I am kinda confused about how much water to give to the indoor plants. I know some requiere more watering than others but .... I mean, I read on some places to give water until water flows down to the tray and some other place they advice to not over water plants. Is too much watering the number of times we water our plants or the amount of water we give per watering? Is it safe to always give water until it flows down to the tray?
It is best to water thoroughly but infrequently. That means to water well, so that all of the soil in the pot is soaked, then wait until it needs watering again. For cacti and succulents that mean you wait at least until all of the soil has dried out, then you water again and water well. For other tropical plants you may only wait until the top inch or two are dry, and for others maybe until several inches of the soil are dry. It depends on the pot, the soil and the plants so it is hard to say exactly what you will need to do. That is up to you. So as I said, water thoroughly but infrequently. Too little is always better then too much. That said, all of the internet advice and talk about how much water and how often are not nearly as helpful as you just sticking your finger in the pot and seeing if it needs water. Its simply when it needs watering. Michael
I agree totally with what Michael said. The main reason is when you water thoroughly, a new charge of air is pulled into the pot by the volume of water draining from the drain holes. CO2 and other gases are purged from the soil. The longer you leave these gases in the soil, and the longer you wait to introduce a fresh charge of oxygen, the poorer the roots will be. The roots need fresh gas, too. Little "sips" of water may be a way of keeping the soil "slightly moist" all the time, as some plant tags and books may suggest, however this is not good for root health. Mark
It is also important not to let water stand in the plant tray. If a lot of water collects in the tray, pour it off, so the roots are not in standing water. How much water, really depends on the plant. Some like to dry between watering and some like to remain evenly moist all the time--never dry and never soaked.
