What to do if you want to check if a plant needs watering and don’t have a moisture meter. This shows you how to find out down below in your houseplant soil if the soil is wet or dry.
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Hello and welcome to HealthyHouseplants.com, where we teach you all about gardening in the great indoors. If you’d like to support our show, please use our Amazon affiliate link below.
Today, I’m going to give you a quick tip on what to do if you don’t have a moisture meter available but want to find out if your houseplant soil is dry or wet. Knowing this will help you determine if you need to water your plants.
While using your finger can do a decent job of checking moisture, it typically only works up to the first knuckle, if you can even get your finger in that far. Instead, I like to use skewers or chopsticks, which you can easily get from a restaurant when you dine out or order takeout. These tools work great as a moisture meter. One significant advantage of using skewers is that they are less likely to break when dropped, unlike moisture meters, which often break immediately.
Now, let me demonstrate how effective a skewer can be in determining moisture. Here, I have an African violet that was recently watered. I will stick the skewer into the soil. You can insert it pretty far down, which is something I really like. After going all the way down, I will pull it out. As you can see, the skewer itself is wet and has soil clinging to it. This tells me that this plant is wet and does not need watering right now.
Next, I have a Sansevieria, which is a succulent. We want succulents to dry out when they are grown indoors because they can rot easily if overwatered. This one definitely needs water; I let it dry out a bit so I could do this video and show you. Let me show you what the skewer looks like when I stick it into this plant.
I’m putting it in and going all the way down, just like with the other one. Now I’ll pull it out. You can see there is very little moisture on the skewer, and not much soil clings to it, which tells me that this plant really needs to be watered. If you notice that everything just falls off the skewer and there’s no dark soil on there, it indicates that the soil is dry.
This is a very quick tip on how to test your plants for moisture, especially for larger plants and those in deeper pots. Remember, you can have dry soil on the top while the soil below may still be wet. Depending on how wet it is down below, you might want to wait before watering for a while with many plants.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I don’t have a moisture meter for my houseplants?
If you don’t have a moisture meter, you can use skewers or chopsticks to test the soil moisture. Insert the skewer into the soil to check if it is wet or dry.
How deep should I insert the skewer to check moisture?
You can insert the skewer pretty far down into the soil to get a good representation of moisture levels below the surface.
How can I tell if my plant needs water using a skewer?
After inserting the skewer into the soil, pull it out. If the skewer is wet and has soil clinging to it, the plant does not need watering. If there is little to no moisture or soil on the skewer, it indicates that the plant needs water.
Why is it important to check soil moisture for houseplants?
It’s important to check soil moisture to avoid overwatering or underwatering your plants. Some plants, like succulents, can rot if they stay too wet, while others may suffer if they dry out.
Can the top layer of soil be dry while the soil below is wet?
Yes, it is possible for the top layer of soil to be dry while the soil below is still moist. This is why checking deeper is essential.
What types of plants benefit from using a skewer for moisture testing?
This method works well for larger plants and those in deeper pots, as it allows you to accurately assess moisture levels below the surface.
How can I support Healthy Houseplants?
You can support Healthy Houseplants by using our Amazon affiliate link provided in the video description.
Where can I find more indoor gardening tutorials?
You can find more indoor gardening tutorials on HealthyHouseplants.com or by subscribing to our channel and checking our video updates.
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