How to choose the optimal scheme for watering indoor plants?

Not every beginner grower knows how to water indoor plants. The usual picture: the hostess went to the window, was horrified that the earth in the pots was dry, filled the jug with tap water and splashed under each flower. The watering rate is standard: until the liquid seeps into the pan. It’s just not clear why the very same plants that look great in the roommate’s condition are withering and getting sick? A good florist approaches each bush individually, knows that in winter or summer he needs a plentiful drink, and in what season moisture needs to be limited. Sometimes it is desirable to supplement ordinary water with succinic acid, iodine or potassium permanganate.

How often do you need to water indoor plants

It is impossible to give an exact scheme of the frequency and volume of irrigation; it all depends on many conditions. People and animals also drink differently depending on weather conditions, food eaten, health status and many other factors. So is the flower: on a hot day in the sun, he needs a lot of water; in cool and cloudy weather with high humidity and in winter, the liquid is almost completely unnecessary. It is especially important to take irrigation with the addition of some components: succinic acid, stimulants, fertilizers. If excess moisture simply flows out through the drainage holes, then excess nutrients, especially during the period when they are not needed, will do great harm.

What determines the need for indoor flowers in a liquid? The larger the bush, the more water it needs. Plants require a lot of moisture in the following cases:

• during flowering and active growth;
• in heat, in bright sunlight and low humidity;
• if the "green pets" have strong roots;
• if the plant has thin leaves and stems or lush greens;
• if they grow in ceramic dishes.

Tip

Make sure the volume of the pot matches the size of the root system. In a tight bowl, the flower will quickly draw all the moisture out of the soil, and it will have to be watered very often.

The general rule is to water the flowers when all the soil has dried. Just how to correctly determine this moment? The surface may be dry, and in the middle the soil is simply saturated with water.

There are several methods to determine when a flower should be watered.

1. The surface of the earth becomes pale and when kneading with your fingers turns into dry dust.
2. Tap the bottom of the pot with your fingers. If you hear a loud sound - the ground is dry.
3. Dig a soil with a finger or a stick near the outer edge of the pot to half the depth, if the soil is dry there, it is time to water the plant.
4. Wet ground weighs more than dry. Lift the pot before and after watering and remember how heavy it should feel.
5. Use a humidity indicator. Note that if there are a lot of mineral salts in the soil, the readings may not be accurate.

All these methods are best used only when you have gained sufficient experience. A florist who understands the needs of his pets well needs only a few seconds to understand what they are thirsty for. There is only one recipe: start with the most unpretentious and hardy plants. When you learn to correctly understand their needs in summer and winter, you can start moody and exotic flowers.

All these recommendations apply to plants with thin leaves that require constantly moist soil. Flowers with thick or pubescent leaves and fleshy rhizomes can tolerate drought for some time.They need to be watered several days after the drying of the soil. In winter, during dormancy, plants should be watered no more than once every 2-3 weeks. Cacti and succulents are even more adapted to drought, it is better to supply them with water no more than once a week, and at high humidity and cool temperature sometimes one irrigation per month is enough.

Signs of watering problems

In case of inept watering, the plants will immediately show the owner that they feel discomfort. How to understand that a flower suffers from thirst?

1. Leaves are dropping.
2. All green parts lose their elasticity.
3. Buds and flowers quickly wither and fall.

If you notice dangerous signs in time, the flower can still be saved. When the soil is too dry, it stops absorbing water, and the liquid immediately spills into the sump. Just watering the plant means doing nothing. Pour it out of the shower, and completely immerse the pot in water. So that the liquid is better absorbed into the soil, pour 2-3 drops of liquid dishwashing liquid into it and mix well. Do not add fertilizer or succinic acid, first let the plant recover. After about an hour, remove the pot from the water. When the earth dries up, look for cracks between the soil and the walls of the pot, and fill the voids with the nutrient mixture.

If you overdo it with watering, the following signs will tell you about it:

• rot and mold appear on the aerial part;
• the ends of the leaves become brown;
• the flower grows poorly and develops;
• the plant discards leaves, but in some species this is a natural phenomenon in winter.

It is urgent to take action until the plant has died. Remove the flower with an earthen lump from the pot, cut off the rotted roots. Wrap the surface with some good absorbent cloth or toilet paper. Change the drying material from time to time. When the excess fluid is removed, re-plant the plant in another container or an old vessel, having previously disinfected it.

What water to water indoor plants

In the courtyard of the XXI century, and the water is often chlorinated. If you take the irrigation fluid from the water supply, pour it into open vessels in advance and leave it for a day to let out harmful gases. Dissolved salts may be contained in tap water or from a river. If the soap almost does not foam when washing and bathing, your water is very hard and can damage the plants. To soften it, you need to mix a teaspoon of ash in each liter of liquid or add a few drops of vinegar. If you are not sure about the quality of water, it is better to pass it through a special filter.

The best option is melt or rainwater. It should be fresh, do not use liquid that has been in the barrel for a long time and has acquired an unpleasant odor. Gather snow for thawing in places where there are no tracks, dumps and other dirty objects nearby. When only very hard water is at hand, boil it.

In no case do not water indoor flowers with cold water. A sharp temperature difference causes stress and disease in plants. The liquid should be at room temperature or slightly warmer. Put vessels with water on the sunny windowsill, and in winter next to the battery, it will become quite warm in a day.

How to water flowers in summer

In summer, most houseplants develop intensively, and they need a lot of fluid. Make sure that the soil in the pots does not dry out. At this time, you can water with nutrients: succinic acid, fertilizers, iodine, potassium permanganate. Remember that even the most useful component in large quantities is harmful, do not exceed the concentration of solutions:

• For 10 l of water - 0.1 g of potassium permanganate.
• For 1 liter of water - 1 g of succinic acid.
• For 1 liter of water - 3 ml of iodine.

Tip

If a little hydrogen peroxide is added to the iodine solution, the composition can treat plants affected by late blight.

There are plants in which the rest period passes in the summer, and actively grew in the winter.You need to water them no more than once a week and make sure that the earth does not become too wet, and does not turn into a completely dry lump. Find the coolest place in the house and remove the pots there so that the heat does not interfere with the flowers to rest properly. Never add succinic acid, fertilizers or stimulants to the water.

If you often leave the apartment for a week or more, do not make your pets thirsty, choose some kind of watering without your presence. There are various devices to keep the soil moist. Get a self-watering pot or drip irrigation system for indoor plants. When transplanting, apply substrates that accumulate moisture into the soil and then slowly release it. If the trip was urgent and unexpected, fill the pallets with water, the soil will gradually draw it through the drainage holes.

Do I need to water my home flowers in winter

In winter, many plants fall into a dormant state. Life processes are very slow, growth and development cease. Watering them rarely is necessary; you yourself will notice that the soil dries out very slowly. If the air is very dry, it is necessary to moisten the soil, just do not add succinic acid or other fertilizers and stimulants to the water.

Remove all self-irrigation systems; they are designed to keep the soil moist. If you watered flowers through the drainage holes in the summer, pour water from the pallets. Wintering should take place in a cool, not too dry room. Cacti and succulents in a cool place during dormancy is best not to water at all.

Some plants actively develop and bloom in winter. They can not be left without water, moisten the soil as soon as it dries. Do not forget that during flowering plants need enhanced nutrition. You can feed them with complex fertilizers and amber water.

What can be added to water for irrigation

When watering, you can use various nutritional supplements. Many housewives pour water in pots in which they cooked potatoes. Starch is a good dressing, but only if you cooked a dish without salt. You can water with mineral water, if it is not too saturated with salts. The carbonated drink must be kept in an open vessel until all the bubbles come out of the liquid.

You can add 1 g of succinic acid to a liter of water; it is a good stimulator of plant growth and development. Although this substance is harmless and well affects the immunity of indoor flowers, more often than 2 times a month it does not need to be used. When transplanting, you can immerse the roots in this solution; it stimulates well the growth and development of all parts of the plant.

When watering a flower with potassium permanganate water, you will destroy the midges that appear from dampness. The same solution will help disinfect the soil in pots. Water with iodine is an excellent cure for fungal infections. All these components are not only a therapeutic agent, but also a source of essential trace elements.

Do not envy your neighbor, no matter what flower garden decorates her window. Arrange proper watering of indoor flowers, do not forget about succinic acid and other useful additives. After a couple of months, you can invite your friend to visit. Seeing your lush flowering bushes, she will not believe that the window has the usual geranium and gloxinia. Now let the neighbor be jealous that your flowers are better!