What the plant looked like before watering. What the plant looked like before watering. Watering indoor plants. How to properly water indoor plants? How to save a flooded plant? Water flows down without wetting the compost. Watering plants under conditions

How to understand that we have a plant suffering from waterlogging? Leaf drop is one of the symptoms. In a number of plants, such as citrus fruits, they fall off in the literal sense - they darken and fall off. In others, for example, in aroids (aglaonema, dieffenbachia) or arrowroot, they darken, but still stay on the stems for a long time. In plants that form rosettes of leaves or pseudo rosettes (yucca, dracaena), the leaves do not darken immediately, but first become discolored, becoming pale yellow. But in other cases, the characteristic difference between leaves that die from waterlogging is the darkening of the leaf. The leaf does not just turn yellow, it just darkens, the color becomes from a healthy juicy green dirty swamp shade, gradually turning into brown. If waterlogging was preceded by overdrying, then the leaf first turns yellow, then the petiole of the leaf and the leaf itself darken.

Rotting roots flake upper layer the root becomes dirty gray, peels off if you run your fingers, a thin hard core remains. These roots all died from waterlogging.

And these are healthy living roots - green, yellowish or whitish, in some plants of succulent Brown.

Sudden or gradual falling of leaves, blackening of shoots, damp, sour earth ...

The trunk still seems alive, green, but the roots have rotted, the plant can no longer be saved.

When the plant does not have enough water, the leaves always turn yellow, while the leaf tissues may lose elasticity, droop, or remain dry. After watering, the turgor is restored, the leaves become elastic again. If there is insufficient nutrition, then interveinal chlorosis may appear, the leaves do not droop, continue to grow, but become smaller. When waterlogged, the leaves may lose their elasticity, wilt, but after watering, the elasticity is not restored, and the darkening of the leaves, on the contrary, increases. Sometimes the leaves can fall off even without darkening - still green. But leaf fall can also occur from watering with cold water. Ideally, the temperature of the water for irrigation should be 2-3°C higher than the temperature in the room, but not lower than 22°C. Cold water is not absorbed by the roots, causes the suction roots to die from hypothermia, and, as a result, the leaves fall off.

As for the hardness of the water, it cannot be the cause of the sudden fall of the leaves and the death of the plant. If you water the plants with hard water, even the most capricious, sensitive to excess salts, the plants will not begin to massively lose leaves. All the damage manifests itself gradually: at first, chlorosis spots appear, the tips or edges of the leaves turn brown, one or two leaves turn yellow, new leaves grow small and the plant looks oppressed, but the leaves do not fall off.

In case of massive leaf fall, when the leaves fall off not one after another, but dozens at once, the reasons may be the following: sudden hypothermia (for example, when transporting home), watering with concentrated fertilizer (burning the roots), severe drying, and only hygrophytes and mesohygrophytes fly around in large numbers (and there are few of them), and waterlogging. Naturally, the first two reasons can be easily calculated, and it is also possible to distinguish overdrying from waterlogging, but for this the plant must be removed from the pot. Feeling the soil with your finger at a depth is not always possible (for example, the roots have grown strongly), and only by taking the plant out of the pot can you determine whether the earth is wet inside the root ball.

Some flower growers pull to the last, not wanting to take out the plant and inspect the roots. They are either selflessly sure that there was no waterlogging, or they are afraid that an unscheduled transplant will damage the plant. But if there is even the slightest suspicion of waterlogging, there is no need to doubt - take out and inspect the roots. Sometimes the root system of plants grows in this way: at the top the roots are not thick, the soil dries easily between them, and in the lower part of the pot the roots twist a dense ring, the interlacing of the roots makes it difficult to dry and in the lower part of the pot the soil dries for a very long time. This is especially aggravated by the fact that the holes at the bottom of the pot are small, clogged with pebbles or grains of earth.

On mandarin, the result of waterlogging and acidification of the earth. Chlorosis is a lack of various trace elements.

Such a deplorable state is the result of hypothermia of the root system: watering with cold water or the plant is left with damp earth on a cold balcony, on the street.

There is also a deplorable symptom, characteristic of the strongest prolonged waterlogging - darkening, blackening and withering of the tops of the shoots. If a similar picture occurred, then the matter is already very much running, it is often simply impossible to save the plant. If the tops of all shoots are rotten (yellowed or darkened), there is nothing to save. A similar picture is possible only with strong hypothermia of the roots, and never occurs when overdrying. When overdrying, wilting begins with old leaves, from the lower shoots, the trunk is exposed from below. When waterlogged, the leaves wither in any part of the crown, but more often from above, from the tops of the shoots.

And of course, any softening of the stems or leaves of plants with fleshy parts of the body, and these are yuccas, dracaenas, dieffenbachia, any succulents (fatties, adeniums, etc.), cacti - a sure sign of excess moisture.

Another symptom that is not entirely true and does not always indicate a specific plant, but still makes you think - the presence of fungal mosquitoes. If a swarm of midges flies up from the pot, it means that you watered the flowers too abundantly, perhaps it was once or twice, or perhaps it became a habit of watering excessively. Unlike mosquitoes, podura (colembolas) are white or dirty gray insects, about 1-2 mm, jumping on the surface of the earth in a pot - a sure sign that the flower is poured more than once.

Measures to save flooded plants

When you nevertheless established that the plant was flooded, you need to urgently take action. If you established the fact of waterlogging after you took the plant out of the pot, then you have to transplant. If the fact of waterlogging was determined by indirect signs (leaf fall, damp earth to the touch), then the need for a transplant depends on the severity of the situation.

• If the plant has lost one or two leaves, or one branch in the mighty crown has withered, and the soil in the pot is light enough, then you can not replant the plant, but only loosen the soil. After watering, especially plentiful, the soil spreads, and after drying, a dense crust forms on its surface. If this crust is not destroyed, then the roots suffer from a lack of air. If seed plantings are watered, then seedlings may not come to the surface of the earth and die from hypoxia.
• If there are small drainage holes in the pot, you can expand them or increase their number without removing the plant from the pot, using a knife heated on the stove.
• Personally, I never try to just loosen the ground, it is not very reliable and justified in cases where the flooded plant is in a very large pot, transplanting is difficult, or when the plant is transferred from a cold room to a warm one, and the very increase in temperature will accelerate the drying of the earth.
• In all other cases better plant transplant.

Signs of a bay in orchids - phalaenopsis leaves turn yellow, they are sluggish, wrinkled. The bark dries for a very long time, from constant contact with a damp surface, the roots rot.

Rotten roots must be cut off. In some cases, the new pot will have to pick up a smaller size than it was.

So, you take the plant out of the pot, and you need to determine the condition of the earth and the roots. Is the earth still damp and how much? Count when you last watered, how much it dried. Sometimes a person is convinced that the earth has been dry for a long time, say, a week has passed after watering, and upon examination it turns out that the earth inside the pot is still very damp. Then try to remember what the weather was like, how it happened that the soil did not have time to dry out! It is important to at least try to analyze in order to prevent this, or to calculate which plants could still be flooded. For some people, bays happen systematically over and over again. This suggests that it is necessary to radically revise the care system: perhaps change the soil in pots to a more structured, loose one, increase drainage holes, add more drainage to the bottom of the pot; water with less water; rearrange the plants in a warmer room or water less often when the ground dries out more. Sometimes you need to literally slap yourself on the hands so that you don’t rise with a watering can over the plant ahead of time ...

Examine the roots. The rotten ones are immediately visible - they delaminate, if you grab the spine with two fingers and pull, the skin slides off it - it is brown or dark gray, under it there is a bundle of vessels similar to a wire, a hard rod. If such a stratification has occurred, the root is rotten. Healthy roots do not delaminate, if you run your fingers over the surface, the top layer will not be removed. In some cases, the roots do not exfoliate, the fleshy juicy roots rot completely, and this is also immediately visible - they are dark, dirty gray or brown, sometimes softened. often define healthy roots and rotten can be in contrast to their appearance, some are light, white, light brown, others are dark, not only on the outside, but also on a break or breakage.

There are times when rotten roots break off easily and, when the plant is taken out of the pot, fall off along with the ground. If you did not find definitely rotten roots, but the earth and root ball are damp, you need to dry them. To do this, we wet the measles lump in any hygroscopic material: in a pile of old newspapers, in a roll of toilet paper. You can even put a plant with an open root system (without a pot) to dry for several hours.

Having found rotten roots, you need to cut them off, no matter how many there are. This is a source of infection, there is nothing to regret here. We cut everything down to healthy tissue. If the roots are fleshy, juicy, watery, then it is advisable to sprinkle the cut points with charcoal (wood, birch) or sulfur powder (sold in pet stores). If neither is available, interpret an activated charcoal tablet. If there are very few roots left, much less than it was, you need to transplant the plant into a smaller pot.

I have already said that in itself a too spacious pot, not filled with roots, does not contribute to the rapid growth of plants, and in some cases even harms. In a spacious pot, the plant is easier to fill with light. And even if watered carefully, the plant tends to build up the root system, master a large surface of the earth, and only then enhances the growth of the ground part.

Substrate for aroid, bromeliad and other plants. Instead of a pot, a basket, substrate: earth, coconut fiber, coconut substrate, wine cork, pine bark and moss (its very smallness). The rotting anthurium, transplanted into this mixture, bloomed in a month, and releases the third bud.

If you tend to water the plants, then use clay pots to plant the plants. But there is one important point: the inside of the pot should not be glazed. If the walls of a clay pot are glazed on the inside, it is no better than a plastic one.

So, you need to pick up a pot under the root ball remaining after removing the rot. In this case, the rule will be effective: better smaller pot than more. It's okay if the pot is small, healthy roots will grow, notify you with their appearance from the drainage holes, and you just transfer the plant to a larger pot and that's it. During the growing season, plants can be transplanted at any time and more than once. Most plants, if they get sick after transplantation, stop growing, then this is most often due to improper care after transplantation, and not from root injuries.

After transplantation, plants should not be placed in the sun, even the most light-loving ones, they should be under shade for a week. You can not water the plants on the same day, especially those resuscitated from overflow - these are generally watered for the first time after 2-3 days. You can not fertilize transplanted plants for 1-1.5 months. And when transplanting patients (including flooded ones), dry fertilizers (neither manure, nor litter, nor granular fertilizers) can be added. Do not seal the transplanted plant in a plastic bag. This very package sometimes becomes a real evil. The fact is that transplanted plants, deprived of watering, must be placed in conditions of high humidity in the first days. And many tend to put the plant in a bag and tie it tight. In this case, the importance, of course, increases. But the supply of oxygen is reduced. As we remember, the plant breathes with both roots and leaves, if the plant has been flooded, it especially needs fresh air, and if pathogenic microorganisms developed on it - various spots of fungal or bacterial origin, then it just needs fresh air!

Here you can do this: place the plant in a transparent bag, straighten its edges, but do not tie it. If the weather is very hot, then you can spray 1-2 times a day, if the plants do not tolerate water on the leaves, then simply place the pot on a wide pan with water on an inverted saucer.

If the plant has rotten tops, the ends of the shoots, they must be cut to healthy tissues. If possible, at the same time cut the plant - cut off healthy branches for rooting in order to be able to save at least something if the bay has already led to irreversible consequences. Sometimes it happens that the roots rot completely, but some of the shoots are still vigorous until they fade (this is temporary) and cuttings can still be cut from them. In some cases, when the roots rot in vascular system plants get toxins (the aforementioned marsh gases, products of bacteria and fungi) and cut cuttings, even healthy-looking ones do not take root, they are already doomed ...

After transplantation, the flooded plant can be sprayed with growth stimulants (epin or amulet), only at night (most stimulants decompose in the light). If there are dark spots on the leaves, rotten tops of the shoots, then it is advisable to spray the plant with a fungicide, or add the fungicide to the water for irrigation. From fungicides suitable: Fundazol, Maxim, Hom, Oksikhom (and other copper-containing preparations). 3-4 days after transplanting into fresh, dry soil, the plant can be watered with a solution of zircon.

If a plant with a wide rosette of leaves turned out to be flooded, in the form of a funnel, like in bromeliads, then it is necessary to dry the bases of the leaves. To do this, you first need to turn the plant upside down with leaves. When the water drains, pour 2-3 tablets of crushed activated carbon into the outlet. After 3-5 minutes, gently remove it with a soft fluffy brush. Many bromeliads rot when watered through a rosette of leaves in winter. Read the recommendations for growing a particular plant more carefully, and especially care for winter time.

Another important point: after flooding, the soil in the pot turns sour: the roots of the plants continue to emit carbon dioxide, the renewal of humus slows down, and humic acids accumulate, which increases the acidity of the soil, many nutrients turn into a form that is indigestible by plants. For example, iron goes into its oxidized form (F3+), which causes a rusty-brown crust to form on the surface of the earth. Oxidized iron is not absorbed, as a result, the plant shows all the signs of its deficiency - severe chlorosis. This is especially noticeable on fruit plants: there are signs of deficiency of calcium, iron, nitrogen. At this stage, some flower growers do not pay attention to the condition of the soil, and are in a hurry to treat the effect, not the cause. As a result, the plant continues to suffer, turn yellow. At times it gets better (for example, after spraying with Ferovit), and after fertilizing the soil, it gets even worse.

In such a situation, the only way out is complete replacement earth. And if you are in a hurry to fertilize, then it is advisable to rinse the roots during transplantation under a stream of warm water. Then dry, remove the rotten ones, sprinkle with charcoal and plant in fresh, dry soil.

If a white or red salt crust forms on the surface of the earth, this is a signal: the earth dries for a long time! Such a salt crust must be removed, the top layer of the earth must be replaced with a fresh one.

Plants require water for normal growth and development, although the amount varies greatly depending on the type of plant.

As a rule, water is absorbed by the roots from the substrate, although epiphytic plants absorb it to a greater extent by the leaves than by the roots. Evaporation of moisture occurs from the entire above-ground surface of the plant, mainly from the surface of the leaves. As a result, a suction force is created, due to which water is constantly absorbed from the soil. Therefore, the substrate must always contain enough moisture to meet the needs of the plant.

But the roots also need air, which is in the gaps between the particles of the substrate. If these voids are filled with water, the roots will rot and the plant will die.

That's why watering indoor plants- a delicate question, since these plants have very little soil around the roots.

More plants die from waterlogging than from any other cause.

Dishes for watering indoor plants.

Most Wanted equipment for watering indoor plants - This watering can with long spout , although many devices have been invented to determine the plant's need for watering or to carry it out when the owner is not at home.

If you put a sieve on the spout, you can wash off the dust from the leaves, for which you need to use soft water; hard water leaves lime stains on them.

Some houseplants that require highly moist soil (for example, cyperus), can be placed in instead of watering tray with water so that the water reaches ground level. If the pan is wide enough, then the constant evaporation of water from it will create a more humid atmosphere.

Use to increase humidity. manual sprayer .

How often to water indoor plants?

Each plant has its own water requirements. That, how often to water indoor plants depends on many factors. Watering frequency - the value is not constant; it depends on the size of the plant, the size of the pot, on the conditions environment and especially the time of year . Therefore, you need to be guided by your observations.

Plants from deserts, swamps, plants from climates with variable humidity have found shelter in our rooms. Accordingly, they are watered differently.

Often, when they see wilted leaves, they begin to water the plant more abundantly. This is not entirely correct, since there are many reasons for wilting. Feel the soil in the pot: if it is dry, the plant really needs to be watered, but if the soil is damp, wilting may be due to overwatering. At the same time, the roots, not receiving enough oxygen, gradually die off, then putrefactive bacteria settle on them, and the plant begins to hurt. Watering should be reduced. Let the roots breathe, let the plant rest from the water.

Wilting is also caused by pests or pathogens. And in this case, watering should be reduced.

Wilting of the leaves of indoor plants can occur under the influence of sun rays, on the first clear day after a long overcast day. And before sinning for improper watering, other errors should be excluded that give a similar reaction of a houseplant.

Do not turn watering into a regular ritual that is performed, for example, every Sunday. Each plant has its own correct time interval between waterings - balsam may require daily watering in summer, and astrophytum cactus does not need water at all in winter.

The earth in pots should, as a rule, be in a moderately moist state. Do not allow abrupt transitions from lack of moisture to its excess. This means that watering should be regular and uniform. The need of indoor plants for water is determined by their specific features: the structure of above-ground organs, the power of the root system, etc.

Interval between waterings different plants differs depending on the season and changes in conditions of detention.

Araucaria

Plants with succulent, fleshy leaves (such as agave, aloe, etc.) need less water than plants with large leaves, which sometimes need to be watered twice a day.

A newly rooted cutting needs much less water than a mature plant.

For bulbous plants, excess moisture is harmful. It is best to water them by directing the stream of water not at the bulb, but closer to the walls of the pot, or water from a pan.

There are plants that are very sensitive to lack of moisture, such as araucaria. When its branches begin to hang down, then no amount of watering will help.

In winter, during the dormant period, the growth of indoor plants slows down or stops, at this time indoor plants need less water and water them much less often, sometimes up to 2-3 times a month, waterlogging of the soil should be avoided.

On the contrary, in spring and summer, when the houseplant has a period of growth and flowering, watering is needed more often (perhaps from one to three times a week). With a slight overdrying, young shoots of a houseplant, buds and flowers may suffer.

The need for water increases with increasing temperature and increasing light intensity. Plants in small pots and those that have not been transplanted for a long time require more frequent watering than plants in large containers or those that have just been transplanted. Plants in ceramic pots should be watered more frequently than those in plastic; plants in double pots require less frequent watering.

Eat Golden Rule watering indoor plants - it is better to water less, but more often than less often and in large quantities.

Water for watering indoor plants.

Watering indoor plants is advised only with soft water - rain, river or pond. Rain water is the most common. It is to this water that the leaves of most plants are accustomed, so it is best suited for spraying.

Hard water (including well water) containing various salts should be avoided.

The main element, the content of which must be taken into account when watering, is calcium. It enters the water as it passes through limestone, chalk, dolomite, gypsum and other calcareous rocks. At the same time, the water becomes hard (soap foam is poorly formed in it). The hardness of water is due to the formation of scale on the walls of kettles, plaque on water taps and pipes.

Exactly the same plaque of poorly soluble calcium salts is formed when plants are watered with hard water. Remember that not all plants can tolerate an increased concentration of calcium. Of course, this element is necessary for the normal life of any plant. However, you only apply other fertilizers from time to time, and calcium with each watering.

Aroids, azaleas, orchids, ferns, and camellias are especially resistant to hard water.

Those houseplants that grow on calcareous soils tolerate watering with hard water well.

But, given the state of our ecology, the pollution of natural reservoirs, as well as the possible contamination of rainwater with industrial emissions (if you live in an industrial area or not far from it), watering houseplants with tap water is not such a bad solution.

However, before watering houseplants, chlorinated tap water must be left to stand for at least a day so that the chlorine has time to evaporate.

Do not use settled water to the last drop. If sediment has formed at the bottom, then it will be better for the plants if it does not fall into the pot.

The water temperature for watering indoor plants should be at least at least room temperature. This rule is especially important when watering tropical houseplants. Cacti are recommended to be watered with warmer water. Watering indoor plants with cold water can cause root rot, bud drop, and even plant death.

On the contrary, watering indoor plants with warm water in a cold room is also not desirable, because. this will lead to premature growth of the houseplant.

Proper watering of indoor plants.

For most plants during the growth period, the substrate should be kept slightly moist. Water the plant until water begins to seep through the drainage holes in the pot. Leave the plant for 10 to 30 minutes, and then drain off the water that remains on the pan. Do not re-water until the surface of the substrate is dry to the touch: the surface of the substrate dries first and the substrate itself is still moist inside.

Warm conditions require more frequent watering.

In winter, for most plants, the amount of moisture should be limited. During this period, growth slows down or stops altogether, so the roots require less water, and they are more prone to rotting in cool conditions.

Some species require frequent watering, and they should not be allowed to dry out; and a plant such as cyperus has adapted to the constant presence of roots in the water.

Some plants, such as cacti, prefer dry conditions and need only a small amount of moisture.

How to properly water indoor plants?

How to water indoor plants.

There are several ways to water indoor plants. They depend on the dishes in which you planted the plants, pallets and on the characteristics of the plant itself.

The most traditional and easiest way to water is from above. The surface of the substrate is moistened with a watering can. The soil should not be eroded with a sharp stream, it is better to water in small portions so that the water does not stagnate, flooding the bases of the leaves and stems. It is undesirable to spray water on the leaves when watering. It is best to use a watering can with a long spout for this.

The appearance of water in the pan is a sign that the plant has been watered enough. Wait until all excess moisture has collected in the pan, and then drain it. With this method of watering, the mineral salts necessary for plant growth are quickly washed out of the pot. To compensate for this loss, feed the plants regularly, especially during the growth period.

However, many plants, such as cyclamens, do not like splashing water on their leaves, causing them to rot. In this case, bottom irrigation is used. With bottom irrigation, water is poured directly into the pan. Due to capillary forces, water rises up the substrate and evaporates from the surface. After 30 minutes, excess water must be drained from the pan.

Lower watering can also be used if the clod of earth is very dry and a gap has formed between the wall of the pot and the soil. With top watering, water quickly drains into the pan, without moistening the substrate, and only by lowering the pot into water, good wetting is achieved.

Lower watering, compared to the upper one, has the opposite drawback: salts accumulate in an excessive amount in the pot. One of the signs of this is the formation of a lime crust on the soil. This crust can serve as a source of infection for plants, in addition, the roots of many plants are damaged from excess salts. The crust is removed with the top layer of earth 1.5 - 2 cm and a new substrate is poured into the pot.

If the substrate is very dry, place the pot up to the brim in a container of water and leave until completely moistened, but do not allow water to overflow over the top of the pot. Allow the water to drain properly before placing the plant on the tray.

By "bathing" the pot in water, Saintpaulias, cyclamens and all other plants that do not tolerate water on the leaves are watered.

When watering the bottom, do not forget to feed the plants. However, shortly before feeding, rinse the earthen ball by watering from above or repeatedly lowering the pot into the water.

Types of watering indoor plants.

Infrequent watering of indoor plants.

Houseplants are left dry for days, weeks, months. Rare watering is suitable for cacti and succulents, as well as deciduous tuberous and bulbous indoor plants that have a dormant period (crinum, gloxinia, hippeastrum, caladium).

1. Allow the substrate to dry half to two thirds before watering. Check the moisture content of the substrate with a stick.

2. Water the plant from above - water should be absorbed into the substrate, but not flow out onto the pan.

3. Again check the moisture content of the substrate with a stick, add a little more water if necessary.

Moderate watering of indoor plants.

Indoor plants are not watered immediately after the earthen coma dries out, but after one or two days, that is, when the earth in the pot dries out.

Moderate watering is applied to indoor plants with fleshy or strongly pubescent stems and leaves (paperomia, columna), with thick roots and rhizomes (palms, dracaena, aspidistra, aroid), as well as with water-bearing tubers on the roots (asparagus, chlorophytum, arrowroot) and bulbous .

For some types of indoor plants, light drying is a prerequisite during the dormant period, as it stimulates the laying and ripening of flower buds (zygocactus, clivia).

1. Allow the top 13 mm of substrate to dry before watering. Check moisture by touch.

2. Water the plant from above until the entire substrate is completely damp, but not wet.

3. If some water leaks into the pan, drain it and stop watering. Do not let the plant stand in water.

None of the conditions for growing houseplants require as much attention as watering. Need to control it all year round. It is in this area that novice houseplant lovers make the most mistakes. They either flood the plants with water, believing that in this way they will make them happy, or they completely forget that it needs water. As a result, the plant receives either too much water or too little; both can simply destroy him.

What determines the need for water in plants?

It may seem that all plants need to be moistened a certain number of times each week. However, it is not. Each plant has its own requirements for watering - it depends on the size of the plants, the size of the pot, the time of year, temperature and light, soil quality and the need for moisture inherent in a particular species. For example, on cloudy days the plant needs less moisture, but on sunny days it needs more water. During the warm summer months, plants need abundant watering, and in cool weather they need less water. Even under stable conditions, a constant amount of water is not a guarantee of success, because the plant grows in size and, accordingly, the amount of water it needs increases.

Water more often and more abundantly:

✓ plants in clay pots;

✓ plants with large or thin leaves;

✓ plants with thin stems;

✓ plants in the period of active growth;

✓ plants with strong root system;

✓ flowering plants;

✓ plants with hanging stems;

✓ during the warm season and when high temperature in the room;

✓ in bright light;

✓ with dry air;

✓ with open windows.

Less moisture require:

✓ plants in plastic pots;

✓ plants with thick leaves with a wax coating;

✓ plants devoid of leaves;

✓ plants with thick stems;

✓ plants at rest;

✓ newly transplanted plants;

✓ plants with poorly developed root system;

✓ weak and depleted plants;

✓ at low air temperature in the room;

✓ on cloudy days or in low light;

✓ at high air humidity;

✓ when there is no air movement in the room.

For example, orchids from the genus Dendrobium are watered no more than once a week.

How can you tell if a plant needs watering?

The experience of many lovers of indoor floriculture has developed an exact criterion: it is time to water the plant when the earth mixture in the pot becomes dry. The only problem is that the mixture, which seems dry on top, remains wet in the middle of the pot. You water thinking the ground is practically dry. In fact, you oversaturate it with water from the middle of the pot to the very bottom, which is no less harmful to plants than drying out the soil. How to understand in what condition an earthen lump is: wet, dry or almost dry? Sometimes this can be determined "by eye" and "by ear".

The color of the earth mixture depends on whether it is wet or dry. A wet mixture is dark brown, while a dry or nearly dry mixture becomes pale brown and dull. One common technique, therefore, is to water the plants when the earth mixture begins to turn pale. However, the estimate "by eye" is not always reliable. When the mixture is dry on most of the surface of the pot, it may be wet at the bottom. However, for small pots, it can be assumed that if the soil mixture is dry on the surface, it is quite dry throughout the pot. You can determine whether or not to water the plants by simply tapping the pot with your finger. If the earth in the flower pot is dry, the sound will be sonorous, but if it is wet, it will be deaf.

The easiest way to tell if a plant needs watering is to test the soil in the pot with your finger or a wooden stick. Dip your finger into the soil mixture up to the first or second joint. If the soil feels wet, no watering is required. If dry, then there is clearly not enough water in the soil. This technique is a reliable indicator of soil moisture in the entire pot, and can be used for potted plants 20-25 cm high. Avoid checking the moisture content of the mixture with your fingers several times at a time. So you can damage the roots of a small and delicate plant and thereby do more harm than good to it. Check soil moisture with your fingers at the outer edge of the pot rather than at the base of the plant.

You can tell if a plant needs watering by simply lifting the pot. It is clear that a freshly watered potting mix weighs more than a dry one. Plants in plastic containers grown in standard potting mixes weigh about twice as much after watering as dry ones. This is, of course, a rough estimate. The difference in weight depends on the type of pot, the potting mix and the material the pot is made of. However, even plants in clay pots with a heavy potting mix are noticeably lighter when the soil dries out. Applying the "weighing" method takes some practice. Elevate the plant a few times between waterings to feel the difference in weight between wet and dry pots. Then after a while you can easily tell the difference between a lighter pot when the plant needs watering and a heavier pot when it doesn't need watering.

How do soil moisture indicators work?

Watering plants in large containers - more than 30 cm tall - has always been a challenge for indoor plant enthusiasts. Plants growing in deep pots or tubs are constantly in danger of waterlogging. Fortunately, reliable and harmless devices have been developed for determining soil moisture in large containers. On sale you can find various indicators of soil moisture. These instruments measure the amount of water at a certain depth. Insert the indicator plug into the soil about 2/3 of the way. The arrow on the scale will indicate "wet", "dry" or somewhere in between. Water only when the indicator indicates that the soil is dry. Keep in mind that an old, worn-out meter gives unreliable readings, so it should be replaced with a new one about once a year. However, even a new meter may give an inaccurate estimate if the soil mixture contains a lot of mineral salts. They can accumulate if you have been watering your plants with hard water for several years. In this case, an inaccurate meter reading indicates that your plants need to replace the old potting mix with a fresh one.

In addition to the standard meter, a sonic moisture meter is available for sale, it indicates when the plant needs watering by ringing, whistling or other sound signal. The sound meter is arranged in the same way as the standard one, but instead of a scale, a sound transmitter is located at the other end. It costs about the same as the standard one. It makes sense to buy one such meter and keep it in a pot with a plant that usually dries out faster than others. When the indicator beeps, it's time to check the rest of the plants using traditional methods.

What is a watering schedule?

Each type of plant needs its own watering regimen. This information can be gleaned from the description of the content of a particular plant. Distinguish watering plentiful, moderate and rare. Abundant watering is done immediately after the earthen clod dries. Abundant watering is required for most tropical plants with thin leaves. With moderate watering, the plants are watered not immediately after the earthen coma dries out, but after a day or two. Moderate watering is required, in particular, for plants with pubescent leaves and stems (African violet, peperomia, etc.) and thick roots and rhizomes (dracaena). With rare watering, the plants are left dry for several days, weeks or even months. This applies to cacti and succulents, as well as plants in their dormant period.

How to set watering mode?

A strict watering regimen for each plant is not easy to maintain, especially if you have a lot of plants. Ideally, you should regularly check the condition of the plant and water it as soon as it is needed. This method brings the best results, because in this case there is an alternation of wet and almost dry soil conditions. Check each plant every 3-4 days using one of the methods described above and water only those plants that currently need it. Recommendations in this matter can only be general.

It is better to water the plants more often and little by little than less often and more abundantly. The main watering is best done in the first half of the day. With each watering, the plant needs to be given enough water so that it well moistens the entire earthen lump and glass in the pan.

What are the signs of water shortage?

Regular violations of the irrigation regime affect appearance most plants.

The lack of water can be noticed by the following signs:

The leaves are drooping;

Leaves and shoots become lethargic;

In plants with hard, leathery leaves, the leaves dry and fall off;

What are the consequences of overwatering?

With excess water:

The leaves show signs of rot;

The plant is clearly slower growing;

Mold appears on buds and flowers;

The tips of the leaves turn brown;

How to save an overdried plant?

When the potting mix dries out so much that it becomes almost crispy, a curious phenomenon is observed - the potting mix refuses to accept water. No matter how much water you pour, the earth becomes slightly damp only on the surface. This happens because the very dry soil moves away from the walls of the pot and cracks form between the walls and the earthen clod. When you water overdried soil from above, the water flows through these cracks to the bottom and pours into the pan through the drainage hole. The earth ball will remain dry. Therefore, when the earth is too dry, it is useless to water it from above. What to do? Water the leaves and stems of the plant from the shower. Fill a bowl or other container with water at room temperature and completely immerse the plant pot in it, carefully pressing down the pot with a weight (stone or brick) so that it is completely immersed in water. Then add a few drops (no more!) Liquid detergent- this will help reduce the water-repellent properties of overdried soil. After about an hour, remove the plant pot and let the excess water drain. If the plant has revived (not all plants recover after overdrying), it will soon become juicy again. Please note - even when the earthen ball takes its original size, some distance between it and the walls of the pot will remain. Fill this gap with potting mix.

How to save a flooded plant?

If excess water has accumulated in the pot, it is no less dangerous for the plant than drought. However, in this case, not all is lost. Tap the edge of the pot on a hard surface and remove the pot from the earthen clod. Usually an earthen ball is pierced with roots and retains the shape of a pot. Remove damaged roots and wrap an earthen ball with a rag or old kitchen towel- it will absorb excess water from an earthen coma. You may need to change your towel several times.

Then wrap the earth ball in absorbent paper and leave it in it until dry, but do not overdry. When the earth ball is dry, plant the plant in a clean pot with fresh earth mixture.

What should be the pallet size?

Usually, flower pots sold with pallet. The pallet is absolutely necessary - excess water flows into it. As a pallet, you can also use saucers or bowls of a suitable size from any material. It is only important that the diameter of the pallet is not less than the upper diameter of the pot. After watering, it is necessary to drain excess water from the pan.

What is drainage?

Drainage is a French word. It means the artificial or natural removal of excess fluid, usually from the soil. In indoor floriculture, drainage is used so that water does not stagnate in a pot. Ceramic shards, gravel, pebbles or large expanded clay are suitable for drainage.

A large shard is placed on the drain hole with the convex side up, or a handful of smaller shards, then a layer of coarse-grained sand is poured and the plant itself is planted on top of this. Since there are not always shards at hand, it is easier to arrange drainage from expanded clay.

If the pot has a hole for water to drain, then 1 cm of large expanded clay should be placed on the bottom. If there is no hole, then the height of the expanded clay layer should be at least 3-5 cm. In general, it should be about a quarter of the height of the container.

How is bottom watering done?

Although traditionally plants are watered from a watering can, there is another way - watering from below. With this method, the so-called capillary effect is triggered - there is a movement of water from more humid layers to drier ones. When the soil is almost dry, place the pot in a tray of water and the moisture will begin to flow through the soil and the roots of the plant.

When pouring from below, you simply fill the pan with water. If the water drains quickly from the pan, add a little more. After about an hour, all the soil will be damp and its surface will be shiny with moisture. When the plant has sucked up all the water it needs, pour out the rest of the water from the pan. Watering from below is preferable for plants with pubescent leaves or with a lush rosette of leaves.

Plants that you water from below are better able to meet their moisture needs. However, at the same time, you will have to change the soil mixture with them more often, since excess mineral salts will accumulate in the soil faster.

What is the best way to water plants?

Watering from above seems to be a more "natural" way of watering, since in nature plants get their moisture from rain. On the other hand, it is not the source of moisture that is important for the plant, but the result - moist soil. Therefore, it is not so important whether you water from above or below. When watering from above, make sure that water does not fall on the leaves. Many plants have very tender leaves and stems that are stained by water drops. In addition, water droplets on light focus the light like lenses, and even dense and leathery leaves can be burned. Therefore, when watering from above, be sure to lift the leaves or move them to the side so that water only falls on the soil.

How to water plants in hanging pots?

Plants in hanging pots often hang quite high, and watering them causes certain difficulties. For convenience, you can buy a special watering can, which will greatly facilitate the watering of such plants. It consists of plastic bottle with a long tube that bends at the end. There is such a watering can is quite inexpensive.

What kind of water to water indoor plants?

Plants are preferably watered with soft water, i.e. water with a low salt content. If the water in your area is soft, then tap water is fine for irrigation. Hardy plant species can be watered directly from the tap, but this should not be abused: there are not so many such plants. It is better that the water settles for about a day. During this time, bubbles of gases, especially chlorine and fluorine, will come out of it. Fluoride is very harmful to indoor plants. For irrigation, you can also use rainwater, melted snow and well water.

What is "hard water"?

Hard water contains a lot of soluble calcium and magnesium salts. It is very harmful to plants. The surface of the roots of plants is covered with skin, which works as a kind of filter.

It lets in and keeps only what the plants need inside. When watering with hard water, the filter “clogs” - remember the scale on the walls of the kettle! As a result, the roots begin to absorb water poorly and nutrients. The plant is starving. In such a situation, an increase in watering only leads to rotting of the roots and death of the plant. A sign indicating hard water is a yellowish-white coating on the surface of the soil, on the walls of the pot, and sometimes on the stems of the plant.

How to soften hard water?

To soften hard water, wood ash is added to it at the rate of 3 g (1/2 teaspoon) per liter of water. You can also add acetic or oxalic acid to the water. This must be done very carefully, checking the pH until the desired value is set (5.5-6.5).

Filtered hard water, i.e. water that has passed through a demineralizer or osmotic filtration system, will not harm your plants. To soften hard water, special filter cartridges and water softener tablets (so-called pH tablets) are produced. If for some reason the described methods of softening hard water are not available to you, you can water the plants, especially tender ones, with boiled water.

What should be the water temperature for irrigation?

Water for irrigation should be at room temperature. It is even better to take water warmer by 2-3 ° C. Don't neglect this rule. Remember that by pouring cold water on heat-loving tropical plants, you can damage their roots and leaves.

Are there ways to self-regulate soil moisture?

Yes, there are such ways. Firstly, this is the so-called self-watering pot. Secondly, the cultivation of plants in a hydroponic system. In both cases, watering will require your attention once every 1 - 2 months, and in between the plants will be provided with water automatically. In addition, there are substrates, such as hydrogels and granulates, which are able to retain water in the soil for a long time and give it to plants as needed.

Watering - necessary condition for plant life. Growing without watering is impossible for any plant, they all need water. Many people water their plants "how it goes", on occasion, but do not wonder how flowers should be watered. But in order for the plants to always look beautiful, so that watering brings maximum benefit to them, you need to know some rules for watering houseplants. So,

1. What water to water indoor flowers?

Water for watering plants can be ordinary tap water, but settled for at least a day. In order for the chlorine to evaporate, it is necessary to defend the water in an open container. Soft water for irrigation is suitable for most in the best way. Tap water is mostly hard. Even harder water from wells, it is not at all suitable for watering indoor plants.

How to soften such water for irrigation? It is enough to boil it for 3-5 minutes. When boiling, most of the harmful salts precipitate, and the water becomes soft.

It is undesirable to water the plants with distilled water, because. it does not contain mineral salts necessary for plants. The exceptions are azaleas, gardenias, ferns, camellias, orchids and some predator plants, for which watering with distilled water is even desirable, because. they need to be watered only with soft water.

It is better not to use water from pump rooms and from cylinders for watering domestic plants, because. its composition is not known to you, and such water can harm the plant.

Since most tap water is alkaline, it must be neutralized. If this is not done, the soil becomes alkaline over time, as a result of which the root system of plants suffers. In order to neutralize the alkaline reaction of the aquatic environment, it must be slightly acidified. To do this, just add food-grade citric acid to the water for irrigation at the rate of 1 teaspoon of citric acid per 5 liters of water. Citric acid is added to warm water just before watering.

2. What temperature should the water be for irrigation?

Watering home plants with cold water is unacceptable, because. when watering with such water, the vessels of the root system of plants narrow, and as a result, moisture and nutrition are poorly supplied to their upper part, the root gradually dies off and the plant may die. Irrigation with cold water flowering plants can lead to the fall of flowers and ovaries.

Cold water can and should be watered for plants that are in a dormant period. This prevents premature vegetation and plant depletion. For watering plants that have stopped growing for the period of winter dormancy, they use water that is colder than the air temperature in the room, sometimes even water with snow.

In all other cases optimum temperature water for watering domestic plants is + 30-34 ° C, so the water needs to be slightly heated, even in summer. Watering with such water favorably affects the growth and development of plants.

3. What is the water consumption for watering plants?

The plant needs to be watered throughout the entire volume of the flowerpot in small portions so that the soil is saturated with water from top to bottom. You need to water until water appears in the pan. In this case, you can be sure that both the upper and lower parts of the root system will receive a sufficient amount of moisture. After 30 - 40 minutes, the water is removed from the pan. During this time, the root system of the plant will have time to absorb the moisture that it did not have time to absorb during watering. It is impossible to leave water for a longer time, otherwise you can provoke rotting of the root system. If the flowerpot is large and cannot be lifted, you can remove water from the pan with a syringe, sponge, or moisture-absorbing wipes.

4. When is the next watering?

How many times to water home plants is a question that requires individual approach. The frequency of watering depends on the type of plant, the volume of the flowerpot, the composition of the soil, the activity of the root system and weather conditions. On cloudy and cool days, plants are watered less often than on clear and sunny days; with dry and warm indoor air, plants need to be watered more abundantly than with humid and colder air; plants in light and loose soil require more frequent watering than those growing in dense, heavy soil.

How to calculate watering? The best guideline for deciding on watering is the drying of an earthen coma. The signal for the need for watering is the drying of the topsoil by 1.5 - 2 cm. Succulent plants are watered after the earthen clod dries to a depth of 3 - 10 cm (the larger the container, the deeper the soil should dry out).

But what if there is no way to water the plants in a timely manner (for example, during the holidays)? How to leave flowers without watering? Can they handle this stress? Read about how to properly organize watering during a vacation or business trip.

Hebe - exotic plant, which is often grown in greenhouses and winter gardens. In the southern regions, it is cultivated as an ordinary garden flower grown in open field.

What does a hebe flower look like?

The flower attracts attention with leathery shiny leaves. Inflorescences in shape resemble heather in an enlarged size. The length of the inflorescences reaches 10 cm, while they brighten as they bloom. Plants bloom profusely from May to July.

The shades of hebe flowers are different

Description of species:

• Boxwood. container culture. The leaves are similar to boxwood leaves. The maximum height is 50 cm. The inflorescences are white, with a slightly pinkish tint.
• Cypress. small leaves green or bronze color resemble needles. Low-growing variety (up to 30 cm).
• Rakayenskaya. Tall species - up to 1 m. The leaves are small, oblong. Unpretentious, tolerates transplant without problems. Frost resistant.
• Thick-leaved. Includes low and medium sized varieties. container culture. The leaves are thick and fleshy. The flowers are white.

In warm regions, they are grown as perennials.

Planting a hebe flower and caring for it

These shrubs are picky about the composition of the soil, they can grow well even on poor soils. Negatively, they apply only to heavy clay soil. But still, for young plants, before planting, it is advisable to prepare a good loose substrate from sand, peat, turf and leafy soil.

The plant prefers bright light. But in order for the flower not to suffer due to the abundance of sunlight, at first it must be shaded. Hebe blooms weakly in the shade. These plants love moisture, so watering should be plentiful, the earth should not dry out. In hot weather, it is advisable to spray the bushes regularly. During the period of intensive growth, the shrub needs to be fed with complex fertilizers.

In the spring, you can carry out anti-aging pruning, remove stem cuttings and increase watering.

Watering for plants is of exceptional importance, as well as drinking water for a person. Without enough water to dilute essential nutrients in the soil, plants not only wither, but also starve. Water is necessary for all physiological processes: photosynthesis, the movement of organic compounds formed as a result of photosynthesis, as well as for the absorption of minerals in the form of soil solutions.

Watering is one of the most important measures to ensure the viability of plants. The task of irrigation should be solved in conjunction with the problem of achieving optimal soil water permeability. The plant can rot from surface waterlogging, while simultaneously experiencing an acute moisture deficit. To increase the permeability of heavy soils (soils for planting), sand, compost, and peat should be added to them. Usually in modern mixtures there are no such problems - everything is balanced.

Irrigation water must be neutral acid-base balance and a minimum amount of toxic impurities(chlorine, fluorine, heavy metals, etc.). The ideal option is natural rain, purified, spring or distilled (then using fertilizers) water. Tap water is moderately suitable for irrigation only after settling for a day and stabilization acid-base balance. cleaning activated carbon removes chlorine and fluorine, but retains calcium and heavy metal salts. You can use filters or purchased water.

The main rule for watering plants: Water only when the soil in the pot is dry. Constant excess moisture is harmful - it leads to disruption of normal air exchange in the soil. The root system needs a constant supply of oxygen. With its lack and with an excess of moisture, the roots gradually die off, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. This means that the plant is flooded. It is necessary to reduce watering, and in some cases, in order to save the plant, you need to cut it off and try to root the cuttings from it, after holding them in water. With strict observance of the main rule, it should be taken into account that watering plants of different groups and species has its own characteristics.

The need of plants for water is determined by their specific features: the structure of above-ground organs, the capacity of the root system, etc. For example, plants with succulent, fleshy leaves (such as agave, aloe, etc.) need less water than plants with large leaves, which sometimes need to be watered twice a day. For bulbous plants, excess moisture is harmful. It is best to water them by directing the stream of water not at the bulb, but closer to the walls of the pot, or water from a pan.

There are plants that are very sensitive to lack of moisture, such as araucaria. When its branches begin to hang down, then no amount of watering will help. Araucaria must be monitored constantly and, in addition to watering, spray the plant - as often as possible, and several times a day.

There are a number of important requirements for irrigation water. Here are the main ones: purity of water, low content of salts and minerals, complete absence of toxic impurities and foreign inclusions, neutral or slightly acidic acid reaction. For irrigation, in most cases, use tap water from the public water supply network, well water (outside the city), water from a well, water from a nearby reservoir (i.e. river or lake) and rainwater. Naturally, each type of water has its own characteristics and characteristics, which indicate the degree of its suitability for irrigation.

Tap water goes through filtration and various stages of purification, what makes it drinkable is known to all. Also, this water is suitable for irrigation, although it is worth noting that the content of minerals in it is quite low and, depending on the season, the chlorine content can increase significantly.

Well water or well water on the contrary, it is distinguished by a high content of salts and minerals, because, passing through the soil, it washes out valuable microelements, which is a positive property for water. But still, the content of mineral substances in water should not be overestimated, since then it will become unsuitable for watering plants.

water from the pond, perhaps the least suitable type of irrigation water, mainly due to the high risk of containing toxic waste, decay products, chemical substances, bacteria, foreign inclusions and other dangerous impurities.

Rainwater much softer than tap water, it has an almost neutral acid reaction, and in addition, it has a rather high content of dissolved oxygen. Thanks to all these characteristics, rainwater can be considered very valuable for plants, and there is a very definite sense in collecting it. At the same time, it should still be taken into account that in conditions of an extremely polluted environment, harmful chemical compounds, heavy metals, lime dust (which hardens water), products of combustion of liquid and solid fuel in the form of soot and droplets of an oily liquid, which greatly reduces the value of rainwater.

To reduce the degree of contamination of rainwater, and therefore the risk associated with it, a number of rules must be observed when collecting it. Since rainwater collection tanks are in the vast majority of cases installed under downspouts and gutters, before entering the barrel, the water flows down the roof, washing away dust, chemicals, soot and other “unfavorable” substances that have settled on it. The water of the first precipitation after a long period of drought is especially heavily polluted, because the amount of dirt accumulated on the roofs is especially high. Therefore, it is not recommended to collect rainwater if there has been no precipitation for a long time before. When the rain takes on a strong and lingering character, you can refuse the volume of water that falls in the first half hour, this time is enough to wash off the main dust containing harmful impurities from the roof. In order to be able to regulate the flow of water into the barrel, a valve can be installed in the water collector, by closing which you will direct water from the downpipe to the ground when its collection in the container is undesirable for one reason or another.

Signs of lack of water

Leaf drooping, loss of turgor by leaves and shoots.

In plants with soft, tender leaves (Vanka wet), they become lethargic and fall. In plants with hard, leathery leaves (ficus, laurel, myrtle oleander, etc.), they dry out and crumble (first of all, old leaves fall off).

Flowers and buds fall off or quickly wither.

Signs of excess water

Leaf drooping, there are soft spots with signs of rot.

Growth retardation

Curled, yellowed and withered leaves, the tips of the leaves are brown.

Both old and young leaves fall off.

Mold on flowers.

There is a golden rule for watering plants - it is better to water less, but more often than less often and in large quantities. It should be noted that the wilting of the leaves is not always associated with a lack of water. This can happen under the influence of sunlight, on the first clear day after a long cloudy weather.

Watering is conditionally divided depending on the characteristics of plants into the following types:

Mandatory watering.

Plants are watered immediately after the earthen clod dries. Such watering is required by most tropical plants with thin delicate leaves, as well as some plants with leathery leaves (for example, lemon, ficus, gardenia, ivy, coffee). Both of them suffer greatly from overdrying: the leaves turn yellow and crumble, or wither and fall, not restoring their former position. All plants need abundant watering during the flowering and growth period: even with a slight dryness, young shoots, buds and flowers may suffer.

Moderate watering.

Plants are not watered immediately after the earthen coma dries out, but after a day or two, that is, they are slightly dried. This is how plants with fleshy or strongly pubescent stems and leaves, with thick roots and rhizomes (palm trees, dracaena) and also with water-bearing tubers on the roots (asparagus) and bulbs are watered. For some species, light drying is a prerequisite during the dormant period, as it stimulates the laying and maturation of flower buds.

Excessive watering (signs).

Before an over-moisturized plant begins to wilt, it will likely look weak. The plant on the left was watered excessively, the same plant on the right received a normal amount of water.

Rare watering.

Plants are left dry for several days, weeks, months. This applies to succulents (cacti, aloe), as well as to deciduous tuberous and bulbous plants that have a dormant period.

Most plants are watered abundantly in summer, moderately in winter. The main watering is best done in the morning. With each watering, the plant needs to be given enough water so that it soaks the entire earthen ball well and goes to the saucer. If air bubbles are visible on the surface of the soil, watering is repeated until there are none. Watering a little every day is not recommended, since in this case the water will wet only the top layer of the earth, and the roots located at the bottom of the pot will dry out.

Usually, plants are watered from above, so that the excess of calcium, magnesium and other salts contained in the water, which negatively affects the root system, is absorbed by the upper soil layer, which has fewer roots. Sometimes, fearing the appearance of spots on the leaves or the rotting of tubers when water gets on them, the plants are watered from below, pouring water into the saucer. This should not be done. Spots on the leaves can be avoided if you use warm water - after all, spots are formed as a result of a large difference in the temperature of the leaves heated in the sun and cold water. Water from a saucer or planter is drained after watering so that the roots do not rot. This is especially important to do in autumn and winter.

If the water during irrigation does not seep into the saucer, but stagnates on the surface, you need to check if the drainage hole is clogged. Sometimes, on the contrary, the water flows very quickly onto the saucer. This means that the soil is very dry, water flows down the walls of the pot, not having time to wet it. Such plants need to be watered very well, putting them in a basin of tepid water so that it completely covers the pot, and sprinkle with warm water. When air bubbles stop appearing on the surface of the soil, the pots are removed from the water.

Plants should be watered with water at room temperature (18-24 ° C) or a little warmer. At low temperatures, the root system is inactive, therefore, too warm water cannot be used in winter, so as not to cause premature plant growth. In summer, plants are watered with warmer water (up to 30-32 ° C). The hotter the room, the warmer the water used for watering and spraying plants should be. Watering with cold water, especially in a warm room, can cause leaf drop.

Water for irrigation should be soft, slightly acidic, free from calcium and magnesium salts. It is not recommended to use rain and melt water in industrial areas, as it may have an alkaline reaction and contain impurities harmful to plants. More often, for irrigation, you have to use tap water containing chlorine, calcium and magnesium salts, which adversely affect plants. The high content of calcium salts in water leads to the fact that essential elements nutrients found in the soil (phosphorus, iron, manganese, aluminum, boron, etc.) are converted into compounds inaccessible to plants.

A few words about how to ensure the watering of plants during the holidays. Before leaving for a few days, put the plants in a basin filled with water 1/3 of the height of the pot. If you are going to be away for more long time(3-4 weeks), fill the containers with peat or earth to a height of 15-20 cm, dig in the plants, after watering them well, and moisten again. Plants should be placed in a lit place, but not in the sun. There is another way to water. A vessel with water is placed above the plants, from which a woolen or cotton cord is lowered into each pot, which conducts water well. A pot with a plant can be placed above a container of water. In this case, the second end of the cord is inserted into the drainage hole.

watering bonsai

In summer, in dry, hot or windy weather, bonsai are usually watered twice a day (early morning or evening). If the weather is not very dry and hot, then once a day. In winter or in cold, wet weather, the tree is less active and evaporation from the soil surface is slower. Therefore, water once a day if the soil is not frozen and the temperature is positive.

Deciduous types of bonsai in summer need more water than evergreen, coniferous, having specialized leaves that retain moisture better. In winter, on the contrary, deciduous ones consume less water than conifers, which continue, albeit slowly, to grow. Pines relatively painlessly tolerate the lack of water in the soil, while large-leaved deciduous, especially in hot weather, need abundant and frequent watering.

It is more convenient to water by immersing the container in a vessel with water so that the water covers the surface of the soil. At the same time, the soil lump is not washed away and the soil is impregnated more evenly and completely. Whereas when watering from above, if the top layer dries out, watering is difficult, since water can roll off without wetting the soil. Do not keep the container in a vessel with water for a long time, as the root system may be damaged. Only some plants (for example, swamp cypress) do not suffer from prolonged exposure to water and waterlogging of the soil.

For irrigation, you can use water from reservoirs, rain or tap water. Tap water contains too much calcium and chloride. It must be kept for a day room temperature to evaporate the chlorides.

Irrigation water should not be too cold or hot.

In addition to moistening the soil in the container, it is recommended to periodically spray the crown of the plant with water. This technique not only cleans the leaves of the plant from dust, but also moisturizes the air, which is especially important to do as often as possible to maintain the moss cover in the container. However, waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed with frequent spraying. It is not recommended to spray the plant in bright and hot sun.

Watering orchids

One of the most important conditions for the successful cultivation of orchids is the quality of water. Water for plants is not only a source of food and drink at the same time, but also the ability to regulate its temperature.

In nature, plants use rainwater, which is an ultra-weak acid solution. But, unfortunately, it is not a secret for anyone that in cities, far from harmless liquid is pouring from the sky.

For orchids (and for other indoor plants) it is recommended to use soft or moderately hard water. Measuring the hardness of water is not a simple procedure, so let's take it as an axiom that in St. Petersburg and the Baltics the water is soft, in Moscow it is moderately hard, in Kiev it is very hard. The faster the scale builds up in your kettle, the harder the water.

The easiest way to reduce the hardness of water is to boil it.- in which part of the calcium salts precipitates. Oxalic acid reduces hardness well (you can buy it in chemical reagent stores, sometimes in flower shops, for example, I saw it in the House of Violets on Nagatinskaya Street). It is done like this: Add about 1/8 teaspoon of acid (it is in powder) to a 5-liter canister of cold tap water. We defend the water during the day in an open container, it is even better to cut off the very top part of the canister in order to enlarge the neck. Water must be defended necessarily open due to the fact that when chemical reaction binding of calcium salts, volatile chlorine compounds are formed, which must evaporate. After a day, an insoluble precipitate of calcium salts falls to the bottom of the canister. The resulting water must be carefully, trying not to shake the sediment, drain into a clean bowl. Just in case, I never pour out the water to the end - I leave about half a liter somewhere so that sediment does not get in. The canister should be transparent - it is more convenient to monitor the sediment. In my practice, if water with acid has been settled for more than 2 days, the sediment ceases to stir up and drain clean water safely.

Another way is to immerse a bag of high-moor peat in a bucket of water overnight - the water is also acidified.

If you water plants with distilled water, then remember that it is completely desalted. Therefore, distilled water must either be mixed with ordinary settled water, or special fertilizers should be dissolved in it.

Iron water is even more dangerous for orchids than hard water. Such water, when settling, becomes cloudy and has a noticeable taste of rust.

An equally important condition for the suitability of water is its acidity. Acidic water - pH less than 5 and is very rare. Alkaline water is easy to acidify with ordinary lemon. If your water shows a pH above 7 (you can measure it either with pH meters or litmus paper - sold in chemical reagent stores), then by dripping lemon juice you lower the pH value to 6, and measure how many drops you need for what volume water flowing from your tap.

Properly prepared water is useful to saturate with oxygen before watering.- for this, you just need to pour it in a thin stream from one container to another. The water temperature should be room temperature or slightly higher. Phalaenopsis, for example, prefer warm water.

The easiest way is to either use filtered water or water your plants (including bonsai and orchids) with store-bought water. An option is to buy special oxygen water, which is good for both humans and animals and plants, an example of such water is.

Watering rules

It is best to water the plants only with soft rain, river or pond water. Hard water (including well water) containing various salts should be avoided. Aroids, azaleas, orchids, ferns, and camellias are especially resistant to hard water. Well tolerate watering with hard water, those plants that grow on calcareous soils.

Keep in mind that rainwater can be polluted by industrial emissions if you live in an industrial area or not far from it.

Chlorinated water from the water supply is defended for at least a day, so that the chlorine has time to evaporate.

The water temperature should be at least at least room temperature. This rule is especially important when watering tropical plants. Cacti are recommended to be watered with warmer water. Watering plants with cold water can cause root rot, bud drop, and even plant death. On the contrary, watering plants with warm water in a cold room is also undesirable, because. this will cause the plant to grow prematurely.

Successful floriculture is only possible if you learn how to water your plants on time and in the right amount, and this is not easy.

The task of proper watering is to give each plant exactly the amount of water it needs in given conditions.

When buying a new plant, beginner flower growers often ask: “how many times a week does it need to be watered?”.

It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Watering depends on the size of the room and temperature, the size of the pot and the material from which it is made, the composition of the soil, the condition of the root system, the period of growth or dormancy.
If the same plant in the summer on the balcony at a temperature of 25 ° C requires daily watering, and in a room at the same temperature it is necessary to water it only once every 3 days. In winter, the same plant at a temperature of 16 ° C is watered once a week.

Let's try to understand this issue in more detail.

Plant water needs

Plant tissues consist of 80% or more water; with a lack of moisture, many life processes get lost. Usually the roots constantly supply water to the aerial part of the plant, and the leaves evaporate it. If the plant is dry and hot, more water evaporates, so the plant is protected from wilting and from sunburn. If there is insufficient watering and the land is dry, there will be nothing to evaporate, there comes a point when the plants begin to wither and may die.

If the plant is tropical and accustomed to constantly moist soil, then it does not have the "habit" to store water. There are, of course, exceptions, for example, Epiphytes have reservoirs for water - funnels of closed leaves or thick succulent leaves and roots.

If the plant belongs to climatic zones where rainy seasons are replaced by dry ones, they are able to adapt by accumulating water in stems, leaves, rhizomes.

Some plants, resisting drying out, shed their leaves during the dry season or simply close the stomata on the leaves, which are additionally protected by dense pubescence, dense skin, wax coating, etc. Plants of deserts and semi-deserts are especially not critical to the lack of moisture. They accumulate water in leaves, stems, or even changed leaves for thorns, at the same time defending themselves from thirsty animals.

Definition by appearance

The appearance of the plant tells us how often it needs to be watered and how much moisture the soil in the pot should be.

Plants with heavily dissected leaves orlarge light and thin leaves, as well as thin, tender roots, do not approve of the complete drying of the substrate. But waterlogging is also dangerous for these species. roots do not receive oxygen for respiration. At home, the roots of plants are in loose soils from rotting branches, leaves and other organic materials.

If the leaves, stems or roots of tropical or subtropical plants are succulent and thickened, they are adapted to the lack of moisture and do not need constant moisture. Such plants are watered after the top of the substrate dries. Succulent plants from arid habitats are watered in summer only after the earthen coma has completely dried. In winter, watering is reduced to a minimum or stops altogether.

The most "convenient" for beginner flower growers are those pets that, with a lack of moisture, lower the leaves, but after watering they immediately restore the elasticity of the shoots. Hibiscus takes less than an hour to do this. But there are plants that do not forgive the complete drying of the substrate and die. These include ferns, fuchsias, azaleas, gardenias, conifers. The latter can have a decent appearance for a long time, despite the dried roots, especially in a cool room, and then turn yellow and crumble.

Waterlogging

Excessive watering is much more likely than other owner mistakes to shorten the life of plants. This is "helped" by the use of purely peat soils, which have a very high moisture capacity,

Often watered still wet soil. Meanwhile, in room culture, there is only one plant that likes it, though only in heat. Cyperus can be placed in a pot with water or in a pool, because they grow in their homeland along the banks of rivers like our cattail. Most indoor plants, being in waterlogged soil, cease to grow normally, putrefactive diseases of the roots develop, and brown spots. From the roots, the disease quickly passes through the vessels to the shoots, and the plant quickly dies.

Watering rules

Only practice will help to understand the rules of watering. First you need to focus on the weight of the pot, if you salted the plant yourself and know what is used as drainage and what is the composition of the soil. It is easier to learn to distinguish the earth of different moisture content. Even very experienced flower growers, not trusting their eyes, try the earth to the touch so as not to water it once again.

With occasional poor watering, the soil contains very little moisture and looks completely dry on the surface a couple of days after watering. At the same time, at the bottom of the pot, the earth is usually slightly moistened.

Moderate watering is recommended for most indoor plants. It is adjusted so that the soil is constantly slightly moist throughout the depth of the container. Wet surface looks only immediately after watering. But there should be no water in the pan, and if water remains half an hour after watering, it is drained. If after a day or two the surface of the earth has dried up, this does not always mean that it is time for watering.

If you stick a thin, dry splinter almost to the bottom, you can see wet soil particles adhering to it. water. of course, it is still early, but the surface of the substrate can be sprayed. In order for the soil in the pot to dry out evenly, you can cover its surface with a layer of moss, use clay pots or high drainage. A lot also depends on the shape of the pot. The soil dries faster and more evenly in wide, low containers, and in narrow conical and tall pots, the top of the earth can be completely dry, while the soil at the bottom is still waterlogged.

Therefore, plants that are afraid of waterlogging, such as alocasia, are more suitable for low containers, and for conifers, a low bowl is a big risk.

Abundant watering is recommended for few plants, and mostly in summer. A well-hydrated pound has absorbed maximum water. This happens when a vessel with a plant is placed in a container of water and left until completely saturated. As a rule, only in this way it is possible to burn plants in which, for one reason or another, the soil protrudes as a mound above the surface of the pot, for example, in trees grown using the bonsai technique. If planted incorrectly, water can flow down the walls of the container during irrigation and go into the pan, although the earthen clod remains almost dry. The plant withers, although it is often watered.

It is enough to put it "on the underfloor", as air will begin to come out of the dried earthen clod. To evenly moisten the soil, it is necessary to compact it well near the walls of the pot when planting.

There are a few more rules regarding watering.

The higher the air temperature, the more water the plants need. The larger the pot, the less often the plant planted in it is watered. In clay pots, the earth dries out faster than in plastic ones.

Water quality

What should be the quality of oxen for irrigation?

Of course, it should not be rusty and not too hard, without chlorine, not cold. There is an easy way to determine how much calcium is in your tap water. When spraying plants with elastic dark green, glossy leaves, too hard water leaves noticeable whitish spots. Less rigid leaves stains, and soft leaves practically no traces. In most cases, plants require very little calcium salts, their excess settles on the roots, on the walls of the pot, on expanded clay drainage, protrudes on the surface of the substrate and eventually leads to root diseases.

There are several ways to soften water for irrigation. It is best to use a special filter, but you can dilute hard water with boiled or distilled water. It is impossible to water plants only with water poured from the tap due to the presence of chlorine and other substances used for disinfection in it. In addition, it is always colder than necessary. When settling, chlorine evaporates, calcium salts concentrate at the bottom; and its temperature rises to room temperature.

It remains to carefully pour half of the settled water into the watering can, add a little boiling water so that the temperature is several degrees higher than room temperature, and you can start watering. It is even easier to use cooled down to the desired temperature for watering. hot water, which, as a rule, does not contain an excess of calcium and chlorine salts. Sometimes water for irrigation has to be slightly acidified with lemon juice or citric acid if alkalization of the substrate occurs and plants show chlorosis.

"Room and garden plants» №48(148)

For any houseplant, the correctness or incorrectness of care is almost always associated with the quality of watering. The ability to find a balance, to approach the process of soil moisture reasonably, not to go to extremes and “listen” to the plants is the main rule of correct watering. But not the only one. After all, finding a middle ground between scarce and excessive watering is not at all easy. The basic rules for watering indoor plants will help you avoid major mistakes with this important procedure. Let's get to know them better.

1. Quality watering starts with water quality

Houseplants should not be watered with water with unverified characteristics, especially tap water, not settled, cold or hot. The water temperature must match the air temperature in the room. It is necessary to defend it before watering for at least 2-3 days.

The ideal option is melted, rain (subject to a favorable environmental situation) or filtered "drinking" water. It is better not to water indoor plants with boiled water (with rare exceptions), and mineralization is generally strictly prohibited. Some plants may need distilled water.

2. Watering should be carried out only when they are needed.

Checking the degree of drying of the substrate and controlling the rate of moisture consumption by the plant at different stages of development will help to avoid gross mistakes with watering. Whatever the standard recommendations, you need to judge the need for watering only by the soil.

Before taking on a watering can, it is worth checking whether the plant needs watering:

• Check the moisture content of the top layer of the substrate (surface and at a depth of 1 to 2 cm, lightly rubbing the earth between your fingers;
• Compare whether the pot has become lighter (the weight of the pot before and after watering is significantly different).

3. No watering for everyone at once!

Setting aside a specific day/days of the week for watering and watering all the plants at the same time indiscriminately is the biggest mistake. It's definitely more convenient that way. But indoor plants are all different, and it is also worth watering them at different times.

Indoor plants can be grouped according to the degree of moisture-loving (hygrophilous, moderately moisture-loving or drought-resistant) and even by origin (desert, subtropical, tropical). But it's best to check individual variety and species recommendations and draw up a schedule for each plant.

A good strategy is to keep simple records or spreadsheets, or use pot tags and tags with information about:

• with what frequency and abundance it is necessary to water the plant at different stages of development;
• how much water can be left in the trays;
• what should be the water.

Always highlight with special "markers" plants that are watered through pallets, by wicking, by pouring water into leaf funnels or by immersion.

Indoor plants can be grouped according to the degree of moisture-loving (hygrophilous, moderately moisture-loving or drought-resistant). © uhc

4. Extremes are unacceptable

Drought and waterlogging are two poles in determining improper watering. Both are considered invalid. The substrate for any houseplant should not be wet in the upper 2-3 cm for longer than a few minutes after watering.

Even for moisture-loving species, the top layer of the substrate should be allowed to dry until the next watering. And for plants that are drought-resistant and require minimal watering, it is not worth bringing the matter to the complete drying of the substrate at the bottom of the pot (except for bulbous and tuberous plants that winter in complete dryness, and cacti that can withstand dryness).

Emergencies, including departures, happen to all flower growers. But if regular care is careless, allow constant overflows or underfill plants, then you should not expect health and beauty from them.

In watering indoor plants, one rule always works: not topping up a little is always better than overdoing it with the amount of water.

5. Frequency and Abundance of Watering Are Equally Important

Watering is frequent (daily or every other day), medium or moderately frequent (every 2-3 days) and rare (no more than once a week). But in addition to frequency, the quality of soil wetting is also important for all indoor plants.

How much the substrate will be saturated with water - the abundance of irrigation - is determined by a few upper centimeters of soil. Abundant or generous watering immediately makes the soil very wet, after a couple of minutes - damp, and only after a while - wet.

With standard moderate watering the soil is never wet: after sputum, it should become evenly moist in a couple of minutes. And light waterings are those in which the soil with a little damp immediately becomes wet.

Determine the degree of humidity tactilely:

• wet soil “drips”, when the substrate is compressed, drops of water appear;
• damp soil is easily crumpled and sticky;
• wet rolls, wrinkles, but does not stick to the hand;
• dry - crumbles when squeezed.

Any watering is considered correct only when the amount of water allows you to wet the entire earthen lump evenly, to the very lower layers- so that a little water stands out from the drainage holes not immediately, but some time after watering.

Draining too quickly or no water in the sump, signaling water tightness or the substrate's inability to retain water, is equally undesirable.

For high-quality watering, it is better to divide the water into several passes and observe the impregnation of the earthen clod, giving the water a chance not to pour out immediately, but to be evenly distributed.

For watering, it is advisable to use convenient watering cans with scattering nozzles specially designed for indoor plants. © loveproperty

6. Scattering and being careful is the best watering strategy.

It is impossible to water in one place with a strong jet of water, which compacts and erodes the substrate. For watering, it is advisable to use convenient watering cans with scattering nozzles specially designed for indoor plants. You need to direct the water along the perimeter of the pot, low, avoiding the formation of pits, slowly, without "puddles" and accumulation of water above the soil.

Particular attention should be paid to accuracy: not all houseplants are sensitive to getting wet, but none will thank you for its decorative effect when watered carelessly. Water should not be directed to the trunks and under the roots, to the root collars and growth points, to soak and splash the leaves.

With signs of soil compaction, crusting, poor soaking of the substrate, you should immediately take care of loosening. In case of severe contamination or mold, change the topsoil.

7. Watering should not be done in the middle of the day.

Indoor plants are best watered in the early morning or evening during the warm season and only in the early morning during cold seasons. Watering can not be carried out under direct sun, at the height of the day.

8. Water should not stagnate in pans

Even for plants that require immersion or drip irrigation, the amount of time water should be left in an external container should be limited. With classic top watering, any remaining water in the pans should be drained after 5-8 minutes.

Even 10 minutes of water stagnation in the lower part of the substrate and oversaturation of drainage with water can lead to the onset of negative processes for rot-sensitive species.

9. Correction of watering at the slightest change

Watering rarely manages to be carried out with an established frequency. If the weather is hot, heating works harder, air humidity drops, the plant is actively developing, watering needs to be increased. But not in abundance, but in frequency, compensating for all factors.

It should always be remembered that numerous other factors influence the irrigation schedule:

• pot size (the larger the container, the less often watering should be);
• pot materials (plants in ceramic containers are watered more abundantly);
• leaf size and density;
• location in the room and frequency of ventilation;
• air humidity level;
• the degree of filling of the substrate with roots;
• drafts, etc.

The simplest and most affordable flasks for automatic watering will reduce watering efforts to a minimum. © Any Phone Case lawn-drippers

10. Using smart assistants

Today, both budget and elite systems have been developed for indoor plants to avoid difficulties with watering. The simplest and most affordable indicators, flasks for automatic watering, double-walled containers, hydroponics installations will reduce watering efforts to a minimum.

Even a simple moisture level indicator will eliminate the need to constantly check the soil by touch. And if there are difficulties with determining whether the plant needs watering or it is better to wait, be sure to get such smart helpers.