Water 101
How often do I water? How much do I water? What happens when I over/under water ?
I remember my first couple plants I drowned/ neglected to water. It was my first dabble at putting to practice what I’ve been taught and what I’ve been learning. Then life got in the way and also made me forget. My mad dash to fix my watering problems with more water since I couldn’t remember when I watered last. Ohh humble beginnings haha, but never less always still learning.
How often do I water?
With time I’ve learned to understand this question better and I’ve noticed watering schedules change and flow like the growing plants we adore. Initially purchasing a plant from a nursery you can usually figure a watering schedule pretty quickly as the soil has been accustomed to absorbing and releasing moisture. Plants traditionally that live in lower light conditions do not absorb the moisture from the soil as quickly and do not have as much evaporation of water due to less intensity of light. I usually stay in the range of days I either start checking my plants at the first week to calibrate my watering schedule. Of course the size of the plant can also determine how frequent you may have to water to take in account as a smaller plant by volume will dry down quicker then a larger plant as there is more soil retaining moisture. When in doubt let it dry out! Most/ all house plants respond better with underwatering vs over watering. Root rot is traditionally one of the main plant destroyers. Think of wet feet, nobody minds having their feet wet, but no one wants their feet soaking and soppy wet with shoes on. Allowing plants to be watered well with good drainage will also help with regulating watering schedules. Allowing a plant to be watered well and then be given the time to dry down to its happy level will reduce your frequency of watering and encourage proper watering techniques.
Low Light Plants - Check between 10-14 days*
Indirect Bright Light - Check between 7 - 10 days*
Medium Light - Check between 5-7 days *
Bright Light - Check between 5-7 days *
* Watering schedules do change with the seasons. When plants are actively growing they are actively drinking the available water and nutrients in the soil. So your watering schedule should look different and always be a range of days. Having ridgid watering days can cause over watering in the winter and underwatering in the spring/summer. Having moisture meters/ watering sticks can truly help I’ve used susstee sticks in my larger planters and they have made watering things a breeze.
How much do I water?
Different methods can be suggested and my favorite concept is simple. Enough water that it drains out the bottom of the container. Key thing with excess water is just not to have the plants sit in a saucer with water for more than 15-20 minutes. This will cause an over saturation at the bottom of the container which will affect the efficiency of a plant drying down between the watering. The drying down is as important as the overall saturation of the plant. If a plant is over saturated the oxygen levels in the soil are reduced and promote fungus and rot.
Some plants do become hydrophobic and do require some liquid encouragement. Succulents and plants that like to dry down between waterings usually require two waterings. If you notice when you water, the water just rushes out the bottom as quickly as you put it in, usually that means the water traveled around the roots and out of the drainage holes. Usually I let the initial watering slightly hydrate the soil and then repeat within 5 minutes. Smaller plants I enjoy plunging them into a warm bath and watching all the bubbles fizz out of the soil. Once I see all the air pockets fizz out, I place my little plants in the sink to drain and then place back in their home.
Main thing to remember is not to worry truly the exact amount of water (Ice cube method) , it’s control the frequency and ensuring our plant babies aren’t sitting in water to prevent root rot issues.
What happens when I over/under water?
My favorite guessing game haha I’ve caught myself in the tug of war of overwatering/ underwatering my plants when I was trying to figure the best light for the plant and me. Couple tell tell signs to look for when a plant is being underwatered.
Usually my first sign of underwatering is if my soil has become hydrophobic. Water rushing out from the bottom moments after you water.
Also sometimes you’ll notice water just sit floating interestingly above the soil and not penetrating.
When my soil looks like its from the desert.
Soil separating from the edges,
Leaves feeling dehydrated (yes you can feel the moisture lacking in the foliage).
Droopy leaves
Brown crispy tips from the top down of the plant
Best way to help remedy a plant that is underwater is just to start correct watering techniques. Water plant well and make sure all excess water drains properly. Consistency will be key to help plant recover properly. Check plant within 5 to 7 days to ensure plant is drying down properly and it’s being watered with the correct moisture content in the soil.
Overwatering usually happens when couple variables occur. Plant is sitting in excess water due to poor drainage or frequency of water is too high and the plant is not drying down properly. Light can also play a role in this as certain plants may not be getting sufficient light to dry down the container as needed. Here are couple signs when a plant is overwatered.
Soggy wet soil
Soil has odor due to lack of oxygen in oversaturated soil
Fungus gnats
Black/Brown pliable foliage - usually from the bottom up of the plant
Droopy leaves
White salt crystals around base of container if sitting in saucer of water.
If your plant is experiencing any of these stresses it is still worth saving your plant baby. Best practice is to remove all the soil to immediately stop any more root rot/ decay to roots sitting in soggy soil. Using a clean pair of pruning scissors and rubbing alcohol. You would want to remove all root rot/decayed roots and sterilize the roots with a 3 parts water 1 part alcohol solution. The best thing would be to down size the plant to the next pot size down with the new root mass. Rule of thumb is to only have a container no more than 2” larger than the root mass. Repot with clean potting soil, I usually leave it in the dry soil for couple of hours and then water and start my new watering schedule.