Watering Tips & Tricks

One of our most commonly asked questions is, “How often do I need to water my plant?” Many people are wanting a cut and dry answer, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. There are so many factors that go into how much water any specific plant needs. However, we do have some tips and tricks to help you figure out when to water your plants! Feel free to keep reading, or watch our webinar to learn more.

Plants are great at communicating their needs through their appearance. Many plants’ leaves will turn brown, dry out and wilt when they need to be watered. Unfortunately, for us, these are also common signs that a plant is being overwatered. Not confusing at all, right?

One of the simplest ways to skip the guessing game is to purchase a moisture meter. Moisture meters have a metal prong that you stick into the soil of your plant. It measures the volume of water in the pot, or surrounding soil and displays it between “dry” and “wet” on the moisture meter. A good rule of thumb is to keep your soil in the “moist” area in the middle of the display. We sell moisture meters at the nursery, and highly recommend that you pick one up to make your time as a plant parent much more simple! 

We also sell other tools at the nursery that can keep you from over-watering your plant like Soil Moist and Osmocote. Say goodbye to root rot! SoilMost is a water polymer that retains water and also has the ability to control how much water is being released to the roots. Osmocote is a very useful product to make sure your plant is getting enough nutrition so that it doesn’t absorb too much moisture. This fertilizer controls how much fertilizer is being released at any given time and will only release when you water your plant. 

 

Here are some other simple rules of thumb when it comes to watering your plants:

-Water after windy days

-Be sure to water your plants if they experience a day that is 10 degrees hotter than usual

-Plants in pots will need to be watered more often 

Water in the morning so that your plants can absorb the water during the day and won’t sit in moisture for too long

-Water near the root zone 

 

Remember, if you are ever in a pickle with your plants you can always stop into the nursery, or give us a call. We have a team of knowledgeable gardeners that are happy to help!

 

Happy Gardening,

Cambria Nursery & Florist