Confident Watering & a simple trick. There’s a better way to know if your plant needs water than stick your finger in or using water meters that don’t always work. the trick is weight. by Fleuriste Atropa Belladonna A Montreal Florist.
So often we give care instruction like… Spathiphyllum, keep moist, but not water logged; Ficus elastica, allow to dry out slightly between watering; Cotyledon, dry out completely before watering well; but what does that all mean? Touch it with you’re finger… but what are you really looking for? Use a moisture meter? Well… mine’s broken again, because when I submerge it in water it says its only “moist” at 6, when it should really be a 10. Your may have wondered, how do I get confident watering? Is there a simple trick to use on my plants? Well yes, actually there is…
Sometimes it’s hard to describe what you should feel when touching the soil. It also varies on how deep into the soil you need to go, depending on how wet it should be kept for that plant and its size. Then still… sometimes how it feels to the touch is different depending how cold or warm the soil is…
Did you know that your skin isn’t actually equipped to sense “wetness”. Our perception of feeling water, dampness, moisture, or how wet your plant’s soil is, has more to do with temperature. It’s probably why you’re poking around in the dirt sometimes, thinking, it seems damp- maybe? Yeah, that’s because the cold is fooling us.
I want to share my favourite way to check if a plant needs water. Don’t get me wrong, I will still probably touch the soil to check things out in certain instances, and in other’s it’s just not necessary anymore.
Weight.
Now don’t worry, I’m not saying you need to go by a scale; but you do need to pay attention.
For instance, ever grab a plant and thought it was way heavier than you expected? Or likewise, way lighter?
People do it with objects all the time. Just take a antique style, gold candle holder; when you pick it up, most people expect it to way a certain amount based on how it looks. Sometimes people pick it up and are surprised at how light it is, if i.e the interior is hollow.
Well, if you walked into the plant shop, just after I’ve thoroughly watered my Spathiphyllum a.k.a. peace lily, you would find it to be quite heavy. Or… you should, if i did it right.
Can it be too heavy? 100% yes, that would be water logged. If you’ve ever poured water into a non drain deco pot, and forgot to check if it let out a bunch of water; your plant sits in it absorbing and over saturates… That’s too heavy, and what it shouldn’t feel like.
Location, Location, Location
Personally, I like to water my plants over the sink or over a bucket, to allow adequate water to pass through the soil and wet it all around; literally feeling the weight increasing. Also not having to come back for a pot check to make sure it does not become water logged.
That said, you want your Spathiphyllums to get to a medium weight before watering to make them heavy. Medium, being a weight between, unexpectedly light for its size and still feels pretty heavy from the last watering.
Weighing in light, medium, or heavy will be relative to size. The smaller the plant, the more subtle the weight change. Likewise, if you have a huge tree, picking it up may not be an option. However, in most cases, I think we have a better perception of how heavy something “ought” to be, rather than how wet something should feel. Such as the oddly light candle holder.
Weight is just as important for “when” to water, as “how much” to water. If your peace lily dried out between watering, it will take longer to absorb what you give it. If you barely feel a weight change, you know it still needs more water, because it’s still too light.
In my other named examples…
Cotyledon, which is a succulent, you want it to become light before you give it a good watering, because it needs to dry out or the plant will mush.
Ficus elastica, wanting to dry out slightly between watering, is more of a medium-light to light, weight; not surprisingly light like a cactus may like, because that would be bone dry.
How to Make the Switch
A great way to transition, or add it as a check layer, would be to water as you normally do, but begin to pick up you plant before and after to observe its typical weight situation.
This will help avoid the whole “I’ve had this plant for years, but all of a sudden…” This often happens when… it’s been cooler/hotter than normal in, which required modification on your usual watering schedule or watering quantity. Maybe it was more or less humid, more or less sun, etc.; all of this effects how quickly your plant will dry out or keep its moisture.
Picking up the plant is an extra, and sometimes superior, means of better understanding what your plant needs.
