How to remove excess water in a pot

As we all know, water is essential for life. But just as our stomachs can hurt when we drink too much, potted plants also have a hard time when we overwater themwith the difference that they are at the mercy of the care we give them; And of course, if these are wrong, they will have more difficulties to recover.

But don’t panic, because I’m going to explain how to remove excess water in a pot and, thus, getting the chances that they improve are greater.

What are the symptoms of overwatering potted plants?

The first is the first. First of all, we have to know if our potted plant is drowning or if something else is happening to it. And well, for it it is important to remember what are the symptoms that usually show when the earth is too wet or even waterloggedand the roots have a hard time:

Lower leaves yellow

It is one of the most common symptoms, and it is that If the roots send more water to the leaves than they need, the first to go wrong will be the lower ones because they are the first to receive that precious liquid. But soon after we will see that the other leaves also begin to yellow. Eventually they turn brown and sometimes, depending on the plant species in question, drop.

Sad overall appearance

This is seen in some plants, such as many that are kept indoors, such as the spatiphyll, for example. When they have too much water, the leaves “drop”. It is as if the stems lost strength and were no longer able to support said leaves.. But you have to be careful, because we will also see this symptom if what happens is that the plant is thirsty. In order not to get confused, we will have to see what other signs or damage it shows.

The earth is wet and heavy

When we water, the weight of the soil that the plant has increases. Therefore, if we take the pot, we will notice that it weighs more than when we have not watered it for several days. In addition, depending on what type of substrate we have put on it, the weight will be greater or less. For example, those with black peat or mulch weigh more than those with blonde peat, coconut fiber and/or vermiculite.

Things start to get complicated when there is an excess of water, or moisture in the soil. That is when we will notice that the pot weighs practically the same for many days. Y if we also have it inside a pot, we would even see that the recent one itself, on the outside, gets wet.

mushrooms appear

When fungus makes its appearance, it is because the problem has gotten much worse. In these cases, what you have to do is prune everything that is affected (ie rotten stems, leaves that are no longer green, black roots) and change both the soil and the pot. Likewise, a systemic fungicide should be applied such as this to have any chance of recovering the plant.

How do you remove excess water in pots?

Once we have identified the problem, we have to act as soon as possible so that it does not get worse. So that, what we will do will be the following:

1. We take the plant out of the pot.
2. Take absorbent kitchen paper (thick) and wrap the root bread with it. If we see that the paper gets soaked quickly, we will remove it and put another one. So until we see that it no longer happens.
3. We leave the plant like this in a room with a lot of indirect light and protected from the cold and rain for one night.
4. The next day, we will proceed to plant it in a new pot with a substrate that we have not used before.

Now, This pot must have holes in its base. This is very, very important. The water, if it cannot come out, will remain stagnant there, between the roots, and the health of the plant will continue to weaken.

For this reason Nor should the pot be placed in a pot that does not have holes in its base; even if you choose to put a plate under it, we must remember to drain it after watering, because otherwise it is as if we had not done anything.

And as we said before, if it had fungus, or if we suspect that it has and we don’t want to risk it, we have to apply fungicide as soon as possiblesince these microorganisms are very comfortable in a humid environment, and more if the temperatures are mild. Therefore, whenever we believe that we have watered too much, it does not hurt to carry out an anti-fungal treatment.

In any case, it is best to do what is in our power to avoid the problem.

How to correctly water potted plants?

The trick that has worked best for me and that I am going to tell you, surely you already know, is used to know when it is time to water: it is the one with the stick. You take a wooden stick or a stake for plastic plants, and insert it into the soil to the bottom. Then, you take it out carefully, and look to see if it is dry -in which case you would see that it has come out practically clean-, or if it is damp. If it’s dry, then you should water. But how is it watered?

Well, it’s really quite simple: You simply have to pour water into the soil until it comes out from under the pot. But if you see that said substrate does not absorb water, it is best to submerge the pot in a basin with water for about twenty or thirty minutes, why? Because when this happens, it is because the earth has dried up so much that it has become almost impermeable; that is why it is necessary to have it submerged for a while.

As you can see, it is necessary to learn to water potted plants more or less well, because this minimizes the risk of them weakening.