Ah, watering – it’s one of the hardest things to get right, even for the most seasoned gardeners. If you’re looking for signs that you’ve overwatered your plants, you’ve come to the right place.
Before you rush to learn how to save an overwatered plant, you’ll need to make sure that you’ve actually given it too much water. Figuring out how much water to give your garden in hot weather is no easy feat, but luckily, there are a few easy ways to tell if you’re overdoing it.
I checked in with plant experts to compile a list of all of the signs you’re overwatering your plants.
What you’ll need
1. The leaves have turned yellow or brown
One of the surest signs of overwatering plants is brown or yellow leaves.
‘If the leaves turn yellow or brown and feel soft or limp, you have given your plant too much water,’ says Julian Palphramand, head of plants at British Garden Centres.
‘If you see brown spots with yellow rings appearing in the middle of the leaves, this can mean your plant is getting too much water and may have a bacterial infection.’
Frustratingly, brown or yellow leaves can indicate more than one garden watering mistake. Underwatering your plants can look very similar, which is why you’ll want to keep the next few symptoms on your radar, too.
2. The soil won’t dry
It seems obvious, but if your plants are sitting in soggy soil that never dries, there’s a good chance you’ve overwatered them.
‘One of the first signs of overwatering is persistently wet or soggy soil,’ says Alina Gordon, marketing and communications executive at Hozelock. ‘For indoor plants, this might mean the top layer never dries out or the pot feels heavy for days. For outdoors, water pooling around the base of your plants or a constantly damp patch of soil is typically a sign that you’ve been overwatering.’
Wet soil can cause a few other problems for your plants. ‘If the soil doesn’t dry, it can attract fungus gnats and other pests to your plants,’ Julian explains.
Mould can also form on soil that stays wet for prolonged periods of time, so keep an eye out for that, too.
3. The plant is becoming mushy
A more-or-less foolproof sign of overwatering plants is mushy growth, and it can indicate a more serious problem beneath the soil surface.
‘You might also notice mould or a musty smell around the plant or stems that feel mushy at the base,’ says Julian. ‘When repotting, look at the roots. If they become dark and soft, they likely have a condition called root rot.’
It’s one of the more advanced symptoms of overwatering. ‘This is really the final sign that you have been overwatering your plant, and it is usually too late to do anything to save it,’ says Lucie Bradley, gardening and greenhouse expert at Easy Garden Irrigation.
4. The leaves are dropping
As well as turning yellow or brown, the leaves on your plants might drop in response to too much water.
‘Other signs are seeing leaves dropping from both the top and bottom of the plant,’ says Julian.
To distinguish between overwatering and underwatering, you’ll need to look at the texture of the leaves. ‘If the leaves are dry and crispy, it would be a result of under-watering,’ explains Lucie. ‘However, leaves that are still soft indicate overwatering.’
5. Your plants have stopped growing
Really unhealthy plants will stop growing altogether, and overwatering can be a primary cause.
‘Another thing to look for is if your plant stops growing or the new growth looks small and weak, since overwatering makes it hard for the roots to do their job,’ Julian explains.
Luckily, there are a number of irrigation systems out there that you can set up to help you water your plants correctly.
‘For outdoor plants and greenhouses, the Hozelock Solar Select is a great automatic watering solution that can help prevent overwatering,’ says Alina. ‘It’s 100% solar-powered, and with 13 preset watering programmes, users can easily control the duration, frequency, and volume of watering per dripper. The ‘Rain Delay’ function pauses watering for up to five days based on weather forecasts to conserve water.
You can buy the Hozelock Solar Select Controller from Amazon.
Keep an eye out for these signs of overwatering and nip it in the bud before it’s too late!
Read the full article here