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Efficient water use in nurseries is increasingly important. In recent years, new soil moisture sensors (ECH 2 O probes) have become available, making it possible to monitor the moisture content of the growing medium in containers. One piece of information that is lacking for fully-automated irrigation systems is how much water actually needs to be present in the growing medium to prevent detrimental effects of drought on plants. We determined the effect of substrate moisture on photosynthesis and plant water relations of hydrangea and abelia. Growth rates of these species were measured during two subsequent drying cycles to determine how drought affects the growth rate of these species. Whole-plant photosynthesis, an indicator of growth rate, of both species remained stable as the volumetric moisture content of the substrate dropped from 25% to 15%, with pronounced decreases in photosynthesis at lower substrate moisture levels. Abelias and hydrangeas wilted when the substrate moisture level dropped to 6.3% and 8.3%, respectively. At wilting, abelias had lower leaf water potential (–3.7 MPa) than hydrangeas (–1.8 MPa). After the plants were watered at the end of the first drying cycle, the photosynthesis of the plants did not recover to pre-stress rates, indicating that the drought stress caused a long-term reduction in photosynthesis. Despite the more severe drought stress in the abelias (both a lower substrate water content and lower water potential at wilting), abelias recovered better from drought than hydrangeas. After the plants were watered at the end of the first drying cycle, the photosynthetic rate of abelias recovered to ≈70%, while the photosynthetic rate of the hydrangeas recovered to only 62% of the pre-stress rate.

Whole-plant Photosynthesis of Containerized Hydrangeas and Abelias as Affected by Substrate Moisture Content