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Hi all, I am very new to plants; I did my first watering on Thursday… | Anything about plants | Planta community

Samantha

Hi all, I am very new to plants; I did my first watering on Thursday last week, added some new soil where recommended. I don’t add any to my cat palm (mistake) and she’s sick, but also completely dry? My monstera (here) said it’s bordering dry/moist and I’m not sure if I water’d correctly. I just placed the plants in my kitchen sink, pressure on low with the “spray feature” so it was like rain. I was worried about over watering but it’s just been a few days and they’re nearly dry. Advice on watering of what to do now?

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12 comments

  1. Lolly

    If the soil is totally dry water again. You sound like you watering correctly, I would water again for the monstera. Good luck 🍀

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    • Samantha

      Thank you! She’s so emotional 😂 I’m afraid to upset her. But that’s what I’ll do!

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  2. Matilda

    Overwatering has nothing to do with the amount of water used, just the frequency of the watering. I would recommend watering thoroughly and letting it dry out before the next one

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    • Samantha

      What would “thoroughly” look like? Would I water, let it sit, then check to see its moisture? Thank you for the note regarding overwatering. That makes sense.

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    • Matilda

      I get my monstera really wet until the water is dripping straight through the plant then do a little more for good luck! I try and make sure the soil is fully soaked through to the bottom - sometimes I pop them in the shower to water them and put the plug in so they get a little soak too

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    • Sebi + Anaïs

      this is usually the best approach in my findings, the only issue is that with watering and making so much come out the bottom the soil can over time lose its nutrients faster and fertilizers might be needed

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  3. JDW

    I personally bottom water!!! Watching it soak up what it needs is cool! Put a small tray (assuming there are drainage holes) and see how she/he likes it!!! Pour water in the tray and for my tropicals I always give it enough to where the top still gets damp!!

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    • Samantha

      I’ve seen this a lot too! I need to find a video that visually shows me. It does have a tray attached at the bottom.

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    • JDW

      Here’s a tray under one of mine!! You can see she stopped soaking the water up because it’s still in it! And the top is moist! So it’s like she drinks what she wants! The problem with pots with attached trays is you can’t see and get a feel for how much water you’re using and they are needing.

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    • JDW

      And this tray is actually one I popped off of a bigger pot!! The other one is just a cheap plate from Walmart!

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    • Samantha

      Wow this has been so helpful! I’m going to do this. I bought another one off of OfferUp (lol) and she gave me a plate underneath too! I’m going to try this today and see how she does.

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  4. Sydnei

    even if she’s drying out in the top, if you just watered, i’d wait a few more days just to be sure. if you have a skewer, use that to test your moisture level. if you insert and the dirt is not on the stick much, then water. good luck!

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