Not only does the Globe artichoke have certain preferences regarding how much water it receives, but it also cares deeply about how you provide that water. In fact, if you don't use the proper watering technique, you risk harming your tomatoes. The best way to water Globe artichoke is to apply the water directly to the soil in a slow and gentle manner. You should not pour all of the water into the soil at once, and you should not do overhead watering for your Globe artichoke. Although you should water slowly, you should also water deeply to ensure that all of the soil in which your Globe artichoke grows is sufficiently moist.

If you find that you have overwatered your Globe artichoke and you are concerned about the associated risk of disease, you should intervene immediately. Often the best approach for an overwatered Globe artichoke is to uproot it from its current growing location. Once the plant is out of the ground, you can allow its roots to dry a bit before planting it in a new growing location. Ensure that the new growing location has soil with good drainage. If you grow in pots, you may also want to move your plant to a pot with more or larger drainage holes. In the case of underwatering, all you will need to do is increase the frequency with which you supply water to your plant.

Overall, Globe artichoke requires a significant amount of water throughout the growing season. To meet that high water need, you'll need to water early and often throughout the spring and summer. During the earlier parts of the growing season, you should water your Globe artichoke about once or twice per week. As the season progresses, you should increase your watering frequency. You may need to water it twice per day or more during summer, depending on the weather. After your Globe artichoke have gone through their major seasonal growth phases, you can reduce the frequency of your watering to about once per week until the end of the growing season.

Since Globe artichoke are incredibly popular, with many professional and amateur gardeners growing them successfully, we have a pretty clear idea of how to care for these plants. That understanding includes specific knowledge about the precise volume of water an average Globe artichoke should receive. Generally, Globe artichoke will require about 1 - 1.5 inches of water per week. That volume should be dispersed evenly through your weekly watering. As the weather gets warmer, you may need to supply more water, but in most cases, two inches per week is a good baseline amount.

Underwatering and overwatering can both occur as problems for your Globe artichoke, and both these problems can manifest with similar symptoms. For example, foliage discoloration and wilting can both result from either overwatering or underwatering. When your Globe artichoke is underwatered, its leaves will be curling and drooping at the beginning. You will see a bunch of leaves turn less vigorous. Underwatering is also likely to cause stunted growth and poor overall development as both the flowers and this plant require a high amount of water. Overwatering is more likely to lead to disease, including rot. Overwatering may also lead to unpleasant smells rising from your plant's soil. The symptoms of underwatering will show up quicker than overwatering. Overwatering can also be evident in soil conditions. Mainly, if you notice a lot of standing water or waterlogged soils, overwatering is likely to occur.

As alluded to above, your Globe artichoke's water needs will repeatedly change throughout the seasons. During most of spring and summer, you should water your Globe artichoke about once every week. As the heat of summer arrives, you should plan to increase your watering frequency to once or twice per day. In the late summer and fall, towards the end of the harvest period, you can reduce your watering frequency to about once per week. After harvest has ended, you can cease watering as your Globe artichoke has reached the end of its life cycle and will require no further soil moisture. The maintenance schedule of Globe artichoke will require you to alter the amount of water you provide depending on the plant's current growth stage. Early on, especially if you grow your Globe artichoke from seeds, you'll need to provide water often enough to maintain consistent soil moisture, which encourages root development. When the plant becomes old enough to produce flowers, it will likely need even more water. During the fruit development growth stage, your Globe artichoke will likely need the most water out of any growth period, at times requiring water more than twice per day. Following that phase, the water needs of Globe artichoke will decline significantly.

Whether you grow Globe artichoke indoors or outdoors can also play a role in how you water them. Globe artichoke that grows outdoors may receive water from natural rainfall, which will reduce the amount of supplemental water you should supply. However, it is incredibly rare for rainfall to adequately replace your watering entirely. Plants that grow indoors, along with any Globe artichoke that grows in a container, will need to be watered more frequently than those that grow in the ground outdoors. If you choose this route, please make sure that the plant gets enough water by checking the soil moisture within your pot often to keep your Globe artichoke healthy.

While you can let Globe artichoke run wild, you’ll get a better crop yield and healthier plants when you prune them. Globe artichoke are very susceptible to fungus when not pruned properly as it flourishes in areas where there’s a lot of moisture from rotting fruits, weeds, and dead/dying leaves. Proper upkeep by removing diseased, dead, or yellow leaves can reduce the amount of organic matter for the fungus to grow. Besides preventing disease, pruning your Globe artichoke can also yield more fruit during harvest. Pinching back some of the smaller flower blooms will allow the plant to focus its energy on producing flowers and fruits. Once the fruits have emerged, you can also thin out the smaller ones to reduce resource competition.

When to prune depends a lot on the Globe artichoke growth phase. You should avoid removing any healthy foliage before the plant starts flowering and fruiting as it can have a negative effect on fruit yield. With that said, you can remove dead leaves at any time as that will keep your plant healthy and ward off potential pests and diseases. Look for any leaves that are yellow or brown and have lost their glossiness. Leaving behind dead leaves can prevent air circulation, which can result in the growth of fungus(spot on leaf or mold on fruit). As your fruits start growing and ripening, keep an eye out for overcrowding. The more fruits there are on a plant, the smaller they will grow. Plus, too many fruits can lead to poor air circulation, which can lead to fungus. Removing some of the fruits won’t harm overall yield too much. Plus, most people will plant more than one for their garden. In fact, you should probably expect to have around 7 to 10 plants per person to ensure enough fruit during the season.

After pruning, always remove any clippings from the bed either by composting or disposing of them. Always make sure to fertilize and water the plants after you clear the debris as it can help give enough energy and nutrients to form new buds and crops. To ensure maximum fruit production the following year, make sure to give the plants at least one inch of water a week after you move them up until the first frost. When you’ve collected the last harvest and mowed back the plants, place a layer of mulch on top of the plants to protect them against the cold winter. Low temperatures can damage roots and crowns, leading to little to no yield the following spring. The best mulch to use is clean hay or straw as they won’t mat down and smother the plants.

Sure, wild Globe artichoke might grow just fine without pruning, but for the healthiest plants and best yields, you’ll want to prune your plant. In the first year of planting, pinch back the flowers on all varieties to encourage vigorous growth. Prune prune back the first growth of flowers and then allow the other flowers to bloom. During their second season and onwards, you can let the plant flower as normal and focus only on removing old and/or dead leaves. Some gardeners also suggest keeping the number of fruit low on the plant as it could help reduce competition and lead to larger fruit sizes. However, this technique is disputed and not used in many greenhouses. You can always test it out by removing small fruits from a few plants to see if the overall size of the finished fruit is larger than on your other plants.

There are a few times throughout the year when you’ll want to prune Globe artichoke. If you’re putting new plants in the ground, you should prune only after the plant has already started to blossom and/or fruit as removing any healthy leaves can affect fruit production. Only remove leaves that are yellowed or diseased. You can do this throughout the growing season to keep your plants healthy. You can start pinching back blossoms when they bloom in the spring/summer and fruits during the summer.

The Globe artichoke is particularly susceptible to fungus that occurs in damp environments with poor circulation. If you’re growing Globe artichoke in matted rows, it’s easy for this fungus to spread, so you’ll want to keep your bed neatly pruned. Affected plants will have blossoms and fruits covered in a dusty, fungus. If you notice fungus (spot on leaf or mold on fruit), prune infected blossoms, fruits, and dead leaves immediately.

Pruning your Globe artichoke means higher fruit yields, and who doesn’t want that? You’ll need some gardening gloves and sharp scissors or garden shears for clean cuts. You should check for any dead or old leaves and remove them as necessary throughout the spring and summer months. If you notice any disease or rot, remove the entire plant and soil to prevent the spread of infection. When pinching back flowers, prune the stalks at the base where they join the rest of the plant. Only remove the smallest flowers at first as those will produce the smallest fruit. You can also use a pair of scissors if you have a lot of Globe artichokes, but you should look carefully before making your cut as you could accidentally cut off healthy flowers. If you decide not to pinch back the flowers, you may need to remove unripe fruit if you notice the plant getting too crowded. Remove any damaged fruit along with fruit that are significantly smaller than the others and/or aren’t developing properly. You should use a pair of sharp scissors and cut.

Globe artichoke is particularly susceptible to fungus that occurs in damp environments with poor circulation. If you’re growing Globe artichoke in matted rows, it’s easy for this fungus to spread, so you’ll want to keep your bed neatly pruned. Affected plants will have blossoms and fruits covered in a dusty, fungus. If you notice fungus (spot on leaf or mold on fruit), prune infected blossoms, fruits, and dead leaves immediately.

Exact needs vary, but a minimum of 6 to 8 hours per day is a good rule of thumb for Globe artichoke to grow and produce fruit.

Globe artichoke requires full sun, meaning that it should be grown in a location that gets direct sunlight that isn’t blocked by obstacles such as trees, fences, or buildings. In general, the faster the plant grows, the more hours of sunlight it will need. Morning sun is best for photosynthesis.

Globe artichoke should not need to be protected from the sun in most climates. Those who live in a desert or near the equator may find that the sun is too harsh for the types of plants they want to grow, but this is the exception.

All plants need sunlight to convert into energy. Plants that have a short growing season need even more light and energy than those that grow slowly, as they need to complete all their processes to grow and produce fruit within just a few months. The first symptoms of insufficient sunlight in Globe artichoke are pale and yellow leaves that are not able to generate enough chlorophyll to keep their healthy green color. The leaves may eventually fall off, and new growth is small and weak. The plant may become leggy and sparse as it stretches toward the available light. Finally, without enough light the plant will not be able to produce large, high-quality edible leaves or fruit. Globe artichoke needs to devote a lot of energy into growing leaves and fruits, so if there isn’t enough light available for it to convert, the harvest will suffer.

Globe artichoke can get sunburned from intense sunlight, especially when coupled with high temperatures and not having enough water. Afternoon sun tends to be most likely to burn plants. Scalded leaves develop faded patches of light brown to white on the areas at the top of the plant that are exposed to the most sun. They are especially vulnerable to this right after being transplanted from a shadier location to being in full sun. Transitioning plants gradually or providing them with a barrier while they are adjusting can help prevent sunscald in young plants. In many cases, Globe artichoke develops leaves that are large enough to protect fruits from the strongest rays of the sun. However, if intense sunlight is in contact with fruits, they can also be damaged. Avoid over-pruning those protective leaves so that the fruits don’t get burned.

Globe artichoke may become unbalanced if it gets significantly more light on one side than the other. Ideally, you can plant your Globe artichoke in a location away from obstacles that might block light, and where the distribution of sunlight is even on all sides. Be careful about planting tall species next to those that grow closer to the ground. It may not be obvious when the crops are first planted, but over time the taller plants may begin to block the amount of sunlight that can reach the shorter plants. Morning sun helps to dry dew and precipitation, which helps prevent infection from diseases that can develop when water sits on the plant. If you are watering or irrigating your Globe artichoke, this should be done in the morning.

There is an ideal temperature range that makes Globe artichoke feel at home. Under these temperature conditions, it's unlikely that you’ll have any issues with cold or hot damage to the foliage, but changing leaf colors can absolutely be a sign that Globe artichoke isn’t happy. Try to keep your Globe artichoke well within its preferred range of 70-85℉(21-30℃), but don’t panic if the temperature creeps up past 85℉(30℃) during the day or down to 70℉(21℃) at night.

If your Globe artichoke happens to be planted outside, then there’s not much you can do to try to move it indoors. However, you can certainly provide cover in ways that will help it survive any extreme temperatures that may arise unexpectedly. For instance, you can always use a few stakes and some cloth to put together a shade tent that will block out much of the sun’s intense heat from direct sunlight exposure. Similarly, Globe artichoke can be protected from the extreme cold and especially chilly winds by building a small greenhouse around the plant, which will create a greenhouse effect and warm the plant up. This can be done using garden stakes and any sort of clear or translucent plastic you may have around; if you have greenhouse plastic such as polycarbonate laying around, this works perfectly. Remove the greenhouse once temperatures warm up to 40℉(10℃) at night.

Generally speaking, Globe artichoke needs to stay within its preferred temperature range all year long. However, that doesn’t mean that care should stay the same all year long. During the warmest months of the year, Globe artichoke will need a little extra shade and a bit more of a breeze to help it cope with the hottest days. On the other hand, it may need to be moved away from chilly windows and doors during the cooler months in climates where temperatures drop below 40℉(10℃) at any point in the year.

Keeping your Globe artichoke at the right temperature can be fairly simple. Depending on where you grow it, Globe artichoke can be fairly easy to accommodate. For indoor growing, you can easily move the plant to different locations within your indoor space that best meet its temperature requirements. Avoid placing it near air conditioning vents, heaters, doors that open frequently, or drafty windows. It is a little more difficult to control the temperature around your Globe artichoke if it’s grown outside. Of course, if it’s planted in a pot, you can simply bring it indoors when the temperatures outside get too hot or too cold for Globe artichoke, but otherwise, you may need to take different measures to protect it from extreme heat or cold that may damage it irreversibly. Try placing Globe artichoke under cover to protect from both the harsh sun that can overheat it and any cold wind that could be potentially deadly for your plant.

You may or may not need to fertilize your Globe artichoke, depending on the soil conditions in your garden. If you are able to get a good harvest from your Globe artichoke crop, that is a good indication that fertilizer isn't necessary. However, the best way to determine whether or not you need to fertilize is by having the soil tested. You can test soil yourself using a kit, or you can send the soil out to a lab to be analyzed. Once you have an understanding of the nutrient levels in your soil, it will be easier to determine whether or not additional fertilizer is required.

Mix a layer of organic fertilizer into the soil at least a week prior to planting, and use another dressing on top of the soil during the spring to provide an extra boost to young plants. In most cases, just one to two applications of fertilizer during a growing season should be sufficient for a good harvest of Globe artichoke.

Fertilizing a Globe artichoke after the majority of the vegetables have been harvested will be a waste of your fertilizer and your energy, since this crop needs to be replanted every year. Also avoid fertilizing Globe artichoke if you are already gardening in a location that has nutrient-rich soil. Since Globe artichoke does not require a lot of fertilizer to grow well and yield plenty of vegetables with good size and flavor, there is no need to fertilize in many cases. Only fertilize your Globe artichoke if your soil test indicates that one or more nutrients is lacking in your garden soil.

The best option for Globe artichoke is a natural organic fertilizer, but slow-release granular fertilizers also work well. A low-nitrogen fertilizer is best, since too much nitrogen can cause excessive foliage production that takes away from the plant's ability to produce strong root vegetables. Use a formula with lower nitrogen such as 5-10-10 to make sure that the plant develops a good harvest. Organic mulch is also recommended for growing healthy Globe artichoke. A layer of mulch made from leaves, straw, grass clippings, or other organic matter helps phosphorus to prevent weeds, keep the soil moist, regulate soil temperature, and release a slow but steady supply of nutrients into the soil as the mulch breaks down.

Spread organic fertilizer such as manure or compost in a thick layer across the bed prior to planting, then mix or till the amendment into the soil. Additional organic fertilizer can be added on top of the soil after planting, in a layer about two to four inches thick. After adding any type of fertilizer, be sure to water thoroughly. When using chemical fertilizers, be sure to follow all manufacturer's directions to achieve the best results and avoid adding too much fertilizer to the garden. All types of fertilizer should be applied to the soil around the plant but not in contact with the plant itself, since contact with fertilizer can burn the plant's tissues.

The most typical scenario that occurs when Globe artichoke is overfertilized is that the plant receives too much nitrogen, which is out of balance with other nutrients. Globe artichoke is grown for its roots and not for its leaves, but nitrogen mainly supports the healthy development of foliage. For that reason, giving a Globe artichoke plant too much nitrogen can cause it to develop a lot of foliage at the expense of the tubers that gardeners want. Phosporus is the nutrient that helps to promote root development, so it is important that Globe artichoke be given plenty of phosphorus in addition to other required nutrients in order to yield plenty of vegetables.