repot your plants.

Hydrangeas are naturally droopy on a hot day - even in the garden with plenty of water. If their pots are getting hit with direct sunlight - that can really heat things up and dry them out, too.

If the plants don't need potting you could use a cache pot system - a bigger pot with no drainhole into which you can stand your actual plant pot and its saucer. The bigger pot insulates and helps keep the roots cooler and moist for longer. You can get elegant ones which become part of your decor, if you like.

Also check out any cooling systems or fans you may have running because they can be very drying for plants, too. A constant 'wind' whisks away water very quickly. An occasional breeze is fine - great for keeping fungi on the move - away from your plants.