How to water indoor plants during flowering and dormancy

Not every novice florist knows how to waterhouseplants. The usual picture: the landlady went to the window, was horrified that the ground in the pots dried up, filled the pitcher with tap water and splashed under each flower. The norm of irrigation is standard: until the liquid seeps into the pan. Just do not understand why the same plants that the neighbor looks great, do they wither and get sick? A good floriculturist approaches each bush individually, he knows, in winter or summer he needs a lot of drinking, and in what season the moisture should be limited. Sometimes it is desirable to supplement ordinary water with succinic acid, iodine or manganese.

How often to water house plants

It is impossible to give an exact scheme of the periodicity and volume of irrigation, it all depends on a variety of conditions. People and animals also drink differently depending on the weather conditions, food eaten, health status and many other factors. So the flower: on a hot day in the sun it needs a lot of water;In a cool and cloudy weather with high humidity and in winter, the liquid is almost completely unnecessary. Especially seriously it is necessary to treat watering with the addition of some components: succinic acid, stimulants, fertilizers. If excess moisture simply flows through the drainage holes, then excess nutrients, especially at a time when they are not needed, will cause great harm.

What determines the need for indoor flowers in a liquid? The larger the bush, the more water it needs. Much moisture is required by the plant in the following cases:

• during flowering and active growth;
• in the heat, in bright sunlight and low humidity;
• if the "green pets" have strong roots;
• if the plant has thin leaves and stems or lush greens;
• if they grow in ceramic ware.

Tip

Make sure the pot size matches the size of the root system. In close crockery the flower will quickly pull out all the moisture from the soil, and it will have to be watered very often.

The general rule is to water the flowers when all the soil has dried. Only how to correctly determine this point? The surface can be dry, and in the middle the ground is simply impregnated with water.

There are several methods to determine the time when the flower is about to water.

1. The surface of the earth becomes pale and when kneaded with fingers it turns into dry dust.
2. Knock your fingers on the bottom of the pot. If you hear a sonorous sound - the ground has dried up.
3. Use a finger or a stick to ground around the outside edge of the pot to half the depth, if the soil is dry, the plant should be watered.
4. Wet land weighs more than dry. Raise the pot before and after watering and remember what weight should be felt.
5. Use the humidity indicator. Note that if there are many mineral salts in the soil, the readings may be inaccurate.

All these methods are best used only when you have accumulated enough experience. A flower grower who understands the needs of his animals, just a few seconds, to understand what they want to drink. The recipe exists only one: start with the most unpretentious and hardy plants. When you learn to correctly understand their needs in summer and in winter, you can get capricious and exotic flowers.

All these recommendations apply to plants with thin leaves that require constantly moist soil. Flowers with thick or pubescent leaves and fleshy rhizomes can carry a drought for some time. Water them a few days after the drying of the soil. In winter, during a rest period, plants should be watered no more often than once in 2-3 weeks. Cacti and succulents are even more adapted to drought, it is better to supply them with water no more often than once a week, and with high humidity and cool temperatures, sometimes one irrigation per month is enough.

Symptoms of watering problems

With inept watering plants will immediately show the owner that they feel discomfort. How to understand that a flower suffers from thirst?

1. The leaves are lowered.
2. All green parts lose elasticity.
3. Buds and flowers quickly fade and fall.

If you notice the dangerous signs in time, the flower can still be saved. When the soil is too dry, it stops absorbing water, and the liquid is immediately poured into the pan. Just watering a plant means not doing anything. Take it from the shower, and completely immerse the pot in the water. In order for the liquid to be absorbed into the soil, pour in 2-3 drops of liquid dish detergent and mix well. Do not add fertilizers or succinic acid, first let the plant come to life. After about an hour, remove the pot from the water. When the earth dries, see if there are any crevices between the soil and the pot walls, and fill the voids with a nutrient mixture.

If you overdone with watering, the following signs will tell about it:

• rot and mold appear on the above-ground part;
• leaf ends get brown;
• flower grows poorly and develops;
• plant discards leaves, but in winter in some species this is a natural phenomenon.

Urgent action needs to be taken until the plant has died. Take out the flower with an earthen lump from the pot, cut the decayed roots. Wrap the soil with a cloth that absorbs water well, or toilet paper. From time to time, change the drying material. When the surplus fluid is removed, re-plant the plant in another container or old vessel, having previously disinfected it.

What water to water house plants

In the yard of the XXI century, and water is often chlorinated. If you take a liquid for irrigation from a waterpipe, pre-pour it into open containers and leave for a day, so that the harmful gases come out. In the water from the tap or from the river, dissolved salts can be contained. If soap when washing and bathing almost does not give foam, the water you have is very stiff and can damage plants. To soften it, you need to stir in each liter of liquid a teaspoon of ash or add a few drops of vinegar. If you are not sure about the quality of the water, it is better to pass it through a special filter.

The best option is thawed or rainwater. It should be fresh, do not use liquid that has been in the barrel for a long time and has got an unpleasant smell. Defrost snow in places where there are no trails, landfills and other dirty objects nearby. When there is only very hard water at hand, boil it.

Do not water the indoor flowers with cold water. A sharp temperature drop causes stress and disease in plants. The liquid should be at room temperature or a little warmer. Put containers with water on the sunny window sill, and in winter next to the battery, for a day it will become quite warm.

How to water the flowers in the summer

In summer, most indoor plants grow intensively, and they need a lot of liquid. Make sure that the soil in the pots does not dry out. At this time, you can water with nutrients: succinic acid, fertilizers, iodine, potassium permanganate. Remember that even the most useful component in large quantities is harmful, do not exceed the concentration of solutions:

• For 10 liters of water, 0.1 g of potassium permanganate.
• For 1 liter of water, 1 g of succinic acid.
• For 1 liter of water - 3 ml of iodine.

Council

If a little hydrogen peroxide is added to the iodine solution, the plant can be treated with plants affected by phytophthora.

There are plants that have a resting period in summer, and active growth in winter. To water them it is necessary not more often than once a week and to watch, that the ground and did not become too wet, and did not turn in absolutely dry lump. Find the coolest place in the house and clean the pots there so that the heat does not interfere with the flowers to properly rest. Do not add succinic acid, fertilizers or stimulants to the water.

If you often leave the apartment for a week or more, do not make your pets suffer from thirst, choose some watering option without their presence. There are various tools for keeping the soil moist. Get a self-polishing pot or drip irrigation system for indoor plants. When transplanting, add to the soil substrates that accumulate moisture, and then slowly give it away. If the trip was urgent and unexpected, fill the pallets with water, the soil will gradually draw it through the drainage holes.

Do you need to water your home flowers in winter

In winter, many plants fall into a state of rest. Life processes are very slow, growth and development cease. Water them rarely, you yourself will notice that the soil dries very slowly. With a large dryness of the air, the soil should be moistened, but do not add succinic acid to the water, nor other fertilizers and stimulants.

Remove all self-priming systems, they are designed to keep the soil moist. If in the summer you watered the flowers through the drainage holes, pour the water out of the pallets. Wintering should take place in a cool, not too dry room. Cacti and succulents in a cool place during a rest period should not be watered at all.

Some plants actively develop and bloom in the winter. They can not be left without water, moisten the soil as soon as it dries. Do not forget that during the flowering period, plants require enhanced nutrition. You can feed them with complex fertilizers and amber water.

What can be added to water for irrigation

When watering, you can use various nutritional supplements. Many housewives pour water into the pots, in which they cooked potatoes. Starch is a good top dressing, but only if you cook a dish without salt. You can pour mineral water, if it is not too saturated with salts. Carbonated beverage should be held in an open vessel until all the bubbles leave the liquid.

1 g of succinic acid can be added to 1 liter of water, it is a good stimulator of plant growth and development. Although this substance is harmless and has a good effect on the immunity of indoor flowers, it is not necessary to use it more than 2 times a month. When transplanting, you can immerse the roots in this solution, it well stimulates the growth and development of all parts of the plant.

When watering a flower with water with potassium permanganate, you destroy the midges that appear from the dampness. The same solution will help disinfect the soil in pots. Water with iodine is a wonderful cure for fungal infections. All these components are not only a remedy, but also a source of essential microelements.

Do not envy a neighbor, no matter what flower garden it is decorating its window. Set up the correct watering of indoor flowers, do not forget about succinic acid and other useful additives. In a couple of months you can invite your friend to visit. Seeing your lush blossoming bushes, she does not believe that the window is ordinary geranium and gloxinia. Now let the neighbor envy that your flowers are better!