Watering in a desert climate

A light daily sprinkle keeps moisture in the top 5 cm only, so the plant builds shallow roots that depend on you completely and die the first day you forget. Deep watering every two or three days drives roots down, and the plant becomes far better at handling heat and neglect.

Early morning, always

Water before seven in the morning. Midday watering loses half the water to evaporation before it reaches the root. Evening watering leaves the foliage wet all night in Doha’s coastal humidity — an open invitation to fungal disease.

Mulch

Five centimetres of straw, compost, or even pale gravel over the soil cuts evaporation by up to 70% and drops soil temperature by about 8 °C. It is the cheapest and most effective single thing you can do in a Qatari garden.

Test with your finger

Push a finger 5 cm into the soil. Dry means water; damp means wait. This beats any watering schedule, because a plant’s demand doubles between January and May.