When it comes to keeping your houseplants alive and looking beautiful, making sure that you are watering them correctly is essential. If you’re new to gardening, knowing the best methods of watering your plants and how often you should be doing so can be tough.
That is why to help you, we have put together our guide to watering your Dallas houseplants.
How To Tell If Your Houseplants Need Water
Before looking at the best methods of watering your houseplants, it’s first important to know the signs that they are in need of water. It can be very easy to overwater or underwater your plants, but there are some simple steps you can take to identify their needs:
Feel The Soil
One of the best methods is to simply feel the soil. Pushing your finger into the soil every couple of days will let you feel the moisture levels, ensuring you know whether the plants need watering. Just remember that the top layers are often the driest, so push your finger a few inches below the surface.
Use a Skewer To Test The Bottom
While the finger test can help you identify the water levels in the top of the plant, the bottom could be dry. That is why using a wooden stick or skewer and pushing all the way into the soil will help you see the moisture levels throughout.
Wilting
Another very common sign that your plants are in need of water is seeing your leaves beginning to wilt and drop. If you notice this, then your plant is likely in need of water.
Changing Color
Noticing that your leaves are turning brown or beginning to yellow is another clear sign that they are thirsty. You might also notice that the edges of your leaves start to harden and turn crispy.
Dead Leaves
If your plants have been without water for a while, then you might find that some of the older leaves are dying and falling off. However, this could also just be a part of your plant’s lifecycle, so make sure you keep an eye out for it.
Check The Weight
Sometimes, you don’t always need to examine the plant. In professional nurseries, the most common way to determine whether plants need water is to feel the weight of the pot. When a plant is dry, the pot will feel considerably lighter than it would when watered.
When To Give Your Plants A Bath
This might seem like a strange statement, but giving your Dallas houseplants can be a great way to refresh them and keep them looking their best. Watering your plants can be a chore, particularly if you have a lot of them.
Placing them in your bathtub that has been filled with water can be a quick and efficient method of watering multiple plants at once.
You should also consider showering your houseplants twice a year.
Over winter, the low humidity and indoor heating can impact how your plants grow, while the build-up of dust and dirt on the leaves can also prevent them from photosynthesizing as designed.
That is why placing them in the shower can help remove this build-up and ensure the plants are getting the moisture they need.
Due to the containers, they are kept in, houseplants are not able to distribute the various minerals in the environment as effectively. Showering helps to remove any excess salts that could be building up on their leaves.
How To Ensure Proper Drainage
While watering your plants is essential, you also want to ensure that your houseplants are able to drain water effectively. This will not only help to ensure your plants are growing effectively, but it also prevents the water from flooding out and ruining your furniture!
To ensure proper drainage, there are several things to remember:
1) Use The Right Container
Making sure that your plants are in the right container is essential, and you want to ensure that they are in pots that have the right drainage holes included. Just remember to place your pots onto a dish to capture any water that may drain out and ruin your carpet or furniture.
2) Layer It Correctly
Once you have the right pot, you then want to ensure you layer it correctly to improve draining. The base should be a hard material such as rocks. The next layer should be organic matter such as dried leaves, and then the final layer is your soil.
3) Use High-Quality Potting Soil
Using the very best potting soil you can not only ensure your plants get the right nutrients, but it can also help improve drainage.
How Terracotta Pots Help
While watering your plants is essential, you also want to ensure that your houseplants are able to drain water effectively. This will not only help to ensure your plants are growing effectively, but it also prevents the water from flooding out and ruining your furniture!
To ensure proper drainage, there are several things to remember:
When it comes to finding the right pots for your Dallas houseplants, terracotta is one of the best materials. Not only do they look beautiful in your home and garden, but they also provide your plants with a wide range of benefits, including:
Porous
Terracotta pots are porous, which means that they allow water and air to move through the walls of the pot. This helps to prevent disease and root rot in your plants.
Easier to Water
Unlike plastic containers, which can trap water, the porousness of terracotta makes it much easier to water your plants, reducing the risk of overwatering.
Sturdy
Terracotta is also a much sturdier pot, reducing the risk of it toppling over and creating a mess in your home.
Signs Of Overwatering & Underwatering
While watering your plants is essential, you also want to ensure that your houseplants are able to drain water effectively. This will not only help to ensure your plants are growing effectively, but it also prevents the water from flooding out and ruining your furniture!
To ensure proper drainage, there are several things to remember:
Overwatering your plants can be just as harmful as not watering them enough. Thankfully, it can be very easy to tell if you are watering your plant too frequently:
1) Droopy and Discolored Leaves
Noticing that your leaves are developing yellow spots and are beginning to droop while the soil remains damp is a sign that there is too much water, and root rot might have set in. Brown spots and a yellow halo also indicate an infection from overwatering.
2) Fresh Leaves Dropping Off
Finding that both dead and fresh leaves are dropping off is another common sign of overwatering.
3) Stem Texture
Another common sign is noticing that the texture of the plant stem has become unstable and mushy.
4) Fungus
Noticing fungus and mold on your soil is another clear sign that you are overwatering your plants.
Even if you are regularly watering your plants, you might not be providing your plants with enough water. Some of the most common signs of underwatering include:
1) Drooping Leaves
If your leaves look the right color but are drooping, then you might not be watering your plant enough.
2) Soil Pulling Away
Noticing that the soil is pulling away from the edge of the container is a sign that the soil is not getting enough water.
3) Dry Soil
Finding that your soil is drying out too quickly in between watering sessions means you are not adding enough water to the soil.
Final Thoughts
If you need help with your houseplants, come by Jacksons Home & Garden and speak with one of our gardening experts to help you find the very best plants for your home and garden.