WATER IT DON'T DROWNED IT

Life giving water is another one of those miracles so common we take it for granted. The third essential consideration is watering your plants. Every plant requires water. While some need more, others need less. Factors for the amount of water a plant requires include the type of plant, type of container, container size, the season it is, and how dry the environment is. One reason plants die is over watering to the point where the plant develops root rot, or picks up a disease or pest.

When you stick your finger or a pencil into the soil of the container, if it is dry and crumbles off it needs to be watered. However, if it feels moist or wet soil sticks, then don’t water it. When the pot is lifted, it will feel light in weight if it needs watering. Apply enough water until it runs out the bottom of the pot into a pot saucer or tray.

When plants are in a hot, dry environment, they will need more water. On the other hand, in cooler conditions or in the winter, plants use less. Back in a winter in the 70’s in Michigan, the first horticulture community college class I took had a field trip to local greenhouse grower. The owner explained how some plants were misted with warm water, which helped them grow. However, when watering or misting, avoid stressing your plants with too hot or too cold water to avoid damaging or killing them.