Houseplants Under Lights

Lesson 3: Watering, Humidity and Fertilizing

How Should You Water a Plant?

Watering needs vary greatly depending on plant species and potting media. You may have to experiment with your potting media to learn how long it takes to dry out. This will very from season to season. How much water a plant needs is dependent on several factors: is it actively growing? Is it flowering? Is the plant a shade-grower or a full-sun grower? Those growing in full sun often need more water than those in the shade with the exception of cacti and succulents. Many shade growers want consistently moist growing media. What season is it? If it is winter, your indoor air will be dryer because of the furnace running. As a result, your plants may need more frequent watering.

Watering a plant can be simple or tricky. You have two basic choices: water it from the bottom or pour water over the surface of the potting media. Does this sound too easy? You're right, it is. I have found these procedures useful when dealing with large collections of plants (including in a floral department):

• Determine if the plant really needs water by one of the following methods: A. Poke your index finger about an inch into the soil -- if it feels moist, don't water. If it is dry, water. B. Use one of the wooden skewers used in oriental cooking. Push it down into the soil and pull it up gently. If the skewer remains dry, water. If it is slightly discolored, don't water.
• Take the plant to a suitable location (kitchen sink, bathtub, laundry tub) where you can make a little mess and not be upset about it.
• Fill a bucket with lukewarm water (you don't like freezing showers do you?). If the plant's foliage is smooth and not hairy, hold the pot with the plant underwater until the air bubbles quit coming to the top. Take the plant out and set it where it can drain before you return it to its normal location. Check the potting media to be sure the water was actually absorbed by the potting media. If the plant seems to dry out too quickly, check to be sure the pot is full of roots with little potting media left.
• You can also pour water over the top of the potting media, avoiding the leaves if possible. Always check to be sure the plant absorbed water because peat-based soils may form a dry crust on top that will let water just run down the sides of the pot instead of soaking in to the potting media. If this happens, try soaking the plant (with its pot) in a gallon of water that you add a teaspoon of dish soap to. This helps the water soak into the peat easier. Try to water in the morning so foliage has a chance to dry before evening.
• If you are dealing with a fuzzy leaved plant such as an African violet, sit the pot in a saucer of water and let the soil absorb water until the top of the soil in the pot is moist, then drain the plant. Never allow the plant to sit in a saucer of water for more than a short time. The roots will drown in the soggy soil. This rule applies to all except a few select plants that grow in marshy or bog conditions.

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