Black Thumb Basics: Watering

My friends who claim to have black thumbs ask me all the time how I know when my plants need water. These poor people stare at me intently as I explain and scribble notes frantically as if there will be a timed quiz later, complete with an essay question. "Put down the pencil," I reassure, "It's easy." And it is.

Sure, each plant has its own water requirements and some need more, while some prefer less. But I promise you, with practice, you'll come to find that it's just not that scary or that hard.

How do I know when it's time to water my plants? Well, to be fair, I've spent a lot of time with my plants and know them pretty well. I've underwatered all of them and overwatered most of them at one point or another. Each time I messed up, I made a mental note and now I understand all of my plants watering needs. But if you're a beginner and are scared to death at the prospect of watering, relax and follow these easy steps. If you think your plant might be thirsty, stick your finger in the dirt near the plant up to at least your first knuckle joint. If the ground feels dry, add some water! If it feels wet, don't!

No really, it's that easy.

If you're still concerned about your plants, look at the leaves. A brown and crusty leaf normally indicates a lack of water. A limp and yellow leaf normally indicates too much water. I'll be the first to admit that there are plenty of other plant ailments that have nothing to do with watering that can show up in the form of brown and crusty or yellow and limp leaves. For that kind of diagnosis, you'll need a good gardening book or an experienced gardening friend. I highly recommend having ready access to both.

One more tip to keep in mind when contemplating your plants water needs: drainage, or the ability of the soil or container to retain and also dispel water appropriate to the plant's needs. How do you know if your plant has the proper drainage? If you feel like you're water the fool out of your plants and they're still parched, your container might have too many holes, which means the water is essentially running through the soil without reaching the roots. You can fix this problem by getting a new container. If the problem is the soil itself, then you will need to amend it - a topic for another post. If you have the opposite problem, water that is consistently damp even when you haven't watered in awhile, then you need to create more drainage by either adding holes to the container or again, amending the soil. In either situation, watch your plants, and the dirt they live in to get all the clues you need to keep your plants properly hydrated.