Everything You Need to Know About Watering Plants

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Everything You Need to Know About Watering Plants

Water is amazing. Made up of hydrogen and oxygen, it’s literally responsible for all life on Earth. Watering your plant is a no brainer, but how much and how often can be more tricky to tell. Luckily, we have a few ideas on watering for optimum plant health.

Water Essentials

Here are some golden rules for watering your plants. Keep these on hand when watering:

Always water after repotting.
Plants in large pots dry out more slowly than plants in smaller pots.
Plants in bright daylight dry out more quickly than plants in low light.
Humid air keeps soil moist for longer than dry air.

What Does Water Do?

Water provides structural support, cools your plant down, and moves minerals to all the right places.

Plant cells are like water balloons. When they are filled, they become stiff and your plant stands upright. When there is a lack of water, the cells deflate and the plant looks wilted — a clear sign your plant needs more water. Plants produce cellulose that help keep its shape, but it’s water pressure (water flowing through your plant) that helps plants gain and retain their shape better than cellulose alone.

When you water your plant, an invisible process called transpiration takes place where the sun evaporates water from the leaves through stomatal pores, causing water loss in the leaf. That’s great, because water will go where it’s needed most. Ideally, the water is pulled up from the roots, but if roots are dry, water is taken from the leaves themselves, which can result in a deflated plant — an indication your plant is thirsty.

How Much is Too Much?

Much like different plants need varying amounts of light, different plants need varying amounts of water. Think of your plants’ natural environment: is it rainy and tropical or hot and dry? These simple questions will help you gauge how much water your plant needs.

Desert-natives like cacti and succulents like to stay dry and will benefit from less water. Feel free to give them a soak, but make sure they dry out completely — wait a few weeks (even months) before watering again. Humidity-loving ferns need a good watering once or twice a week.

Plant size will also determine how much water your plant needs. In smaller pots with less soil, the soil will dry out faster than in larger pots with lots of soil.

Water Temperature:

Most house plants like room temperature water. Cold water will shock the roots and cause harm.

We wish you an enjoyable watering experience for you and your plants.

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Best of luck on the journey to green up your home!