Keeping the Collection Hydrated: Watering 101

 

One of the most common questions I get from new house plant parents is "how do I know when to water my plants?" It's a fair question. Adequate watering is half the battle when maintaining a healthy collection. 

It can be tricky at first to discern a thirsty plant from an over-watered one, and neither state is good for your plant's health in the long term. Luckily, being able to detect when your plants are in need of a drink becomes much easier with practice. And, as you become more familiar with the species you'll choose to keep in your home, you'll find it more simple to decide when's the right time for a drink. 

In the meantime, let's review a couple of helpful tips for any new plant parent looking to keep their plants happy and healthy. Keep in mind, that every plant is different, even between two specimens of the same type. Age, temperature, and even planter type can influence how often plants need a drink. So, for now, we'll just cover some basics. 

1. Feeling up the foliage

 When we garden, our senses are our greatest tool in learning what our plants want from us. As you care for your plants, get in the habit of taking note of how they look and feel.

 Are the leaves feeling succulent, glossy, and full, or do they feel thin and crunchy? If there are any imperfections on the leaf, do they appear brown and shriveled or yellow and mushy? Such clues can help us understand what our plant may be missing in their care. 

Oftentimes, underwater plants will develop brown, crunchy leaves. They'll often wilt and look dull in color. More succulent species, like Hoyas (Wax Plants) and Scenecos (String of Pearls or String of Bananas), will start to look deflated or wrinkly. 

Take my ZZ Plant below, for example. Like most plants, she has a way of communicating when she's feeling parched. The left image shows her foliage when thirsty: thin, dull, and curling. When she looks this way, I know it's time to water. The right image shows a well-watered, juicy, glossy-looking leaf. Can you spot the differences? 

It can be helpful to take similar photos of your plants to reference at future waterings, just in case you're feeling unsure. 

2. Weighing your options

Another tool for deciding when it's time to water is paying attention to the weight of the pot. This method might not be immediately obvious, but when I worked in a plant shop and cared for many plants in a day, a quick weight test was an easy way to discern who might need a sip. 

Try this experiment. Let one of your plants (I would recommend something more hardy, such as a ZZ or Snake Plant) dry out for a couple of days. Once the soil is feeling dry to the touch, pick up the pot and take note of the weight of it in your hands. Then, bring your plant to the sink and give it a good flush through with water, until you see water dripping from the drainage hole. 

Pick up your pot and take note of the weight again. You'll notice the pot is considerably heavier. Right after you water, much of that moisture is being retained in your potting media, which means your plant will feel noticeably different from when it was dry. 

This difference is one you can train yourself to notice and is incredibly helpful in helping you decide when your plant might need some water.

3. Getting a little dirty 

Finally, the most frequent (and in my opinion, most accurate) way I check to see if my plant is thirsty is by sticking my finger right down into the potting medium. Foliage appearance and weight are excellent indicators, but other things such as pests or size/weight constraints might make these methods unreliable in some circumstances. 

Our fingers are sensitive to moisture, always available to us, and completely free. In my book, they're the best moisture meter a gardener could ask for. 

When using my finger to check a plant, I am sure to stick it in up to at least my second knuckle. Sure, the pebbles and debris under your nail may not be the nicest, but this way you are ensuring you are getting a feel for the entirety of the soil, not just the top layer which tends to dry out first anyway. 

The dryness at which you are going to want to choose to water a plant will vary based upon species, specimen, and season, but for most beginner plants, I would advise to water when the soil is feeling nearly dry/very slightly damp. 

If you pull your hand from the soil to find it caked in mud, you certainly should not add more water. And if your soil is still feeling fairly moist, you can likely go a few more days before watering again. The exception, however, is for plants that prefer to keep moist soil, such as Alocasias, Ferns, and some species of Scindapsus. 

Remember, when in doubt about what kind of soil moisture level your plant wants, do some research! Homestead Brooklyn is one of my favorite resources for plant info right now. And you can check out my Youtube Channel for more plant basics!

And, as always, feel free to reach out to me @mayaandherplants on Instagram. Thanks for reading, and happy planting!