Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 3Watering
Plants need water, just as every other discovered organism on earth does. Drowning a plant isn't a good thing, and leaving it high-and-dry isn't all that good for it either.
A good way to accurately and efficiently find out when your plant needs more water is to keep an eye on the soil. When the soil looks dry, just stick you finger in it. If the soil is dry in the first couple centimeters, is it probably time to give the plant more water. If your finger comes up with a little water on it, your plant is probably fine.
I water my plants every Sunday while they are inside, unless they need water earlier. Once I move my plants outside for the summer, they need to be watered much more often.
Try not to water your plants while the sun is shining on them. Any water droplets on the leaves will act like tiny magnifying glasses. If the light hitting the water droplets is strong enough, the leaves may actually be burned.
Some plants like their soil to be continually damp, and some plants like the soil they grow in to dry out a little in between waterings.
How much water do you give it?
Saturate the soil. Pour water into the soil slowly, so that water is moved throughout the soil before exiting the bottom of the pot. If you do this correctly, the soil will be thoroughly and adequately watered by the time water comes out the bottom of the pot. Keep watering (slowly) until a little water comes out the bottom of the pot. A good rule of thumb is about 1/10 of the water you put in should flow out the bottom of the pot. A little plant tray that will keep the access water under control is a very good investment. But any waterproof surface will do.
Water quality is very important!
If you have a lot of dissolved minerals and salts in your water, the soil will eventually accumulate this minerals and salts, and will be injured by them.
Your plant does not necessarily need distilled water, but filtered water can be beneficial if the water it would be receiving is quite hard. If you have very hard water, filter your water at home- do not buy bottled water to water your plants with. Filtering your water at home is FAR cheaper than bottled water, and it is better on the environment as well.
Soft water is also terrible for plants. Soft water is extremely salty water. Water softener salts will injure plants.
Rain water is an excellent source of water for your plants. Any rain that flows off the roof will be fine. A rain barrel is a worthy investment!
A good way to accurately and efficiently find out when your plant needs more water is to keep an eye on the soil. When the soil looks dry, just stick you finger in it. If the soil is dry in the first couple centimeters, is it probably time to give the plant more water. If your finger comes up with a little water on it, your plant is probably fine.
I water my plants every Sunday while they are inside, unless they need water earlier. Once I move my plants outside for the summer, they need to be watered much more often.
Try not to water your plants while the sun is shining on them. Any water droplets on the leaves will act like tiny magnifying glasses. If the light hitting the water droplets is strong enough, the leaves may actually be burned.
Some plants like their soil to be continually damp, and some plants like the soil they grow in to dry out a little in between waterings.
How much water do you give it?
Saturate the soil. Pour water into the soil slowly, so that water is moved throughout the soil before exiting the bottom of the pot. If you do this correctly, the soil will be thoroughly and adequately watered by the time water comes out the bottom of the pot. Keep watering (slowly) until a little water comes out the bottom of the pot. A good rule of thumb is about 1/10 of the water you put in should flow out the bottom of the pot. A little plant tray that will keep the access water under control is a very good investment. But any waterproof surface will do.
Water quality is very important!
If you have a lot of dissolved minerals and salts in your water, the soil will eventually accumulate this minerals and salts, and will be injured by them.
Your plant does not necessarily need distilled water, but filtered water can be beneficial if the water it would be receiving is quite hard. If you have very hard water, filter your water at home- do not buy bottled water to water your plants with. Filtering your water at home is FAR cheaper than bottled water, and it is better on the environment as well.
Soft water is also terrible for plants. Soft water is extremely salty water. Water softener salts will injure plants.
Rain water is an excellent source of water for your plants. Any rain that flows off the roof will be fine. A rain barrel is a worthy investment!
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
1
comment
|
Add Comment
|
Mar 11, 2009. 2:27 AMpr1mus285
says:
a little info on the watering of plants... The soil has an ability to hold nutriants, right? This is called the CEC or cation exchange capacity. The problem with tap water is that it has a lot of dissolved cations in it - not only that, but cations that the plants need only in very small quantities. These cations "fill up" the CEC in the soil and reduce the availability of critical nutriants. Also some of the cations in the water may reach toxic levels for the plant. So what to do? As stated above, use water that has less of these cations. "but all I have available in my office is tap water" Yes, I have been in that situation too. Another trick is to overwater the plant, and allow the water to completely run through the pot - washing out many of the cations. Running the water through the soil should also help the soil to breathe by filling up all of the pores in the soil with water, and then having them drain out - and be filled with gas. -Soil Science, what can I say, its dirty stuff...
Reply
 |
Add Comment
|
