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Here’s a tip I got a long time ago about watering house plants or any plants outside.
Watering Mistakes
If you are watering your plants on a schedule, your most likely killing them or stunting their growth. Watering schedules aren’t a good idea. Because plants don’t use water on a schedule.
By watering your plants on a schedule you most likely are either drowning them or causing them to wilt and die of lack of water. The former is what causes most plants to a early death.
Plants that are watered without letting the soil to dry out enough, are not getting any air to their roots. Without proper air to the plant roots, they develop root rot. Roots should be white and firm. If your plant roots are brown and mushy it has root rot. But if its not dead, it can be saved. just re pot it taking out some of the old soil and replacing it with new.
Proper Watering
To determine when to water. Push a finger down into the soil, between the first and second knuckle. If it feels wet. DO NOT WATER. If it feels dry Do Water. If you really cant tell. Here’s a tip from my horticulture teacher “IF in doubt, let it dry out”
You can also tell if a plant needs watering , You can pick up the pot and tell by weight. This works mostly for plastic or foam pots. Clay pots are hard to tell because they are already heavy. A pot that needs water will weigh less that one that doesn’t. This is how to start learning how to tell if your plant needs watered by weight. Lift it up and if it feels like it needs water, stick a finger in it and check for sure.
How Much?
Now how much to water. There is a lot of misinformation about how much to water. So let me set the record straight. Water your plants with tepid water. Not ice cold water. If you want to set some water out, so It will be at room temperature before watering. That would be good too.
As far as letting the water set overnight to let the chlorine evaporate. Most cities now treat their water with chroramine(when chlorine and ammonia are combined). And it will not evaporate.
Now for the watering… Water the plants until the potting media is soaked. Water will be running thru the bottom of the pot. Here’s a note. If you let your plants media dry out to much- where the plant is wilting and them some. Then it’s best to soak the plant in the sink or bowl until the surface of the soil is moist. It may help if the soil is that dry to use warm water. But not hot water.
Well that’s it for now Oh you can take this into the garden. But dig down a couple or three of inches too tell if the garden needs watered.
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Author Bio Box: Curtis White
 From my garden blog. http://growingthumbs.wordpress.com/techniques/how-to-water/
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