I am just starting out looking after plants, so this is going to be a very very basic question…… When it tells you to water your plant, (1) do I water from the top or fill the saucer and (2) how do I know what is “enough” water? Thanks!
I always water from the top until water is flowing out the bottom, then put the plant back in its tray or cache pot (a decorative pot that goes around the plastic and keeps water from going everywhere). I also check later and dump out any excess water that has gathered in the tray. Some people water by setting the plant in a container of water and letting it soak up water from the bottom. Both methods are fine. If the app says it’s time to water, it’s a good idea to go ahead and check the soil to see that the top 1-2 inches of soil are dry before watering. My app had me watering too early for a lot of my plants at first. If you tell it to snooze because the soil is still wet, it will adjust the watering schedule. It took a couple months of this, but the app seems to be pretty close to accurate now. The quickest way to kill a plant is by overwatering it, so be sure to check the soil every time. I can sometimes tell by weight, but I usually feel the soil too, just to be sure.
6 gillningar Thanks Whitney! How do you check the top inches of soil? Do you jam a wooden stick in and see if it comes out clean (a bit like checking a cake is cooked?!?!)?
1 gilla I use my finger, but I’ve heard of people using a skewer like that.
0 gillningarI just poke my finger in!
1 gilla
I find that lifting the plastic liner pot and checking the weight of it is most accurate for me- when it’s mostly dry it’s super light- like filled with air! Then I water at the sink for a loong time until water comes out of the bottom, but also until the soil breaks up a little and can be easily moved around. After awhile, the soil can get hydrophobic and water runs straight through the bottom immediately. It doesn’t hurt to let it flush for awhile until you’re really sure all soil is saturated.
1 gilla
For my brood, it depends on the plant. For example, my African violets will literally look at me and die if I water them from the top. So they get bottom water. Same for my Chinese money plant. All the rest don’t seem to mind top watering.
1 gilla