Watering flowers: 5 professional tips
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Too much, too little? And which water should I use at all? Watering flowers properly is not so easy. Here you will find five tips from the professionals.
Water is essential for plants - flower watering is one of the most important aspects of care and maintenance.
Without watering the leaves will wither and finally the whole plant will die.
However, watering flowers is not always easy, and often a sure instinct is required.
What hardly anyone suspects: In most cases, potted plants do not die of thirst - they are drowned!
Here you will find five professional tips on all aspects of flower watering that will make proper watering easier.
1. water requirements: guidelines for watering flowers
Professionals know: Flowers should always be watered according to the conditions at their natural location.
Their individual water requirements depend on various factors: the nature of the plant, its age, the respective development phase, its location, light conditions, temperatures and the prevailing humidity.
Plants with hard, leathery or wax-covered leaves and thick leafed plants (e.g. succulents) need relatively little water.
Plants with large, soft leaves or dense foliage, on the other hand, need a lot of water.
Older plants with well-developed roots usually do not need to be watered as often as young plants.
High temperatures and light-intensive locations also mean an increased water requirement.
The same applies when plants are in their growth or flowering phase.
Also consider the substrate of your houseplant.
Pure peat substrate can store more water than a sandy soil mixture, for example.
2. ideal water quality
Use water as warm as possible for watering.
This is because species that require heat are particularly sensitive to "cold feet".
It is best to leave the water from the tap in the watering can for at least 24 hours, so that it assumes the temperature of the room.
Since tap water usually contains too much lime, which in the long run damages the plants,
you should take care not to water with too hard water and decalcify hard tap water.
You can find out your water hardness from your local water supply company or simply determine it yourself using quick tests from your local chemical store.
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iStock/aerogondo Use a watering can that corresponds to the volume of plants to be watered. The spout should be long and narrow |
The water hardness is measured in degrees of German hardness (°dH). 1 °dH corresponds to a lime content of 10 mg per liter.
Water is divided into four hardness ranges: 1, soft water, 1 to 7 °dH; 2, medium-hard water, 7 to 14 °dH; 3, hard water, 14 to 21 °dH and 4, very hard water, above 21 °dH.
With degrees of hardness of 10 °dH, most plants can cope without any problems, between 10 and 15 °dH one has to take lime sensitive plants into consideration.
Calciferous water is usually quickly recognizable by white (mineral) deposits on the leaves or the substrate.
The following plants are particularly sensitive to hard water: azaleas, hydrangeas, bromeliads, orchids and ferns.
Poinsettias and Usambara violets also do not tolerate lime.
It is best to water indoor plants and flowers with rainwater.
This is because it is soft.
Do not collect the rainwater until it has rained for a while - this way you reduce the degree of pollution caused by environmental influences.
3. finger test
When it comes to the right time for watering flowers, a sure instinct is required.
In most cases, watering should be done exactly when the top layer of soil has dried up.
Professionals make a finger test to check.
To do this, press the soil about one centimeter deep with your thumb or index finger.
If you feel that the soil is still moist even under the top layer, you do not need to water it yet.
Clay pots with white spots on the outer wall usually indicate a lack of water.
It can also be helpful to knock against the clay wall with your knuckle.
If the earth is still sufficiently moist, you will hear a relatively muffled sound.
The sound is bright when the soil is dry.
4. when and how to water flowers properly
In sunny locations it is important that the water drops on the leaves can dry off well before the sunlight becomes too strong.
Otherwise they burn quickly. It is therefore advisable to water the flowers in the morning.
The way you water them is also important: whether from above or below. You should only water cyclamen, bubic violets and violets from below.
Plants with sensitive leaves or tubers should also be watered over a coaster.
Most plants can be watered directly from above over the substrate.
Orchids usually get better results if they are sprayed or dipped in a flower shower.
This depends on the species.
However, very few indoor plants can tolerate waterlogging: Their roots then begin to rot.
Some gravel or stones as a drainage layer at the bottom of the flowerpot prevent the water drainage hole from being blocked with soil and moisture from accumulating.
If excess water collects in the coaster half an hour after watering, it must be drained off by hand.
If the root ball has dried out so much that it detaches from the edge of the pot,
it can be helpful to dip the entire plant in a bucket of water or place it in a water bath immediately until no more air bubbles are rising.
If the leaves are extremely wilted, it can help if you wrap the above-ground parts with thick layers of wet newspaper for some time.
5. certain plants, certain wishes
As far as watering is concerned, each plant has its own requirements.
Some plants, such as cacti or succulents, for example, need a dormant period in winter, during which they only need a sparing supply of water.
Bromeliaceous plants, on the other hand, form a funnel from their leaves, over which they should also be watered.
This is best achieved by using a watering can with a long and narrow spout.
Plants that need to be watered frequently and abundantly are hydrangeas and various types of ornamental asparagus.
Cyprus grass and indoor bamboo always want to have their water administered through the coaster.
It is best to find out what individual needs your new plant has when you buy it.
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