The natural habitat of watercress is at the edge of a clean, running body of water because it needs a lot of oxygen-rich water. If the plant does not automatically receive fresh water, you must change the water at least every two days.
How should you plant and care for watercress?
Watercress prefers a partially shaded to shady location with a regular supply of fresh water. Planting time is ideally in spring or early summer, and propagation is easy by cuttings or division of the plant.
The best location for watercress
In addition to sufficient water, watercress likes shade or at least partial shade. It cannot tolerate too much sun or drought. If you have a pond in your garden, place your watercress there. However, the water must be rich in oxygen, ideally with a constant supply of fresh water. A pond pump (€104.00 on Amazon) can help.
If your watercress gets a place in the vegetable patch, it needs to be watered every day. With pond liner or a planter sunk into the ground, you can create a swamp or pond bed so that the watercress feels comfortable.
The best time to plant watercress
Watercress can basically be planted all year round. However, replanting in spring or early summer is ideal. Then the plant has enough time to root well and spread before winter.
The propagation of watercress
Watercress is easily propagated from cuttings or by dividing larger plants. Divided plants are simply planted elsewhere. Cuttings need time to form new roots. To do this, break off a shoot at a root branch and put it in a plant pot with a mixture of sand and fine compost.
Water the shoot well and change the water every two days. Only when strong roots have formed should you plant the watercress in the garden. If you have already propagated it in spring, your watercress will be robust enough to survive the winter outdoors.
Sowing watercress
If you want to sow watercress, simply use the seeds from the ripe pods of your finished watercress. If you don't have watercress, you can get seeds from a nursery. The seeds are sown in waterproof pots because the potting soil must always be kept moist.
The most important things in brief:
- Partly shaded to shady location
- regular supply of fresh water
- easy propagation
Tips & Tricks
Watercress grows best directly in water, as it requires the least amount of care.
