DENNIS PLANT GARDEN
Plant Care & Information
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Over & Under Watering Your Plants
How, When and Where?
OVER & UNDER WATERING PLANTS
The effects of watering plants
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General Rules of Watering Houseplants
As a rule of thumb, form a habit of checking houseplants at least once a week to see if they need watering. The best way to tell if your plants need water is to stick your finger about an inch into the soil, and if it feels dry, if it’s dry, then water the plant. If your finger or the soil is damp, then check the plant in 2 or 3 days to see if it needs watering.
1. Keep plants in planters, containers, or pots with large enough drainage holes to prevent waterlogging, which is the main cause of root rot and disease forming in the soil.
2. Before watering any plant, check most plants every week (or as required by the nursery grower). In the spring and summer, keep the soil moister (not wet or waterlogged) for non-cactus & succulent plants
3. Water desert cacti and succulents less frequently (only when the top of the growing medium feels dry, especially when the cacti or succulents becomes limply or begin to wither).
4. Reduce frequency of watering in winter when plant growth is slower and temperatures are cooler, especially if the plant goes ideal when its cold outside
5. Tilt the flowerpot sleeves or planter saucer to prevent excess water building up causing the plant to sit in water, which leads to soggy soil and waterlogging.
6. Avoid getting water on the leaves and stems of plants with soft, furry foliage, or succulents and cacti. Consider “bottom” watering by pouring water into a container larger than the flowerpot, then sit the plant into the water for absorption. After about 20 minutes or so – remove the potted plant to an area where it can thoroughly drain.
7. Do check to see if your plant prefers rainwater, spring, or distilled water rather than tap water. Tap water is known to carry chemicals which can harm plants, even causing them to die.
Over & Under Watering
Watering is the most important choir to carry out as a grower of any plant. The correct kind of water and the amount of water given a plant can determine everything from growth to the death of the
plant.
Q. Why does over-watering kills plants?
A. In short, Over-watering severely limits (or even cuts off) the supply of oxygen (the roots experience a drowning effect) that roots depend on to function properly, meaning that plants do not get adequate oxygen to survive. Furthermore, too much water can also lead to root rotting and the irreversible decay of roots. Over-watering a plant can deprive it of the very thing it has an excess of – "water'.
Plants have small root hairs that absorbs oxygen, water and nutrients from the soil and transports them to various parts of the plant for its health and growth. Continued exposure to waterlogged conditions (the roots continue to sit in wet soggy soil) causes these root hairs to die out. Therefore, the root system responsible for absorbing oxygen, water, and nutrients fail, eventually killing the plant.
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Healthy Spider PLant Root
The effects of overwatering plants:
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Too soggy growing soil for roots to breath
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Cuts off Oxygen to roots - over watering causes root drowning
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Roots rotting and decay causing death of the plant
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Yellowing of leaves & droppage & weak stems
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Slow stunted growth
Excess water washes out fertilizers
Fertilizers added to soil, supplements its nutritional value, and aid the growth of the plant growing within it. Over-watering can potentially flush out these nourishments, depriving the plants of certain essential nutrients, which can lead to plant starvation and death.
Avoid over-watering of plants
Measuring moisture wetness in soil cannot be by just looking at the surface – you can use a soil probe or a hand trowel to get a better idea of the moisture of the soil. Lifting the plants’ container can give a general estimate to the water content in the soil based on its weight (a heavy pot usually indicates an excess of water – as a lighter pot may indicate a need for watering).
To avoid over-watering indoor plants is to check the surrounding soil by inserting a finger or a moisture gage into the soil, and determine whether its’ dry needing more water. Green Thumb Tip: Only water a plant when the top inch of the soil is dry to the touch.
Healthy Golden Pothos
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Wilted leaves dropping from over watering
Overing watering causes yellowing & fading of the leaf's color
Overing watering causes weak and limp sagging branches, stems and leaves
Avoid over-watering of plants
Measuring moisture wetness in soil cannot be by just looking at the surface – you can use a soil probe or a hand trowel to get a better idea of the moisture of the soil. Lifting the plants’ container can give a general estimate to the water content in the soil based on its weight (a heavy pot usually indicates an excess of water – as a lighter pot may indicate a need for watering).
To avoid over-watering indoor plants is to check the surrounding soil by inserting a finger or a moisture gage into the soil, and determine whether its’ dry needing more water. Green Thumb Tip: Only water a plant when the top inch of the soil is dry to the touch.
Symptoms of Root Rot
Early symptoms of this include soft stems, usually near the base of the plant and moving upward. As rot progresses, the plant may develop the odor of rotting plant material. If you remove the plant from the pot, the roots will feel soft and appear brownish. Plants suffering from root rot will wilt, droop,
fade (loose color) with both new and old foliage drooping and dying. Usually the bottom leaves wilt first, followed by the rest of the foliage. Once most of the plant wilts, the problem has likely already killed the roots, and it's difficult to save the plant at that point.
The effects of under-watering plants
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Limp branches, stems and leaves, the inability to stay upright
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The root system lacks of the ability to create energy and food to nourish the plant
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Flopping and wilting leaves
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Excessively dry soils and growing mediums
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Brown edges and tips on leaves
NOTE: underwatering may cause root constriction: Packed root ball, roots lack the ability to reach out for water because of being pack to tight (Root Bound). Plant suffering from this condition need immediate watering and transplanting to a larger container.
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Causes of Rotting
The primary cause of root rot is overwatering. Overly wet soil or poor drainage results in rot, but fungal pathogens in the soil make the problem worse. Several different fungal diseases thrive only in wet soil conditions and attack the roots of plants already weakened by overwatering. Most root rot fungus belongs to the Pythium or Phytophthora genus, although Fusarium and Rhizoctonia solani can also cause rot. The spores of these fungus remain dormant in the soil until the conditions become right for them to grow and spread to the plants.
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Root Rot
As the name clearly implies, root rot is basically the rotting of roots, typically caused by roots sitting in water too long, waterlogging, or poor drainage. The plants roots remain too wet for long periods of time causing them to suffocate and decay, rotting away, which leading to the slow death of the plant. HOW? Plant roots absorb water, nutrients, and oxygen from growing in the soil. In overly wet soil, the roots begin to slowly drown, suffocating from the lack oxygen, this is truly a plant killer. Overwatering promotes pathogens, and they attack the weakened roots and kill the plant. Recognizing root rot systems and working to cure or prevent them keeps your potted plants healthy.
There are certain fungi that cause root rot, including phytophthora, pythium and rhizoctonia. The condition is more common in houseplants than outdoor ones, and often leads to the death of the plant. It causes the roots to decay and renders them unable to supply essential nutrients and water to the plant. As there is no way to reverse root rot, it’s generally recommended to water a plant houseplant, only when the surrounding soil becomes dry, the risk of waterlogging minimizes.