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Watering
Tricks
Successful watering isn't
difficult to learn, and once you get the basics down, you'll wonder
how you ever drowned a cactus or sent a violet to The Hereafter.
The following "tricks," or tips, should get you well on
your way to success:
- If your water is chlorinated,
let it stand in a pan overnight before using it. This will allow
the chlorine to evaporate.
- Avoid using "softened"
water on plants. The sodium that softeners use will eventually
kill a plant.
- Water only in the
morning to avoid fungal problems (night) or evaporation (mid-day).
- Water with tepid,
not cold, water to avoid shocking roots.
- Water deeply - until
the entire soil mass is wet - to encourage healthy root formation.
- Using clay pots? Water
more often. Clay loses up to 3 times the amount of water to evaporation
that other containers do.
- Group plants with
similar watering needs. You'll have more luck with groups of plants
if everyone in the group is thirsty at the same time.
- Use a long-necked
spout if watering plants from the top. You'll avoid splashing
the leaves (which can lead to spotting and disease in some plants),
and you'll be able to direct the water more carefully to all areas
of the pot's surface.
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