Watering can be a tricky task this time of year. With the sweltering heat of summer, combined with a sunny day, plants can start to show symptoms of stress fairly quickly. Your first reaction may be to water, but sometimes over-watering can be just as detrimental to a plant’s health as under-watering.
Symptoms of both over and under-watering can look very similar. Leaves can turn brown and wilt. With under-watering, often times leaves turn brown and wilt and those dead leaves will be crispy and dry. While with over-watering, those leaves may still be soft and limp. Over-watering can easily lead to root rot of the plant. Plants infected with root rot will begin to brown in one section or side of the plant and the dying off of branches or parts of the plant will spread until the entire plant is deceased. Sometimes, a plant can look dead, but may still be alive even though it’s lost all of its leaves. Make sure to scratch the surface of the plants stems with a knife or a pair of hand pruners. If you can still see green, then the plant is still alive and maybe it was simply dropping leaves as a defense mechanism to the heat/drought. You can also cut back the plant and add hand-watering to help bring the plant back to life.
The only sure-fire way to determine if you are over or under-watering is to routinely check your soil moisture. You do this, by sticking your finger 1-2″ down into the surrounding soil. If the soil is moist, you are fine and just make a note to check again tomorrow. If the soil is dry, it’s time to water. Water deeply and aim all water at the roots, avoiding getting a lot of water on leaves and blooms.
Just like us, plants can feel the effects of summer sun and heat. Plants transpire water and require a little extra water to stay in tip-top shape. Don’t forget about your green friends in the yard this summer!
