How Much Water Does a Tomato Plant Need?

Healthy tomato plants require the proper amount of water.

How much water your tomato plant requires depends whether the plant is grown indoors or out, as well as what the weather is like if you grow it outdoors. Rainfall and extreme heat can affect your watering amount considerably.

Time Frame

Tomatoes require a total of between 1 and 2 inches of water every week. If your tomato plants live outside, you must supplement any rainfall with additional water as needed to reach this amount and frequency.

Considerations

During periods of extreme heat, you may need to water your tomato plants more frequently. Make sure to water them deeply rather than shallowly to encourage the roots to grow deep and strong.

Warning

Watering consistently is the key to healthy and fruitful tomato plants. Failure to give tomato plants the water they need can lead to a loss of vigor in the plants, as well as blossom-end rot in the tomatoes themselves. Blossom-end rot is a condition where necessary calcium uptake is inhibited by the lack of consistent water, which leads to fruits that develop leathery rotten spots on their bottoms.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Tomato
• Texas A&M University Aggie Horticulture: Efficient Use of Water in the Garden and Landscape