What exactly is overwatering? Overwatering isn’t watering too much at once. Overwatering refers to watering too frequently. If you water your houseplants too often, that can cause overwatering and result in conditions such as root rot. Find out how to water correctly. You want to completely soak the soil and then wait for the plant to nearly dry out again before watering.
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Today I’m going to answer the question that I often get about watering, and that is: What is overwatering? What constitutes overwatering? A lot of people who are new or newer to indoor gardening, and even outdoor gardening sometimes, think that overwatering means watering a plant too much. So you soak it—you really soak it a lot—and then people will say, “I think I watered it too much when I watered it.”
Actually, overwatering is referring to watering too frequently. It really should be named “watering too frequently” instead of “overwatering.” So, what that means is, say you water it on Monday and then on Thursday the top of the soil looks a little dry, and you think, “Oh my gosh, I better water it again.” So you water it again, and then on Saturday it’s a little hot out and you think, “I’m going to water it again.” That’s too frequent of watering for most houseplants, and that is what’s going to set your plant up for root rot, slowing down growth, and just looking not real good overall. But especially for root rot, I do have a series on root rot and what to do if a plant has succumbed to root rot.
Okay, so we’ve ascertained that we are talking about too frequently, not too much. To water correctly for most houseplants—succulents could be an exception to this—what you want to do is wait until the plant is approaching dryness, and some of them even on the dry side, and then water. When you water, you want to water them really well. You want to soak them so that they are just full and saturated with water, and then you wait again until it’s time to water.
I am going to show that process here with this lovely Dracaena. You see this one? I love the whirl shape on this pretty Dracaena here. I’ll take her out of her pot. I’ve got her in a pot that doesn’t have any drainage holes here, so if there is a little excess that sprinkles down, it goes down into the bottom, and it won’t be sitting in it. This plant will be repotted into one with holes sooner than later, but for now, this makes a good subject here.
What you want to do before repotting, as I mentioned, is to make sure the plant actually needs water, right? So I’m putting in the moisture meter, and it is saying dry. I’ll put it in several different areas. I’m going to put it up close here for you to see. You’re seeing it showing in the dry. It’s showing in the dry there, so pretty dry. You want to do different depths when you use it, but this is dry. As I mentioned, most houseplants need to go to the dry side before you water them again. This one could have been watered; probably should have been watered a day or so ago, but I was waiting for the video to show you because it was one of the ones that I hadn’t watered yet.
So, I’m going to show you here when we water. We are going to water a lot. What we want to do is we want to really saturate. We want the water to come through the bottom of the pot. It’s a good idea with these smaller plants to bring them to the sink. Of course, you want to watch it so you don’t get a lot of soil down in your drain, but if you don’t tip it, usually you’re okay. So, we’ve been watering—you can see watering quite a bit. You want to also use warm to tepid water when you water houseplants, not real cold water coming out of the faucet.
The cold water can cause root rot; it will cause root die-back. It’s especially a problem in the winter months when your tap water could be like 30 degrees or 40 degrees coming out of that cold ground, and most people keep their houses between 60 and 75 degrees, so there’s a big difference there, and the soil will be at room temperature.
Okay, so you can see I really soaked it. You can let it sit; you can let it drip for a little bit just to make sure. Another thing you can do is squeeze the plant pot. I have a video on that and why that’s important too, especially if you have plastic. I’m going to water it a little bit more because, like I said, you really want to soak your plants when you water them. You want to make sure that they are nice and hydrated.
Okay, so I’ve put quite a bit of water through the plant, and once you’ve watered, you will notice that the plant is heavier now. It’s heavier, and obviously, when I stick this in, this is going to show—it will be showing very wet. So that’s another thing to keep in mind. You can put it in and make sure—so it’s showing moist on the moisture meter there. It’s showing about between seven and eight, which is nice and moist. Some areas are probably going to be closer to ten. It does depend on how compact the soil is. This soil in this plant is not as compact as it might be for other plants.
I also use a lighter weight soil, which is better to prevent things like root rot. I’ll put a link below for some good soils there too, and I use pumice for drainage. I’ll put a link for my pumice product below too as well. So, that shows you what is actually overwatering as opposed to just watering correctly. So, watering correctly is really soaking your plant so that it’s nice and heavy.
You can also do bottom watering. I have a video on that, so you stick it in something and let it soak up water from the bottom. That one gets it nice and saturated. A lot of times with bottom watering, the plant will last longer in between watering, so that’s another thing to keep in mind, and it’s pretty easy with small plants like this. You could even do it in its container, which I do sometimes, and then I empty it, and then I put the plant back in, and any dripping will end up at the bottom, but it won’t be affecting the plant itself.
So, there you go. You can see this plant already looks happier. I’m getting some water there. Thank you for stopping by today! Please leave any comments about any indoor gardening tutorials you’d like to see. Remember to like, comment, subscribe, and share this video, and please check the bell if you’d like to be notified when new videos are released.
What is overwatering?
What constitutes overwatering?
A lot of people who are new to indoor gardening think that overwatering means watering a plant too much, which is actually a misconception. Overwatering refers to watering too frequently, not necessarily too much at once.
How can I tell if I’m overwatering my plants?
If you water your plant on Monday and then again on Thursday, thinking the top of the soil looks dry, and then water again on Saturday because it’s hot outside, that is too frequent for most houseplants. This can lead to root rot and other growth issues.
What is the correct way to water houseplants?
To water correctly, wait until the plant is approaching dryness, and then water thoroughly. Make sure to soak the plant so that it is fully saturated, and then wait again until it’s time to water.
How can I check if my plant needs water?
You can use a moisture meter to check the soil’s moisture level. It’s recommended to check at different depths in the soil. Most houseplants should be watered once they are approaching dryness.
Is it okay to use cold water for watering?
It’s better to use warm to tepid water when watering houseplants. Cold water can cause root rot and die-back, especially in winter months when the tap water is much colder than the room temperature of the house.
What should I do after watering?
After watering, the plant should feel heavier, and the moisture meter should indicate a moist level. You can also squeeze the pot to ensure proper drainage and water retention.
What is bottom watering, and how does it work?
Bottom watering involves placing the plant in water and allowing it to absorb moisture from the bottom. This method helps to saturate the soil and can allow the plant to last longer between waterings.
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