Plant care - water

Plant Care - Water

• Water is the second most important environmental factor needed by plants.
• Plants have adapted to need varying levels of water. Compost is one of the greatest indicators of whether your plant needs water.
• The amount of water required is based on a range of factors, from air temperature to light levels, species, growth rate, potting material and the pot the plant is in.
• Chocolatey-brown coloured, moist-to-the-touch soil is the perfect amount of water for the vast majority of house plants. When it dries out, it becomes dusty in texture and colour. The compost should then go chocolatey-brown again after watering.
• Stick your finger an inch down into the compost, if it feels slightly cooler and damper that's the perfect amount. If it feels dry, add water.
• Sink chopsticks into a plant pot and pull out. Generally, if you see that the chopsticks are stained with moisture by roughly an inch or two, then the plant does not need watering. If it comes out completely clean, it needs watering.
• When watering, I recommend that the soil be soaked, allowing the water to run through the bottom of the pot. Do not let the plant sit in this excess water.
• The difference between plants with low watering needs, and plants with high watering needs, is how much they dry out between watering.
• The other key giveaway is the weight. Compost acts like a sponge holding the water. Recently watered plants are heavier. The compost will be dustier and significantly lighter when they are dry and need water.
• Succulents have swollen leaves packed with a gel that helps them retain water.
• Plants with very thick, chunky, leathery leaves and a thicker base need watering less regularly. Leaves with a glossy sheen are designed to hamper water loss as they have a waxy, water-resistant layer.
• The origin of the plant is a very good clue to knowing how much water it'll need. Dry, desert lands like Namibia have plants that generally need high levels of light and low levels of water. Wetland areas, swamps and rainforests as found in places like Borneo are home to plants that generally require slightly lower light and higher humidity and watering.
• The number one cause of failure in houseplants is overwatering, if in doubt, underwatering is preferable to overwatering.
• Consistently overwatering results in a potting medium that lacks air. The roots will quickly develop fungal and bacterial problems. Once this happens, the plant will not be able to take up water. Often the above ground symptoms of underwatering and overwatering are similar.
• When the potting medium is extremely dry it can become hydrophobic and water cannot penetrate the root ball. Wetting agents (dish soap, hand wash) can break the surface and penetrate the root ball. A dish soap like Ariel in the UK, or Dawn's Ultra in America will work. Add a few drops of wetting agent to two or three litres of water so that the whole pot is saturated. Leave for about 10 minutes, and it will soak the water up.

Are you giving your plants too much love? Delete the plant apps and get back to basics. Set aside a day a week in winter, and two days a week in summer, to check if your plants need watering. Plants don't live to strict schedules, only water your plants if they need it.