We all would like to have plants that are always healthy and perfect, right? Not surprisingly, that would mean that we are providing them with the care they need and, therefore, they are not lacking in anything. But it’s not always like this. Sometimes we think we have everything under control and one day, without more, the leaves start to get ugly. Why?
To answer that question and prevent it from happening again, we need to figure out how to tell if a plant is lacking water . And we are going to take care of this in this article 🙂.
What are the symptoms of lack of water in plants?
Plants that are thirsty are those that have dry leaf tips , brown (more frequently) or yellow. In addition, they look sad , and may have fallen or straight stems and flowers. The land we have on it will feel dry , hard, something that will prevent growth from continuing normally.
If we are not watering enough, our beloved pots or our beloved garden will lose greenness, it will lose life. But how do we have to water? It is not enough to add a little water each time, but it is important that we make sure that the soil is well moistened – not waterlogged – every time we should drink the plants.
How to recover dry plants?
Fortunately, it is relatively easy to recover a plant that has suffered from lack of water, just do the following: cut the dry or yellow parts, and fill a container with water and put the pot inside until the soil is wet . Also, it will be necessary to water more often to prevent it from happening again.
But before watering, you have to check the humidity of the soil. To do this we can introduce a thin wooden stick – one of those used in Japanese restaurants – and check how much it has adhered to it: if it comes out practically clean, it will mean that it is dry and therefore can be watered.
5 plants that don’t need water
If you still want to forget about irrigation, at least in part, you should know that there are a number of plants that can live with little water. Many of them are cultivated in the gardens of the south and east of Spain precisely for that reason, because although it rains very little and usually only a few weeks throughout the year, you only have to water them occasionally during the first twelve months; from the second or third year, watering can be suspended or, if preferred, spaced further.
Here’s a selection:
Tree of paradise
Image – Wikimedia / Anna Anichkova
The tree of paradise or melia , is a deciduous tree that reaches between 8 and 15 meters in height , with a really nice umbrella-shaped crown. Its leaves are unparalleled, and dark green in color. During the spring it produces little flowers grouped in panicles up to 20 centimeters long.
When it is grown, it is important that it be planted in the garden, in a sunny area, and at a minimum distance of 5-6 meters from walls and pipes. It supports drought well if during the rest of the year at least 350mm of precipitation falls per year, and frosts of up to -12ºC.
Cica
Image – Flickr / brewbooks
The cica is a plant that is often included in the shrub category. It has a false trunk that usually tilts a little over the years, and a crown of green and leathery leaves. The most interesting thing is that it takes out numerous new leaves at once, once a year. Besides, it does not grow more than about 7 meters although the normal thing is that it stays in 2-3 meters.
It grows well in the sun, but you have to get used to it little by little to avoid burning. Otherwise, it wants little water, and a mild climate with frosts down to -12ºC.
Dimorfoteca
I think there is no stronger and more adaptable flower plant than this. The dimorfoteca , with its 30 centimeters high and around one meter in length, is a beautiful and interesting option to grow in xerojardines or in gardens where it rains little (minimum 350mm of precipitation per year).
It lives well in the sun, but also in semi-shade, and its growth rate is quite fast. During most of the year it blooms, producing daisy-shaped flowers of very different colors: white, purple, orange, … In addition, it supports moderate frosts.
Laurel
Image – Wikimedia / Marija Gajić
The laurel is an evergreen tree that grows between 5 and 10 meters high . It is very common in low-maintenance gardens, as it quickly becomes accustomed (within a few months) to lack of water. Its leaves are very common in the kitchen, since they are widely used as a condiment.
Like the dimorfoteca, it vegetates well both in the sun and in semi-shade, but the soil must have good drainage. It resists to -12ºC.
Washingtonia
Image – Wikimedia / Alejandro Bayer Tamayo from Armenia, Colombia
The Washingtonia, both the thin trunk ( W. robusta ) and the thick trunk ( W. filifera ) are palm trees that live in areas where rainfall is very scarce. For this reason, although they are large plants, with a height of up to 20 meters, they are the most interesting to grow in gardens that have warm or mild climates and where, in addition, it rains little.
But that yes: they can not lack sun at any time, nor any sporadic watering during the first year they are in the ground. They resist up to -10ºC.
