I found this article about how we can give our plants too much, so will be sharing it for the next 3 days of too much we can give our plants....first it is too much water. It is a question I always ask when the gardeners ask me about a problem. How much water is the plant getting? We garden because we love to work around plants. Most plants need a little fussing to growth lush and healthy and bloom the way we want them to bloom. Gardeners go out of their way not to be too tough on their plants. However it is possible to work your plants to death, by over doing the very things we think they rely on us to deliver. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing and here are 3 examples, for the next 3 days I will share this.
1. Too Much Water The normal reaction to a wilting plant is to give it some water, but ironically, wilting is also a symptom of over watering. So if you’ve been watering your plants frequently and deeply or if you’ve gotten a lot of rain lately, think twice before you reach for the hose.
More houseplants die from being over watered than from too little water and outdoor plants are not spared that fate. If you think your plants are well watered and they still wilt and maybe start turning yellow or pale green, check the roots of a couple of plants. Roots need air, which is why we’re told to allow the soil to dry out between waterings. If the soil is always wet, no air can get in. That doesn't mean you want to leave them dry for a prolonged period, but you do not want the plant roots always sitting in wet soil or they will rot.
Healthy roots should look firm and smell clean. Most will be some shade of creamy white. Rotting roots will be dark and mushy, will an unpleasant odor. If the roots are too badly rotted, the plant may never recover, but most will rally, once you allow the soil to drain. In the meantime, it’s very important that you resist the urge to pamper the plant, while it’s ailing. Do not try to correct things with more fertilizer or pruning. Leave it alone. If you can, give it some shade for a week or two. Then let it rest and regroup on its own. As my rule of thumb, put your finger into the dirt to the first knuckle if dry then the plant needs water.
Taken from http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/fl/How-to-Kill-Your-Plants.htm?utm_content=7337008&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_campaign=gardening&utm_term= Till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa
1. Too Much Water The normal reaction to a wilting plant is to give it some water, but ironically, wilting is also a symptom of over watering. So if you’ve been watering your plants frequently and deeply or if you’ve gotten a lot of rain lately, think twice before you reach for the hose.
More houseplants die from being over watered than from too little water and outdoor plants are not spared that fate. If you think your plants are well watered and they still wilt and maybe start turning yellow or pale green, check the roots of a couple of plants. Roots need air, which is why we’re told to allow the soil to dry out between waterings. If the soil is always wet, no air can get in. That doesn't mean you want to leave them dry for a prolonged period, but you do not want the plant roots always sitting in wet soil or they will rot.
Healthy roots should look firm and smell clean. Most will be some shade of creamy white. Rotting roots will be dark and mushy, will an unpleasant odor. If the roots are too badly rotted, the plant may never recover, but most will rally, once you allow the soil to drain. In the meantime, it’s very important that you resist the urge to pamper the plant, while it’s ailing. Do not try to correct things with more fertilizer or pruning. Leave it alone. If you can, give it some shade for a week or two. Then let it rest and regroup on its own. As my rule of thumb, put your finger into the dirt to the first knuckle if dry then the plant needs water.
Taken from http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/fl/How-to-Kill-Your-Plants.htm?utm_content=7337008&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_campaign=gardening&utm_term= Till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa
