You’ve likely heard before that the number one cause of houseplant deaths is overwatering. But how to prevent overwatering your houseplants is not about the amount of water you give.
What is overwatering
Simply put, overwatering refers to supplying a plant or garden with too much water or more water than it needs.
What you may be surprised to hear is that overwatering has nothing to do with the amount of water per watering, but rather the frequency of watering.
Why is overwatering bad?
Overwatering can cause a number of plant or garden diseases and the most common/fatal to a plant is root rot.
When a plant’s roots sit in excess water or soggy soil for a prolonged period of time, they begin to rot.
Root rot caused by overwatering is the number one houseplant killer.
How should you water your plants
First off, don’t be afraid to water your plants thoroughly, especially larger/tree plants.
Many popular houseplants are tropical plants that originate in the rainforest. They are used to and need a lot of water to thrive.
I take all my plants either to the sink or shower and saturate the soil thoroughly at every watering. This ensures me, the roots got a good drink and it helps prevent hydrophobic soil.
The trick is doing so, WHEN the plant is ready for a drink. If I did this more frequently than the plant is ready for a drink, I would risk overwatering and root rot.
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How to prevent overwatering
The trick to preventing overwatering consists of 3 things:
- Water your plant only when it’s ready/needs a drink
- Use well draining soil
- Ensure the pot your plant is potted in has good drainage (at the bottom)
The frequency of watering really depends from plant to plant and from home to home as no two environments are the same. Aside from plant type requirements, things like how much sunlight the plant gets, humidity inside the home and size of the plant will play a big factor on how frequently your plant needs a drink.
Aids to help you determine when it’s time for watering
The most reliable tool to check my plant’s soil/moisture levels is my finger. I stick my index finger in the soil, if my finger comes out dry with loose soil, generally speaking (depending on the plant), I know it’s time for a drink. If dirt is sticking to my finger and it feels wet, I wait.
Another reliable tool is a wooden chop stick or skewer. Stick in the soil, wiggle around and bring back out. You will see at what level of the chop stick or skewer the dirt is sticking.
Finally, you can try a moisture meter. When I got my first fiddle leaf fig, I would rely heavily on this followed by my finger to confirm the reading. Be careful not to leave the moisture meter in the soil longer than 10 minutes at a time and be sure to disinfect between uses.
Send me your questions about watering!
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