Posted on October 16, 2007 in Basic Plant Care
Houseplants bring a little bit of nature and beauty indoors. They can even improve air quality indoors. So,to maintain their beauty and charm, you need to take proper care of them. The first and foremost major factor that should be considered when caring for a houseplant is the amount of water it needs and the proper process of watering it.
Like all containerized plants, houseplants need frequent watering. Both under-watering and over-watering can cause death to your houseplant.
Here are some tips about how to water properly your houseplant:
- Tap water can contain mineral salts which are sufficient to harm houseplants. So use distilled or filtered water instead.
- Giving your potted plants just enough water so the soil gets wet, but no water runs through the bottom of the pot can lead to salt buildup, which can inhibit the growth of your houseplants.
- Water the pot until water runs out of the bottom. This serves two purposes. First, it washes out all the excess salts (fertilizer residue). Second, it guarantees that the bottom two-thirds of the pot, which contains most of the roots, receives sufficient water.
- However, don’t let the pot sit in the water that runs out. After a thorough watering, wait until the soil dries at the 2-inch depth before watering again.
- You may not notice it until you start seeing a whitish crust on the soil or sides of the pot. At least once a month, water your potted plants thoroughly, so that excess salts will be flushed out through drainage hole of the pot. This is most easily done by placing the plant in a sink or taking it outdoors.
- Don’t leave standing water in the catch-tray for more than a day or two because this can promote root diseases.
- The best way to determine whether a plant needs water is to check the soil moisture. Feeling the soil is most reliable, since moisture meters are often inaccurate.
- To check soil moisture, stick your finger into the top two inches of soil. If it is dry, it’s probably time to water.
- For most houseplants (tropicals and flowering pot plants), water when the soil is dry 1 inch below the surface in a 6-inch (diameter) pot, or 2 inches below the surface in a 10-inch pot.
- You can also tell how dry a plant is by lifting the pot. It will be heavy after watering, much lighter as it dries out.
- After excess water has drained thoroughly, discard any that accumulates in the saucer under the pot.
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November 23rd, 2008 at 11:10 pm
i need to know exactly how much water and how often to water a regular houseplant
March 29th, 2009 at 9:56 am
nice tips .