Gardening is fun and exciting, but when you don’t have extra space in your home, you can always go for indoor plants. Indoor planting makes gardening simpler and smooth and doesn’t require more efforts compared to the actual gardening. There is a wide number of plants you can plant in your indoor space and it will give a magnificent view to your home. Your home will look beautiful, appealing and eye-pleasing. However, you need to give some time and efforts for watering and other crucial care to maintain those plants.
When it comes to watering, it sounds simple, but actually, most of the gardeners find it difficult. It simply shows a lack of knowledge and information. Most of the gardeners don’t know about when to water and how to water. Every plant has different watering requirements and you need to know exactly how much to water and when and how often. Overwatering might stop the growth and development of the plants and vice versa.
We have thought to help you out in case of watering your plants and this blog will educate you enough to how often to water and what is the best time for watering your indoor plants.
Which is the best water for houseplants?
What kind of question it is? You might ask. But it is a relevant question and if you think that the tap water is a perfect type of water for all the plants, you are highly mistaken. Yes, most of the times, tap water is fine, but not in all cases. When the tap water is softened due to salt, salt is build up in the soil and it might invite some problems at the later stage. If you can arrange chlorinated water, it is good and safe. Even filtered water is good for houseplants. However, the best water for houseplants is rainwater. If you have stored rainwater, you can use it for houseplants.
Also, temperature plays an important role when it comes to watering. Keeping your houseplants water in the cold or warm state is not advised. Room temperature is the best for houseplants. For each session, refill your watering that makes a good time to adjust in the room temperature.
How much to water
This is again an important thing to learn. Not all plants require the same amount of water and by thinking so, you are jeopardizing your houseplants. You need to get information from different sources such as the internet or books or by counselling with the local gardeners. Popular houseplants such as philodendrons require regular watering and desert denizens such as cactus and succulents require less water compared to tropical regions.
During the cycle, if you find unusual growth of some plants or less growth of some, it means that something irregularities are happening. Also, seasons too play an important role when it comes to the growth and development of plants. Some plants grow speedily during the spring and summer and not much in the fall or winter. Keep these facts in consideration while deciding the watering amount.
When to water
The most visible indication that the plant wants more water is wilting leaves. If you find any wilting leaves, water the plants immediately. However, waiting for such wilting leaves is not a good idea. Ensure that you closely monitor the growth of the plants at least once in a week to notice any differences. Another trick to know if the plant needs watering is to stick your finger in the soil and if you find it dry, you need to water the plant. If you find the soil damp, come again after one or two days.
The best time to water is morning. The main reason for that is that any splashes on the leaves will dry out during the day in the sunlight. In that case, those splashes will evaporate easily due to sun exposure. If the leaves are wet for more time, it might invite some diseases.
How to water?
Dribbling is not a wise way to watering as it will just touch the surface and not the deep down the soil. The best way is to reach out to wet the roots of the plants and it can be achieved only by watering until water runs out from the container’s drainage hole. To avoid your roots to rot, dump out the saucer after ten minutes after watering.
Also, you can fill the saucer under your container with water and the soil will soak water in some time through the drainage holes. Here, you need to keep filling the saucer until the water stops getting absorbed.
How to avoid overwatering?
One common thing that most of the gardeners forget is that roots do need oxygen and without it, they will simply rot and die. No matter which system you use for watering, constant wet soil will make it hard for air to reach the roots. Before it is too late and you can’t do anything about it, it is important to take certain steps to stop overwatering the plants.
What are the signs of overwatering?
If a plant suddenly stops growing and at the same time, leaves start turning yellow and start dropping off, it means you are overwatering. Wilting is also a sign of overwatering, but gardeners always confuse it with too little water. To differentiate the symptoms, check the soil first. If you find the soil wet, the issue is overwatering. If the soil is dry, you need to water more.
Also, rotten soil and moisture produce fungi and bacteria that produce a bad odour. If you spot any such fungus and smell a bad odour, it means you are overwatering.
In the case of overwatering, don’t water again until the soil is dry. Let it dry out completely before you water again. Once it is dry, use watering techniques we have discussed above. If it does not work, change the soil and cut down all the rotten and mushy roots.