How to water houseplants

Most houseplant problems are caused by waterlogging. Use these tips to tell if you are over-watering your indoor plants or underwater, and then learn some tricks to make the best watering for houseplants.

Household plant health crisis

Wouldn’t it be nice if our houseplants told us what was wrong? It is easy to miss the signals that tell you that a plant is not happy, and sometimes those signals are vague. Most gardeners find that when they see a withered plant, it needs more water. It may be. But it can be very wet. To prevent these from happening, learn to read the situation before watering your houseplant, instead of watering on a strict schedule.

What factors are affected when watering houseplants?

In low light, plants need less water as they grow with less vigor. Also, the temperature can affect the houseplants in different ways. If the heat and air are dry, your plant may need more water because it will lose moisture through its stomata or pores. But when the cooling season arrives, reducing watering as cold, moist air will reduce the loss of moisture through the cells of the leaves.

How do I know if my houseplant needs water?

There are three ways to find out if it's time to water your houseplant:

1. Feeling dry?

Check the soil surface before watering by dipping your finger in the potting mixture - most plants should feel dry between the first and second knee or about an inch above the soil, and the potting soil should be lightly colored.

2. Feeling heavy?

Lift the pot. Dry plant, soil light. You will realize how heavy a particular plant has to be. Avoid pouring water and check again after a few days.

3. Does it look wet?

Check the drain tray to make sure the plant does not stand in water for more than half an hour after watering. I like to place the houseplant in a nursery container inside a decorative one without drainage. This allows you to see if there is too much water and pour it out.

Identify underwater and high-water houseplants

Next, I will show you some common symptoms of low and high waterlogging for houseplants and how to fix them.

Symptoms of underwater houseplant

1. Leaf shedding

If a plant dries too much, its leaves will weaken, starting at the leaves and then the entire stem will fall off. Some plants, like this quiet lily (Spathiphyllum hybrid), will collapse completely when very dry.

2. Yellow or dry leaves

The underwater plant withers first and then some of the leaves turn yellow after being re-hydrated. They often turn brown and dry out or fall off quickly. Rotten figs (Ficus benjamina) have yellow leaves that fall off when dry (but rather green leaves if the roots are too wet).

3. Dull or loose leaves

A plant that needs water often loses its glossy luster and becomes dull or pale, feeling loose or wrinkled.

4. Brown leaf tips

The leaf tips are over-dried and turn brown when the plant is dehydrated. This is especially important when a plant is going through several withered-dry-back wet cycles, especially in low humidity conditions.

Can a house plant recover from underwater?

When a plant withers due to over-drying, it is re-hydrated with a thorough watering and regains its green color, brightness, and firm texture. Once the soil has moved away from the side of the pot, soak it for half an hour in water in a bowl to fill the root ball completely. If drying occurs frequently, the next size should be replaced in a larger container.

A dehydrated plant, recovering from the loss of some turmeric or leaves. The yellow leaves do not turn green again, so trim them along with the dead leaves to make the plant neat. The tips of the brown leaves can be carefully cut with scissors, where the green meets the brown.

Symptoms of the houseplant in excess water

1. Brown leaf tips

Excess water means that as more nutrients are suspended in the roots, plants will absorb these nutrients whether they need them or not. The tips and edges of these excess leaves may burn. Dracaena marginata is Particularly prone to burns at the tip.

2. Shrunken stems

If the roots rot, the transport of water and nutrients in the vascular system of the plant will stop, and these "nerves" will collapse and the stems will contract.

3. Stem stretching

A plant that does not have enough light can be easily watered because the plant uses less water with less vigorous growth. It grows long and spirals, with smaller leaves than normal and more space between the weak, sliding stems. If the stems of this ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) are not watered excessively, the dark green leaves on the dense, erect stems will be close.

4. Yellow leaves

If too much water is applied to a plant, the old leaves will turn yellow at first. They may be accompanied by blisters or edema, where the cells explode as they absorb more water. Yellow leaves can also be caused by damaged roots The cap does not absorb nutrients, which leads to a deficiency. You will often see this on the rubber plant (Fig. Elasticus), where its thick lower leaves turn yellow and fall off quickly when water is high.

5. Root rot

If a plant is exposed to too much water, it can cause root rot. Pull the plant out of its pot and confirm this by examining the roots - whether they are brown or thin. The stems may be thin and black in the soil line of a plant with rotting roots, and the plant may bend. Umbrella plants (Schefflera spp. & Hybrids) respond to high water flow in this way - they darken the stems during root rot, as well as reduce the new growth that falls on the leaf tips.

Can a Houseplant Recover from Excessive Irrigation?

Excessive irrigation is more difficult to cure than underwater. Start by pouring excess water and drying the plant. If the roots are rotten, it may be too late to save. But if some are still healthy, avoid watering until the soil is very dry. Place holes in the soil with a pencil every few inches, which will allow air to get into the soil at the base of the root ball and try to dry. Before transplanting into new pot soil you should cut the succulent roots and wash away the stagnant soil.

Cut yellow or brown leaves and fallen stems. Move it to more light if you can. After the plant recovers and new growth begins, cut some loggia stems.