If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to try the lazy version of, well, just about everything to do with gardening. Whether it’s self-watering plant spikes or low-hassle tomato boosters, I’m more than happy to take the minimum-effort route where I can.
But it turns out that when it comes to watering my plant pots, that could be entirely the wrong approach (boo).
Recently, Instagram star and gardening pro Joe Clark shared a Reel explaining how to properly hydrate your fave plant babies. Here’s what they said:
A surface-level sprinkle might not cut it
“If you water your plants like this,” the green-thumbed creator said while watering the top of their plant’s soil, “you could be causing more harm than good.”
While the gardener admits that containers are a great way to grow plants in small spaces, he warns you should “be careful” when watering the confined crops. from the top.
“Although the soil may seem saturated, dig a little bit deeper and it can often be bone-dry” he warns. Improperly hydrated soil can wreak havoc on your fave plants, even causing them to wilt.
So, what can I do about it?
Firstly, remove the thin plastic tub from the inside of your ceramic or other pot. Then, “try filling up a large tray or container with water and place your plant [in its plastic casing] straight in,” Clark suggests.
The soil will then suck up water through the holes in the bottom of the plastic pot, he says, “helping to give your plants an even drink all the way throughout.”
For larger potted plants, he suggests burying a smaller plastic pot (like the kind plants usually come in) and pouring water into that. “This will get the water straight to the roots,” he says.
This is in line with advice from the Royal Horticultural Society, which says that thoroughly watering plants less often is much better for them than watering a little bit all the time ― the latter can lead to fungi, waterlogging, and overwatering. “Watering more thoroughly, but less frequently helps get the water down to the deeper root tips,” they say.
It’s important to remember that potted plants don’t usually have the oh-so-helpful creepy crawlies, like worms and beetles, that normal soil relies on to stay aerated and permeable. So trying to reach the bottom of your pot can be uniquely tricky through surface-level watering.
Here’s the full video: