Are your houseplants wilting even though you water them regularly? Maybe you are watering them too much! Overwatering is one of the most common mistakes in the care of indoor plants. Learn to recognize the signs of waterlogging and learn how to save plants before the roots start to rot.
Indoor plants are a great way to improve the quality of your home and at the same time add a little greenery to the room. But the following two extremes often appear in the care of maids. Either you forget about the maids, or on the contrary, you pay too much attention to them. Excessive care for indoor plants is a very common reason why plants eventually die. This excessive care appears precisely during watering. It is very important to know how much moisture your indoor plant needs and also to orientate yourself by the weather. When it is humid, the plant needs less than when it is dry and hot. But when this limit is exceeded, indoor plants begin to wither and may even die. So what to do if you spill your maids?
How to save overwatered houseplants
First of all, it is important to know how to recognize a potted houseplant. The first symptom is usually yellowing leaves. When the soil stays wet for a long time, it can also smell musty and mold can appear on the surface. A plant can appear wilted even though it actually has more than enough water. After some time, the leaves of the plant may start to turn brown, fall off, and the stems of the plant will become soft. If houseplants are in wet soil for a long time, the roots will start to rot.
It is important that you stop watering the plant as soon as you notice the overflow. Take the pot and place the plant in a place where fresh air flows. If there is water standing in the bowl under the flower pot, pour it out immediately. If the plant is left in moisture for a long time, its roots will start to rot. So find a bright place with good air circulation and let the substrate partially dry.
If the overwatering of the plant was really heavy, it is ideal to remove the plant from the pot and check the condition of the roots. If the roots are healthy, they should be light in color and firm. If the roots are dark, soft and have an unpleasant smell, it is likely that they are rotting. Damaged parts must be removed with pruning shears, and then the plant transplanted into a fresh, airy substrate, and ideally into a new pot. Proper drainage also plays a big role. It is recommended to add a layer of expanded clay or small pebbles to the bottom of the pot to help drain excess water.
Time and patience
After all these steps, the main thing is to be patient. The plant will need enough time to recover. So don’t water it for a few days and don’t put it in direct sunlight. This could weaken the plant even more, and it might not recover. Start watering the plant only when the top layer of the substrate is dry. The best protection against spillage is, of course, prevention. Try to check the soil moisture with your finger before each watering.
