How to water your houseplants.

The no.1 biggest killer of houseplants is too much water!

If the roots of a plant are allowed to stay immersed in water they will rot, the plant will be unable to feed itself and will die.

There are two major causes of this phenomenon:

1. The pot has no drain hole/s.

   If a pot has no drain holes, the water will accumulate in the bottom of the pot. If left for a long period it would eventually evaporate, but people tend to over water plants, so this is unlikely.

   Any roots in the accumulation of water at the bottom of the pot will eventually rot and the plant will die.

2. Water is left in the saucer that the pot stands in.

   

   Other than watering too frequently, this is probably the biggest killer of houseplants. Water will drain out of the pot until it reaches the same level as the water in the saucer.

   If the pot is left in this water, any roots in the water will eventually rot and the plant will die.

Roots need air as well as water which means that the soil must be moist but not saturated.

Determining when a houseplant needs water

There are three pretty common gardening "rules of thumb" for gauging when a plant needs to be watered:

• Touch the soil – Stick your finger into the soil up to the first joint; if it is dry at your fingertip the plant needs water.
• Tap the pot – When the soil in a pot dries out, it shrinks away from the sides. Tap the side of the pot with your knuckles or a stick. If the sound is dull, the soil is moist; if the sound is hollow, water is needed.
• Judge soil color – The soil or potting mixture will change from a dark to lighter color as it dries.

Tips for watering houseplants:

• No plant likes water that is too cold; fill your watering can and allow it to stand overnight so that the water will be at room temperature when you water your houseplants.
• The water requirements and method of watering vary from plant to plant. Do a little research and find the proper requirements for your houseplants.
• Some plants do not like water to be splashed onto their leaves, a good habit to get into is to put the spout of your watering can underneath the leaves and pour the water directly onto the soil in the pot.

  Alternatively you can immerse the pot in a bowl of water to just under the soil line. This method does not flush excess salts from the soil which may eventually harm your plant.

• Pour water onto the soil in the pot until it starts to drain out the bottom, this flushes out excess salts, and it ensures that the bottom two-thirds of the pot, which contains most of the roots, receives sufficient water...Let the pot stand in it's saucer for a while and then pour the water out of the saucer.