Watering Basics for Fuller Healthy Gardens

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsPlant Health Care
Written By Peter Morris

The water molecule

Water is chemically known as H2O – that is, 2 atoms of Hydrogen stuck to one Oxygen. This assembly is kept together by their attraction to each other at the atomic level. Hey – maybe its the water inside us that makes us attracted to one another !  I wonder?

Diagram view of water molecule

Magnetism

Because of their different electrical configurations, a water molecule also has a negative and positive pole – just like in a magnet.  

This magnetism permits them to arrange in a specific pattern when grouped together - like in a liquid. It is what determines the properties of liquid water.  It also makes the Hydrogen atoms “sticky”  - they become attracted to and face each other. This phenomenon is called “hydrogen bonding”.  

Hydrogen bonding

Getting up a tree

Water reaches the top by a simple means. When inside a tree (inside the vessels that conduct the water) the water molecules line up and form an uninterrupted chain. They stay together due to their hydrogen bonding.

At the same time at the top of the tree water molecules are being used up.  This happens  inside the leaf  - either by photosynthesis to produce sugar  - or transpiration to cool the leaf. 

As these get used up, they pull on the next available nearest molecule. Since all the molecules in the leaf are also linked to the ones in the stem and so forth down the trunk -  this long chain of water molecules moves up! 

That is how water gets to the top of a tree – pulled up one by one !

A few other mechanisms like the stickiness of water on the vessels wall (adhesion and cohesion)  and the pressure of the water itself in the root area (called capillary action) also help get water  up a tree. 

Water Facts

When water is cooled down the distances between molecules becomes smaller. The more energy you remove (cooling) the closer they get. At some point they get so close they form what we call ice.

Water vapor on the other hand, is the reverse of this. The molecules are so far apart they no longer touch. 

The three phases of water and their molecule placement

Tired of hand watering your garden ? - Call Plant Specialists today !

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Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBA

All photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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