Plants are so beautiful that all of us who love them have surely crossed our minds to decorate our home with some of them, or even create, why not?, a little potted garden. They can become a vice, beautiful and gratifying, to the point that one day you buy one… and at the end of the year you realize that you ended up with more than you thought at the time. departure. And of course you do everything to make them beautiful, watering being one of the most important tasks.
Without water, they could not live, but it would not be good either to rehydrate them too much. We must find the middle point, where the earth is kept moist so that it does not dry out, but not waterlogged. So let’s see when to water houseplants.
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Know the climate of your home
It’s the most important thing you have to do. It may sound complicated, but in reality it’s not that complicated, believe me. And it is that Remember that the weather conditions inside your home are different from those outside.since the wind does not blow, and the windows let in light but also heat.
Besides, if you are on an island or near the sea, there will surely be a lot of humidity. However, to be on the safe side, I recommend getting a home weather station, like this one. They are sold between 15 and 30 euros and are extremely useful, as they help you to know the temperatures and the degree of humidity in your home, which will be very useful in taking care of your plants.
How do the climatic conditions of the house influence the plants?
Inside the house, climatic conditions can favor the growth and development of many plants. For example, anthuriums, calatheas, or others originating from tropical forests, will be very beautiful in a room with lots of light (but not direct) and high relative humidity, why? Because that’s what’s in its natural habitat.
But if we want to decorate the house with, for example, a cactus, which is a plant that needs a lot of light, and we put it in a room where there is little light, it will not be good. His body will wither, that is, he will grow towards the strongest source of light, and in doing so, he will become thinner and weaker.
Yes If we focus on irrigation, we must always bear in mind that the soil inside the house will take longer to dry, since the air does not circulate and it is not exposed to the sun. If the relative humidity is also high, it will be damp even longer. For this reason, knowing both the climate of the house and the basic needs of the plants that we want to have is very, very important.
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How Lack of Moisture Affects Plants
This is the only way to prevent them from getting sick, because if they know each other, they are placed in the right place and receive the care they need.
When should indoor plants be watered?
Now that we know that the climate of the house influences the plants, it is time to consider when to water them. And much will depend on the season of the year in which we find ourselves, since in summer, the earth dries out faster than in winter. Also, keep in mind that the number 1 problem that plants grown indoors can have is excessive irrigation, and it is also the most serious, because the roots suffer irreversible damage.
Thus, it is our duty to know when to water houseplants if our intention is for them to last a long time. But to make it a little easier to understand, I recommend doing something very simple: weigh the pot as soon as you have finished watering, and start again after a few days. Dry soil is lighter than wet soil, so this weight difference will serve as a guide.
And if you want more help, I’ll tell you what I water my plants 1-2 times a week in spring and fall, 2-3 times a week in summer and every 10-15 days in winter. But it is important that you know that the temperatures remain between 10 and 30ºC (it will depend on the season of the year) and that the relative humidity is always high since I live on an island (Mallorca) and I am also near of the sea.
How to prevent them from having irrigation problems?
There are several things we can do to keep them out of trouble. We’ve already said a few, like weighing the newly watered pot and doing it again later, but there’s more:
- We will plant the plant in a pot with holes in its base. If you do it in one without holes, or if you put it in one that doesn’t have any, the water will still be in contact with the roots and they will die.
- We’ll put him on a suitable ground. If it is, for example, an acid plant, like a camellia or an azalea, they will need acid soil, like this; but if not, a universal culture will do well. More information.
- If we put a plate under the pot, after watering we have to empty it; otherwise it would be like having it in a pot without holes and the plant could die.
- At the time of watering, we will pour water until it comes out through the drainage holes to make sure it stays moist.
What are the symptoms of too little or too much watering in indoor plants?
Finally, we are going to say the most common symptoms that plants show when we do not water them well. And we’ll start with lack of watering. These are: the plant looks sad, the new leaves turn yellow, and the soil looks very dry. In exchange, if you drink too much water, the oldest leaves will turn yellow, and the soil, being so wet, will weigh down a little; additionally, fungus may appear.
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Symptoms of lack or excess of irrigation
What to do? Well, if he’s thirsty, what we’ll do is water, but if it drowns, we will remove it from the pot and wrap its roots with paper towel. We will leave it in a dry place that night, and the next morning we will plant it in a pot with new soil. Likewise, it must be treated with a fungicide to fight against fungi, and from now on, water it less.
I hope he has the form.