Alyssum is a beautiful, fragrant flower that can add color and life to your garden or yard. The plant grows best in full sun and needs moderate water to grow well. It’s easy to care for as long as you know how often you should water your flowers, so let’s look at some of the basics.
You should water your alyssum once or twice a week, giving it 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5-3.8 cm) of water. This amount isn’t a hard and fast rule: it depends on the season, your climate, and the composition of your soil. Check to ensure the soil is moist rather than bone-dry or sopping when watering.
In the rest of this article, I’ll explain why it’s not a one-size-fits-all when watering alyssum. Then, I’ll give you a few additional watering tips to ensure your alyssum grows to its full potential. We’ll wrap up with other alyssum tips, including mulch, companion plants, and composting.
How Much Water Your Alyssum Requires
Alyssum is a popular flower that produces small flowers with sweetly scented, delicate blossoms. It’s also a hardy plant that overgrows in many climates and can be grown by beginners.
Alyssum is an excellent choice for a container garden because it doesn’t require much maintenance or care and adds color to your yard during summer. However, this can make the watering process a little confusing.
You can expect your plants to need about 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5-3.8 cm) of water per week during the warmer months. However, you should follow these guidelines:
- Try not to overwater your plants.
- Try not to wait until the plant is wilting before you water it.
- Don’t let your pot sit in water or let it dry out too much between watering cycles.
The most important thing to remember about watering alyssum is that you should let the soil dry out between each watering session. This process will prevent fungus and mold growth, root rot, waterlogged soil, and plant rot in general.
Alyssum’s Watering Needs May Change by Season
When caring for alyssum, it’s essential to understand that the water your plant needs depends on the weather. If you live in an area with regular rainstorms or frequent fog, your plant will require less watering than in a dry climate.
The amount of water needed also varies by season. In spring and summer, plants need more water because they experience high growth rates and produce flowers or seeds. During these seasons, you’ll want to give your plants more water twice a week until they bloom (usually around June).
Once they start flowering (which can take up to three months), cut back on watering so that only their roots remain moistened; this helps reduce the chance of fungal infections like powdery mildew forming on the leaves and flowers.
When not in bloom/growing season, move them outdoors if you’re growing indoors where they can receive natural sunlight and rainfall—this may even stimulate blooming!
For more information on soil moisture levels, check out my article: How Dry Should You Let Your Soil Get
The Dangers of Overwatering
Over-watering is one of the most common mistakes made by new plant owners. It’s easy to overdo it—the plant looks so thirsty! But you could be doing more harm than good if you’re not careful.
When you overwater alyssum plants, the soil can become saturated and fail to drain out of the bottom of the pot. This moisture accumulation means your plant lacks oxygen, leading to root rot and other problems.
If you notice that your plant needs watering, but the soil is already damp, try using a light sprayer or watering can instead. This method will help keep the roots from becoming waterlogged too quickly while keeping them hydrated enough to stay healthy.
The Dangers of Underwatering
Underwatering is a danger, too!
You can also use the finger test to determine your soil moisture. Stick your finger into the soil and see how far down it goes before you feel moisture. If you can’t get down more than an inch without feeling wet, it’s time for water! We’re aiming for moist soil, not bone-dry or sopping wet.
Timing matters when it comes to watering, too. Watering in the morning is best because:
- The sun isn’t as hot and won’t reabsorb most of the water.
- The sunlight is less intense than the midday sun, which can cause leaf scald.
If you need to water in the afternoons, it’s better than nothing, but consider evaporation and dry time before watering too much!
For more information on ideal watering times, check out my article: Can You Water Plants In The Sun? The Truth Revealed
Make Sure Your Alyssum Has Proper Drainage
To grow alyssum successfully, you must ensure that you provide your soil with adequate drainage. If your soil contains too much water, the roots will rot, and the plant will die. Alyssum does not tolerate wet feet; if you plant your alyssum in an area where water pools, the plant may become diseased or decompose quickly.
To ensure that your alyssum grows well and stays healthy, consider improving drainage when planting it in areas that tend to get soggy during periods of heavy rain or snow melt (such as poorly drained lowlands).
You can also improve drainage by adding rocks or gravel over top of the ground cover’s shallow roots—this will allow them to breathe easier while keeping them covered with soil, so they don’t dry out too much during hot weather spells like summer!
If you seek more information on proper plant drainage, you can read my article: Is One Drainage Hole Good Enough for Plants?
Tools for Watering Your Alyssum Properly
If you don’t have time to check the soil regularly, consider using an irrigation system or moisture meter instead. These tools will automatically dispense just enough water for your needs without wasting resources or causing over-watering problems for your plant friends!
Irrigation System
Irrigation systems can make watering more efficient, too. For example, if you have a sprinkler system in your yard, you risk over and underwatering your plants. When you use a sprinkler system—it covers a large area of grass with a lot of water.
Although this method covers large areas of ground and is convenient—it may cause problems. The wide range of superficial moisture doesn’t allow the soil underneath it enough time to absorb all that moisture before it dries out.
Opting for a drip irrigation system allows you to control how much water each piece gets at any given time. Then you can adjust how often you provide moisture to your plants while keeping them well-hydrated.
Moisture Meter
If you’re new to watering, a moisture meter is an easy way to ensure that your plant has the right amount of water in its soil—so you don’t need to indulge in guesswork! Moisture meters measure how much water is available in the soil around the roots (called “vapor pressure deficit”).
If there’s no water left in the top layer of soil, it will indicate this by displaying 0% on its screen. If there’s still some moisture left in the top layer of soil, it will show some percentage between 0% and 100%.
I highly recommend the Gouevn Soil Moisture Meter from Amazon, which offers a more extensive probe than average to reach deeper into your plant’s roots. It also boasts an easy-to-read dial with ten scales.
Self Watering Systems
If you’ve limited time or space, self-watering pots and systems can make watering your plants more accessible. These are especially useful in the winter when you lose very little moisture to evaporation.
In fall and spring, they help keep the soil moist so that roots can grow deeper into the earth rather than staying near the surface. They’re also great in summer because they’ll reduce the amount of water lost due to transpiration (the process by which green plants lose moisture through their leaves).
Other Tips for Growing Alyssum
Watering is essential for your alyssum growth, but it’s not the only factor determining its ability to bloom. Alyssum needs proper sunlight, pH, and temperature as well. Mulching, composting, and planting companion plants can also ensure happy alyssum growth.
Mulching and Composting Your Alyssum Plants
Mulch keeps the soil cool, which helps prevent heat-related issues like wilting and leaf scorching. A layer of compost or shredded leaves around your plant can help keep the soil healthy by providing nutrients released over time. It also can keep disease and pests away!
Companion Planting for Your Alyssum
When you companion plant, you are adding plants beneficial to your main plant to its garden.
Companion plants attract pollinators to help spread pollen from one flower to another, which helps ensure that you get maximum yields from each plant. It can also improve soil quality by improving the following:
- Soil texture (how loose or compacted it is).
- Aeration (how well air gets into it)
- Drainage (how much water drains through it)
- Fertility (the number of nutrients available)
Finally, companion plants can help keep Alyssum healthy by protecting it against pests like aphids that feed on sap exuding from damaged stems.
Proper Sunlight Ensures Proper Growth
You can grow your Alyssum in full sun or partial shade; however, it’s important not to let it get too much shade if you want the best results. If you have a shady area of your yard, consider using this plant as an accent rather than growing it as an all-season plant. Alyssum typically blooms from spring to summer and autumn—provided your winters are mild.
Final Thoughts
Alyssum’s watering needs vary by season. For spring and summer watering, you can expect your plants to need about 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5-3.8 cm) of water per week during the warmer months.
Alyssum can survive heat and drought, but you still need to provide proper moisture. Proper drainage is essential for alyssum health to help it avoid root rot. It would be best if you should water your plants in the morning—to give the plant time to absorb the moisture.
Tools like moisture meters, irrigation systems, and self-watering pots can also help provide the perfect watering routine!
