Background Information on Watering

Over the last few weeks, we collected bits on best practices for household plant care. Here's a compilation of the information that we want to keep in mind as we continue to design our system:

General Information on Watering:

• Under-watering and over-watering can be detrimental to a houseplant; improper watering is the cause of most household plant problems.
• Best way to determine whether a plant needs to be watered is to check the soil moisture. 
• Most potted plants must be allowed to reach an appropriate level of dryness between waterings.
• Amount of water needed per watering depends on the species of houseplant. 
• Water should be poured slowly over the surface of the soil until is begins to drain out of the bottom of the pot. 

Hydration Measurement Guidelines:

• Soil should be dry 1/4 inches down
• Tapped pot should sound hollow
• Weight can be a good indicator for small household plants

Watering Techniques:

• Water from the top until moisture drips out of the bottom of the pot.
• Discard draining water
• Don't let bottom portion of the pot stand in water
• Water from the bottom by placing the plant in saucer until the top of the soil is moist.
• Remove plant and let excess moisture drain out of the bottom.
• Never keep the plant in standing water continuously.
• NOTE: Water all plants from top once a month to prevent mineral or salts build-up (white/brown crusty material on soil/rim of pot). 
• NOTE: Frequent watering with small amounts of water can lead to waterlogging

Warning Signs:
[Dehydration]

• Leaf growth is slow
• Leaves become translucent
• Leaves/flowers drop prematurely
• Leaf edges become brown and dried
• Lower leaves curl and yellow

[Overwatering]

• Young and old leaves fall at same time
• Root rot
• Standing water in bottom container
• Moldy flowers
• Leaves have brown soft rotten patches or fail to grow

Main Sources
Indoor Plant Care
Wikipedia: Houseplant
Guidelines for Watering Indoor Plants