Planting Tips

Chapter 4 How to Water Potted Plants at Home
Watering potted plants is a regular and important maintenance task.Due to the limited volume of the flower pot, the pot soil is prone to drought. Failure to water in time or watering less will cause the leaves to wilt and affect the growth of flowers.On the contrary, if you water too much and too often, the pot soil will often be waterlogged, and the root system will rot and die due to suffocation.Those who are new to growing flowers in the family are afraid that the potted flowers will lack water, so they water every day regardless of the dryness and humidity of the potted soil. As a result, many flower growers water the potted flowers to death, but those who die of potted plants are rare, so watering potted flowers is a technical problem. Strong work, to master the following points.

(1) Water quality Water is divided into hard water and soft water according to the salt content, and soft water is suitable for watering flowers.In natural water, rainwater (or snow water) is the most ideal, because rainwater is a kind of water that is close to neutral, does not contain minerals, and contains more air, which is most suitable for the growth of flowers.Secondly, river water or pond water is better.If tap water is used, it must be stored for 1 to 2 days to allow the chlorine in the water to dissipate before use.Washing water containing soap or washing powder and dishwater containing oily stains cannot be used to water flowers.

(2) Water temperature Use well water or tap water to water the flowers. In summer, it should be stored in the sun for 1 to 2 days, which can increase the water temperature and reduce the temperature difference between the water temperature and the pot soil.If cold water is poured directly under the hot sun, the soil temperature will suddenly drop, which will stimulate the root hairs, which will hinder the normal absorption of water, cause "physiological drought", cause the leaves to scorch, and in severe cases, the plants will die.

(3) Watering amount The amount of watering for potted flowers should be determined on the one hand according to the ecological habits of each flower itself; on the other hand, the type and composition of the culture soil, weather conditions, plant size, growth stage, and flowerpot size should also be considered. , location and other factors.After comprehensive consideration, determine whether watering is required and the amount of watering.

For general flowers, the water supply is different throughout the year.In spring, the temperature gradually rises, and the flowers gradually enter the vigorous growth period, and the amount of watering should gradually increase.Spring watering should be done in the morning.The weather in summer is hot, the flowers grow vigorously, and the transpiration is strong, so the amount of watering should be sufficient.Watering should be carried out in the morning and evening. Try not to water when the temperature is high at noon. You can sprinkle water on the ground to reduce the temperature and increase the air humidity.After the beginning of autumn, the temperature gradually decreases and the flowers grow slowly, so watering should be reduced.The temperature is low in winter, and many flowers enter a dormant or semi-dormant period. At this time, watering should be controlled, and the pot soil should not be watered if it is not too dry.Otherwise, the roots are most likely to rot and leaves will fall, which will affect the growth and flowering of next year.Winter watering should be carried out between 13 and 14 in the afternoon.Potted flowers not only need to be watered at the right time and in the right amount, but also need to be sprayed with the right amount of water at the right time to increase the air humidity, lower the temperature, wash away the dust on the branches and leaves of the flowers, and wash away some pests.In order to prevent young leaves from scorching and keep plants fresh, especially for some heat-resistant flowers (such as cyclamen, fuchsia, etc.) Spray water in the surrounding environment to keep the air at a considerable humidity, which is very beneficial to its growth and development.

The amount of water sprayed should vary according to the variety of flowers. Seedlings and delicate flowers, as well as newly potted cuttings that have not yet taken root, should be properly sprayed with more water.Tropical orchids, araceae, bromeliad flowers and ferns all require frequent watering.However, some flowers are very sensitive to water and humidity, such as gloxinia and lotus flower, etc., whose leaves have thicker hairs, which are not easy to evaporate after falling into water, causing the leaves to rot.What are the disadvantages of underwatering or overwatering potted flowers? Potted flowers grow in pots for a long time. Due to the limited potting soil and little water storage, they need to be watered frequently during the whole growth process to ensure the normal growth of flowers. development.Insufficient water supply or excessive watering will have adverse effects on flowers.

Insufficient watering is not good, and conversely, too much watering is also harmful.To clarify this issue, we need to start with the physiological role of water in flowers and plants.

Simply speaking, the role of water in the life process of flowers has the following aspects: first, water is the main component of plant cell protoplasm; second, water participates in plant photosynthesis, respiration, synthesis, decomposition and other metabolic activities; The various organic and inorganic nutrients needed can only be absorbed and utilized by flowers and plants and transported in the body only when they are dissolved in water; Fourth, only when the cells of flowers and plants contain sufficient water to maintain the tension of the cells can the branches and leaves stand upright and convenient. Accept sunlight and conduct gas exchange, etc.Therefore, in order to make flowers grow and develop normally, their demand for water must be met. Reasonable watering is the key to the success of flower cultivation.

Potted flowers are often not watered enough, the leaves and petioles of the flowers will shrink and droop, and the plants will be in a wilting state.If the potted flower is in such a state of insufficient water supply and wilting leaves for a long time, the older leaves at the bottom of the plant will gradually turn yellow and dry, the new shoots will shrink, the growth will be slow, and the leaves will lose their bright green luster, which will eventually affect the quality of flowering or flowers.Some flower growers are afraid of overwatering, and they can't water the potted flowers thoroughly every time, forming "waist cut water", that is, the amount of water watered only wets the surface pot soil, while the pot bottom soil is dry.This watering method will also affect the normal growth and flowering of flowers.Therefore, when watering, you should see dry and wet, and water thoroughly.

If the potted flowers are watered too much, the water fills the soil gap, the soil air is replaced by water, resulting in hypoxia in the soil, the root tissue will have difficulty breathing due to hypoxia, the metabolic function will be reduced, and water absorption and fertilizer absorption will be blocked for a long time. Flowers will suffocate to death.Scientific experiments have shown that if the oxygen content in the soil is lower than 10%, it will inhibit the absorption of the root system of flowers, and then affect the physiological functions of the whole plant.At the same time, due to the lack of oxygen in the soil, the normal activities of aerobic microorganisms such as nitrifying bacteria and ammonifying bacteria that have the function of decomposing organic matter in the soil are hindered, and the organic matter in the soil cannot be effectively decomposed, thereby affecting the supply of mineral nutrients.Due to the lack of oxygen in the soil, anaerobic microorganisms such as butyric acid bacteria reproduce and move in large numbers, producing a series of toxic substances, which directly poison the roots and cause root poisoning death.

Potted flower watering is a regular management task in the process of growing flowers. It is common but very important and should be paid attention to by flower growers.Watering should grasp the principle of "seeing the dry and seeing the wet" of the pot soil. This will not only meet the water demand of the flowers, but also maintain the oxygen content in the soil, so that the flowers can grow and develop normally.

(End of this chapter)