Gardening

What you're looking for is a particular moisture level in the soil. That's going to take a different amount of water for a plant in a small container versus one in the ground.

Say you're in southern California, so the ground surrounding the plant is bone-dry. A significant portion of the water will be taken up by the dirt away from the plant.

Same plant in the same area, but in a container instead of the ground. The only water loss will be due to evaporation, since the potting soil isn't in contact with the rest of the ground.

Same plant in the ground in the Southeastern US. The clay soil soaked by thunderstorms will not absorb much water.