Gardening With Allen: Tips for watering indoor plants

I water my indoor plants about once a week. My friend says I am over watering. How often do you recommend watering indoor plants?

There is no watering schedule that fits all indoor plants. There are several factors which affect the frequency of watering. What kind of soil? How big is the plant in relation to the soil volume? What is the light and temperature situation?

Plants need air as well as water in the soil. Air supplies oxygen for growth and development of the roots. Right after watering all the soil pores are filled with water. The large pores gradually drain or water is taken up by the roots leaving a supply of water in the small pores.

The best way to determine when a plant needs water is to feel the soil. When the soil feels dry on top it is time to water again. If all your indoor plants are watered at the same time when only the driest need water, the others will be overwatered.

After you have watered a plant several times you will find out how long it takes to dry out. Wet soil is darker than dry soil, so after a while you can tell by color when a particular soil is starting to dry out. Not all potting soils are the same color, so you need to feel the soil a few times until you learn the relative color.

If you check your plants every day for a while you will find which ones need more frequent watering. Plants with thick leaves such as cactus and jade plants like drier soil than plants with thin leaves. Drooping or wilting of leaves is a sign that a plant is too dry.

If you use a water softener you should avoid using softened water on your plants. The sodium chloride in the softener can build up in the soil and damage plants. Most cold water faucets do not have softened water. However, water temperature also affects plant growth. I like to fill the watering pitcher and let it stand until lit reaches room temperature.

If plants require too frequent watering, it may be time to transplant them to a larger pot. If you have a plant which is not growing larger in size, it may be time to down size it to a smaller pot. Deteriorating plants are more often caused by over watering than under watering, unless the problem is wilting of leaves.

Allen Wilson is a Vancouver gardening specialist. allenw98663@yahoo.com

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