Ruthless gardening: Watering houseplants
Apr. 12th, 2016 12:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
untonugganAs promised, my hack for watering houseplants.
But first, because I'm wordyand trying to get my campnano word count up a quick examination of why watering houseplants the "right amount" is hard and also important.
If you are watering a plant that is in soil, if there is Too Much water, the water just goes elsewhere. There is also more water to tap into (hopefully) in the soil, although honestly the biggest problem er...yard gardeners run into watering-wise is not watering things *enough*.
For houseplants, it's usually the opposite -- watering plants *too much*. There's not a place for extra water to go if you put too much in there, and if your plant isn't doing well peoples' impulse is often "Oh no, it needs more water!" (The other thing, forgetting to water a plant, can be remedied by having cacti which "thrive on neglect" which is one of many disturbing gardening phrases.)
What happens to a plant's root system when there is Too Much Water? Assuming the plant doesn't lurv "wet feet," several things can happen: it can get Root Rot or another disease, which can kill your plant. Plants also get oxygen through their roots:
The roots of a plant also need oxygen which they obtain from the air spaces in the soil. If you give too much water to a plant in a pot you could kill the roots by drowning them! Plants, such as rice, which normally grow in wet soil often have air spaces in their roots. This is so that they can carry air from the atmosphere down to the root tips to be able to respire under water.
[citation]
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming how much there is to know about plants. How can you possibly grow a happy houseplant when you never thought about fertilizers before! Or organic ones versus non-organic! Or what season is appropriate to fertilize your particular plant so you don't overstress it when it's supposed to be resting???
Please relax. Seriously. It's okay to make mistakes! Mistakes will happen. That is how learning happens.
So, here is my "it's probably the easiest way to not overwater a plant that I've found" method. Please share your own method if you've found a good one!
In general, don't water houseplants til their soil gets "soggy" (like after a huge rainstorm). Soggy: if you press the soil and it goes "squish", it is TOO wet. Aim for "moist": the soil is a darker color, and it feels wet when you put your finger in, but there's still air and space in the soil. It still...crumbles? When you touch the soil, if that makes sense. (This will obviously also vary depending on the soil you use.) I...it's like baking, it's hard to describe?
Very vague general guide to how often I water types of plants. YMMV depending on how dry/humid your house is, how much sun your plant is in, what type of pot you're using, what soil you're using, etc. There, you just learned what a microclimate is! (and why two plants can be next to each other and one can be bigger/happier.) I mean, unless you already knew. Either way, you're a rockstar.
Houseplant watering vague guide by type of houseplant:
Tropicals: roughly once a week, soil should not be moist or soggy but also not bone dry
Ferns: roughly once a week, soil should not be moist or soggy but also not bone dry
Orchids: let me know when you figure it out. I usually do weekly or biweekly. Mine have rebloomed *once*
African violets: roughly once a week, since soil is different it can be harder to stick your finger in. I usually go by shade of the soil? If you are using african violet soil and it's gone to sort of a parchment color, it's too dry.
Succulents (cacti and other types): every 2-3 weeks, when they're bone dry. water a LOT -- like a desert just had a big rainstorm -- then leave them alone.
Bonsai: why are you here, if you're up to bonsai you know more than me :P
And to be perfectly honest, you are probably going to kill at least one houseplant through a watering issue. I have done so. I have also raised perfectly happy houseplants. It is okay. Seriously.
But first, because I'm wordy
If you are watering a plant that is in soil, if there is Too Much water, the water just goes elsewhere. There is also more water to tap into (hopefully) in the soil, although honestly the biggest problem er...yard gardeners run into watering-wise is not watering things *enough*.
For houseplants, it's usually the opposite -- watering plants *too much*. There's not a place for extra water to go if you put too much in there, and if your plant isn't doing well peoples' impulse is often "Oh no, it needs more water!" (The other thing, forgetting to water a plant, can be remedied by having cacti which "thrive on neglect" which is one of many disturbing gardening phrases.)
What happens to a plant's root system when there is Too Much Water? Assuming the plant doesn't lurv "wet feet," several things can happen: it can get Root Rot or another disease, which can kill your plant. Plants also get oxygen through their roots:
The roots of a plant also need oxygen which they obtain from the air spaces in the soil. If you give too much water to a plant in a pot you could kill the roots by drowning them! Plants, such as rice, which normally grow in wet soil often have air spaces in their roots. This is so that they can carry air from the atmosphere down to the root tips to be able to respire under water.
[citation]
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming how much there is to know about plants. How can you possibly grow a happy houseplant when you never thought about fertilizers before! Or organic ones versus non-organic! Or what season is appropriate to fertilize your particular plant so you don't overstress it when it's supposed to be resting???
Please relax. Seriously. It's okay to make mistakes! Mistakes will happen. That is how learning happens.
So, here is my "it's probably the easiest way to not overwater a plant that I've found" method. Please share your own method if you've found a good one!
- Check to see that your plant needs to be watered. They sell doohickeys for this --especially useful if you have soil texture issues -- but I stick my finger in to about the first knuckle and see how wet the soil is. If you have a cactus, wait for the soil to be SUPER dry. Check your individual plant species for more specific info, or if you don't know the species, see what "tropicals" or "succulents" like.
- If your plant needs to be watered, fill a sink or bucket or tub with water
- Put your plant in the tub (without watever saucer you have underneath it
- Let the plant water itself using the magic of osmosis! Leave it there for up to 30 minutes. Use trial and error to see how your plant does
- Let the bottom of the planter drain out excess water (and, yes, some soil) before you put it back where it lives. If it drains out a LOT of water, leave it for less time next time you water it.
profitHappy plants!
In general, don't water houseplants til their soil gets "soggy" (like after a huge rainstorm). Soggy: if you press the soil and it goes "squish", it is TOO wet. Aim for "moist": the soil is a darker color, and it feels wet when you put your finger in, but there's still air and space in the soil. It still...crumbles? When you touch the soil, if that makes sense. (This will obviously also vary depending on the soil you use.) I...it's like baking, it's hard to describe?
Very vague general guide to how often I water types of plants. YMMV depending on how dry/humid your house is, how much sun your plant is in, what type of pot you're using, what soil you're using, etc. There, you just learned what a microclimate is! (and why two plants can be next to each other and one can be bigger/happier.) I mean, unless you already knew. Either way, you're a rockstar.
Houseplant watering vague guide by type of houseplant:
Tropicals: roughly once a week, soil should not be moist or soggy but also not bone dry
Ferns: roughly once a week, soil should not be moist or soggy but also not bone dry
Orchids: let me know when you figure it out. I usually do weekly or biweekly. Mine have rebloomed *once*
African violets: roughly once a week, since soil is different it can be harder to stick your finger in. I usually go by shade of the soil? If you are using african violet soil and it's gone to sort of a parchment color, it's too dry.
Succulents (cacti and other types): every 2-3 weeks, when they're bone dry. water a LOT -- like a desert just had a big rainstorm -- then leave them alone.
Bonsai: why are you here, if you're up to bonsai you know more than me :P
And to be perfectly honest, you are probably going to kill at least one houseplant through a watering issue. I have done so. I have also raised perfectly happy houseplants. It is okay. Seriously.
no subject
Date: 2016-04-12 04:58 pm (UTC)I use a variant of this method. Each houseplant's pot has a corresponding dish. I fill the dish once a week. Heavy water users get it twice a week (looking at you, crotons.)
I'd love to learn about bonsai. <3 Not there yet either.
no subject
Date: 2016-04-12 06:05 pm (UTC)Now that I'm a bit clutzier with the fibro fog though I sometimes spill water in the dish -- and everywhere else -- if I do it that way, so I use the sink. But yes, if people have trouble moving plants or whatnot, using the dish is a totally acceptable alternative.
(Though if you have water sitting in the dish for a few hours, you put too much water.)
Same with the bonsai. The constant root trimming freaks me out a bit.
no subject
Date: 2016-04-12 10:09 pm (UTC)>>(Though if you have water sitting in the dish for a few hours, you put too much water.)
True. Generally, mine drink the water up within the first 10-20 minutes.
>>Same with the bonsai. The constant root trimming freaks me out a bit.
Yeah, for sure.
I worried about the health of the plants, until I was lucky enough to catch a bonsai exhibition right as the sun was coming up through the window. They had a lot of small beautiful trees, and as the light came in, they exhaled the way houseplants do, and the whole room smelled so sweet.