Don’t Drown Them! Ways to Avoid Overwatering Your Plants

Who hasn’t killed at least one plant by overwatering?

Every Plant parent has killed a plant or two with too much kindness. We often overwater our plants because we have concept that “Plants love water”

WRONG!

Nutrients are washed away and mold or fungal issues may develop with overwatering. 

So how do you stop overwatering your houseplants?

​1. Stop looking for the perfect watering schedule

One of the biggest watering mistakes is sticking to a strict schedule. If you water every Sunday morning without paying attention to soil moisture, you run the risk of over- or underwatering. That’s because, the weather impacts the amount of water your plant needs during any given week. The soil won’t lose moisture as quickly during a rainy week, the opposite is true during a full week of bright sun—your plant could end up wilting before watering.
The best way to know if your plants needs watering is by poking your finger two inches into the potting soil a couple of times a week. If it feels dry, water. If it’s still damp, hold off for a few more days.

2. ​Use a pot with drainage holes

Good drainage is essential for not drowning your plants, especially if you’re a bit heavy-handed with the watering can. Too much water in the soil limits air flow, preventing oxygen
from reaching the roots. 

3. ​Choose the right sized pot

Remember how your mom used to buy you shirts that were two sizes too big at the start of the school year because you’d grow into them by spring? Yeah, it doesn’t work like that for plants. If you’re thinking you can save yourself some trouble by planting a tiny plant in a large pot, forget about it, Rather than “growing into” its roomy pot over time, it’s more likely to suffer from rot. Your little plant’s roots won’t be able to use up all of the water that a large pot of soil can hold

​4. The right soil is half the work

A lot of the problems come from excess water that the soil absorbed. Any excess water that stays behind in the pot and could cause root rot.
Changing the soil to a well draining mix (add pumice, perlite or coco chips to improve soil aeration ) may help.

So the key here is to let your plants drain the excess water after you've watered them. If this sounds difficult, you can always contact me and I'll do my best to help you find the right soil for your plant.