"One inch of water"

[jeff47]

5. Not what I'm saying

Most people (well me, anyway) are going to have a much better idea of how much water is needed to meet this description than by having to guess what is meant by 'inch of water' or by having to calculate that volume.

If the ground is very dry, not all of the water will remain near the roots, and thus not available to the plant. Which is why I used drought-ridden Southern California as that example.

If you're not in such severe conditions, the water will remain near the plant.

Essentially no soil moisture is lost to evaporation

In the ground. In container gardening, evaporation can be a significant loss of water, especially in a dry climate.