Hi guys. I have been religiously following the watering, misting & fertilising schedule in the app but I’m starting to think I’m over watering some plants. What’s the rule of thumb, should I be letting plants completely dry out? Is this different for each plant? If I pause watering could things end up going the other way? I like a rule but I’m starting to think it’s not as simple as that.
I use the app for guidance...but there are many times I skip for the 2 days, and again for a couple more, and other times im watering before the app says to. I always look at my upcoming as well. Try to have as accurate info as possible loaded, pot size and soil type. I think those settings help a bit with accuracy. Use your best judgements per plant.
6 gillningar Thank you Mel.
1 gilla
Planta does okay, but it doesn’t know everything about your environment. To help it out, when Planta says to water, just stick your finger in the soil. If it’s still wet, click “snooze.” Planta will ask if you’re doing this because the soil is still wet, and if so, it will adapt the watering schedule. Over time it will improve! And yes, plants differ. Some want to dry out completely before watering again and some don’t mind being moister. A good rule of thumb is, plants with fleshy leaves prefer to dry out more.
4 gillningar That’s so helpful. Thank you
1 gilla
Definitely different needs for different plants. Planta makes suggestions and provides reminders based on what it knows about each plant. You’ll have to learn the specific needs of the plants you have. It’s a fun hobby! Good luck!
2 gillningar Thank you
1 gillaI find planta isn’t very accurate. I use a moisture meter to check my plants. Most do fine with drying out within the top 1-3 inches, others like to stay moist but not wet (jasmine, peace lily). Under watering is preferred to overwatering.
1 gilla Just feels like the app is a bit of a waste of time got a total beginner really then
0 gillningarYah, I can understand that. When I was new to houseplant care years ago I think the app would have been helpful because I had a tendency to forget them completely or put them in spaces without enough light. But, at that stage I wouldn’t have paid for an app since those plants or learning about them wasn’t much of a priority. Now that I have more of a green thumb and more plants than I can keep count, the app is good for fertilizer reminders so I don’t duplicate. But I’d like to see a quicker way to enter care tasks that I do on my own before the planta reminders, going into each plant individually is tedious when I have this many. I think the most valuable part of this app is the community aspect. I had this on other platforms but I’m more prone to use planta’s since it serves 2 purposes for me.
3 gillningarPlanta definitely trends towards overwatering. For most plants, you can test the soil by sticking your finger in. If it's moist at about 1 inch deep, you can wait. If it's dry, go ahead and water. I saw on your profile you have an orchid; since you can't test the soil on those, watch the roots (it helps if you use a clear pot). Smooth and bright green is freshly watered, smooth and silvery means you can water it, and wrinkly means it's dehydrated. Avoid watering where all the leaves meet, since they can trap water and rot. Water directly on the roots. Most orchids get water about once or twice a week. Also use room temperature water; never ice cubes
2 gillningar That’s so helpful thank you
0 gillningar
I agree with all the previous advice posted! Personally I let plants dry out (at least the top couple inches) before watering and this has been a game changer because, at least for the standard and common types of houseplants I tend to have, overwatering is so easy to do and often deadly! I mostly use Planta as a “reminder to check” things like if that plant needs water, rather than always actually doing what it says, and I still find it very useful in this way to organize my plant care routine instead of just randomly wandering around to all the plants in my home. I don’t mist plants, but use the mist reminder as another reminder to do a general and pest inspection so I can catch anything early. Good luck!!
1 gilla Thank you for that
0 gillningar