Watering houseplants

The frequency of watering is determined by the physiological state of the plant and external conditions: air temperature, soil and air humidity, lighting intensity, moisture capacity and friability of the substrate, size of pots, etc. It is desirable that the watering is uniform - without sharp transitions from strong drying (lack of moisture) to waterlogging.

Also, the need of plants for water is determined by the specific features of species and families: the structure of aboveground organs, the power of the root system, etc. For example, plants with juicy, fleshy leaves (such as agave, aloe) need less water than plants with large leaves (hibiscuses), which sometimes need to be watered more often (in summer every day or twice a day). Excess moisture is harmful for bulbous plants. It is best to water them, directing a stream of water not on the bulb, but closer to the walls of the pot, or water from the pallet, so as to moisten the roots, but not wet the bulb itself.

Different literature provides different ways to determine the water demand of a plant. This is tapping the pot (booming sound is dry), weight difference (wet ground is heavier), etc. But using such methods it is easy to make a mistake. You can more accurately determine the state of the earth by immersing your finger in the ground. In general, over time, at fairly constant temperatures, watering is established in a certain mode, for example, every other day in spring, every day - every other day in summer, every two to three days in autumn, every two weeks in winter.

There are plants that are very sensitive to a lack of moisture, such as azaleas, adiantum. When the ground is completely dry, azaleas die. There are also such plants (there are quite a few of them among indoor flowers) that do not tolerate either drying or waterlogging. This is araucaria: when its twigs begin to droop from overdoing, then no soldering helps anymore. But overflow also leads to inevitable death. The same applies to gardenia - very beloved by florists.

In winter, during the dormant period, plant growth slows down or stops, at which time plants need less water, and water them much less often, sometimes up to 1-3 times a month. In spring and summer, when the plant has a period of growth and flowering, on the contrary, watering is needed more often, sometimes up to 2-4 times a week. Autumn, especially rainy and cloudy, is a transitional period for plants. Plant growth slows down, but does not stop, it is already cool in the apartment and on the balcony, the earth dries out much longer than on warm days in summer and the likelihood of overflow increases.

Factors affecting watering abundance or frequency

Which plants to water more	Which plants to water less
Plants under growth Plants with more leaves Plants with large wide leaves that evaporate a lot of moisture Flowering plants (except those that bloom during dormancy, such as orchids) Mature plants with powerful root systems If the pot has good drainage and large drainage holes Plants in clay pots In rooms with dry warm air in winter If summer is dry, hot weather	Plants at rest Plants with few leaves Plants with juicy fleshy leaves, stems, bulbs Plants with a small root system, especially if the roots of the plant have suffered from pests, diseases or due to improper care If there are no drainage holes in the pot Plants in non-porous dishes (plastic, metal, etc.) Plants in a cool or wet room If there is rainy cloudy weather in summer

This is not to say that the cases given in the comparative table are an unconditional rule. In fact, there are a number of factors to consider to determine whether there should be more or less watering. Violation of the irrigation regime, water quality, its temperature, will inevitably affect the plant. The more often this happens, the more seriously the plant will suffer. For example, a particularly sensitive plant can immediately die from watering with cold water.

Irrigation disturbances

Signs of water scarcity	Signs of excess water
The leaves are drooping, soft, the ground in the pot is as dry as fluff In plants with soft, tender leaves (balsamine), they become sluggish and droop. In plants with hard leathery leaves (ficus, laurel, oleander, myrtle), they dry out and crumble (first of all, old leaves fall) Flowers and buds fall or wilt quickly	Leaves are lethargic, there are soft areas with signs of rot, the ground in the pot is wet Slowing growth Curled, yellowed and withered leaves, leaf tips brown Both old and young leaves fall Mold on the soil surface, gray fluffy plaque on stems and flowers

There is a golden rule of watering plants - it is better to water less, but more often than less often and a lot.

Care errors - soil waterlogging

Reanimation of flooded plants

There is such a thing as turgor plants. Turgor is the filling of plant cells with water. If the plant does not have enough water, the leaves and branches droop, become sluggish, then they talk about the loss of turgor. If the plant was not dehydrated for a long time, then it is enough to thoroughly saturate the soil with water for the turgor to recover.

It should be noted that leaf wilting is not always associated with a lack of water. This can happen under the influence of sunlight, on the first clear day, a field of long cloudy weather. Therefore, before sinning on improper watering, you should exclude other errors that give a similar reaction to the plant.

Copious watering

Plants are watered immediately after the drying of the earthen coma in the upper third of the pot (determined by touch, immersing your finger in the ground). Such watering requires most tropical plants with thin delicate leaves (allocasia, begonia, fittonia, heliotrope), as well as some plants with leathery leaves (lemon, ficus, oleander, ivy), but only in the warm season, during the period of active growth.

Moderate watering

Plants are watered not immediately after the drying of the earthen coma, but after two or three days, as the earth dries up in the upper layer of the earth. This applies to plants with fleshy or heavily hairy stems and leaves (peperomia, columneas), with thick roots and rhizomes (palms, dracens, aspidistra, aroid), as well as with water-bearing tubers on the roots (asparagus, chlorophytum, maranta) and bulbous. For some plants, light drying is a prerequisite during dormancy, as it stimulates the laying and ripening of flower buds (zygocactus, clivia).

Rare watering

Plants are left dry for several days, weeks, months. This applies to cacti and succulents, as well as deciduous tuberous and bulbous, having a dormant period (crinum, gloxinia, hippeastrum, caladium). In this case, the earth dries up completely in the pot. Water-storing organs of plants allow you to survive drought. Rare watering is carried out during the period of rest of the plants, when all life processes are inhibited. In most plants, this period falls in the winter months and is accompanied by a decrease in temperature, sometimes very significant (up to + 2-3 degrees, but on average up to + 8-12 degrees). At low temperatures, plants are particularly sensitive to excess moisture. But if, for some reason, the rest period did not take place, the temperature dropped slightly in winter, the plant cannot be transferred to rare watering. The frequency of irrigation will depend entirely on the temperature and drying rate of the earth.

There are no general strict irrigation rules, each type of plant needs its own irrigation regime, read about this in the Encyclopedia section.

What water to water

Watering plants is best with soft rainwater. Hard water (including well water) containing various salts should be avoided. Especially poorly tolerating hard water aroid, azalea, orchids, ferns, camellias. Watering with hard water is well tolerated by those plants that grow on calcareous soils. Rainwater is difficult to collect and can be replaced with filtered or boiled water. Settled water is devoid of chlorine (it evaporates in a day or two), but not salts, so it can be used if it is soft enough.

How to soften water for watering flowers

The water temperature should be at least not lower than room temperature. This rule is especially important when watering tropical plants. It is recommended to water cacti with warmer water. Watering plants with cold water can cause root decay, falling buds, and even plant death. On the contrary, watering plants with warm water in a cold room is also undesirable, since this will lead to premature plant growth. Watering with hot water, and this is also practiced, stimulates plant growth. Hot means a temperature not higher than 45-50 degrees (the hand is hot).

The question sometimes arises as to whether hot water tap water can be used by diluting it with cold water. In fact, the chemical composition of water from a hot and cold pipe is almost the same, so if the water is soft enough, then such water can be used.

Of course, the most common irrigation method is from watering can, this is probably the easiest and most affordable way. Some plants that require highly moistened soil (for example, cyperus) can be watered by immersion: put in a tray of water, so that the water reaches the ground level, for about 5-15 minutes. Then drain the water.

It is very convenient to water plants from plastic bottles. If you pour water into bottles and put them without caps, chlorine will disappear in a day and the water will warm up to room temperature. Sometimes it is convenient to put bottles near the battery, then the water will be slightly warmer.

Crops that have only grown seedlings, small plants, planted children or plants that require drip irrigation are conveniently watered through a sprayer, adjusting the dustlike spray to form a thin stream.

If the ground in the pot is dry:

Watering over-dried plants is best done by immersion to wet the soil more evenly. You need to lower the pot completely for a while (5-10 minutes) in warm water (25-30 ° C) poured into a large container, for example, a basin.

If the plant is very dry, then keep the pot in water until air bubbles cease to be released. Then remove the pot, let the water drain onto a tray and drain it.