It can be hard to keep on top of the watering schedule, especially during the hotter months or when you have a lot going on.
If you have been wondering how to keep indoor plants from drying out, you’re definitely in the right place! Let’s go through the best ways, together.
What You'll Learn Today
How To Keep Indoor Plants From Drying Out
Keeping your plants well watered is one of the most important things to keep them healthy and happy.
Some plants have very high water needs, so if you have one of these then you may find that you just have to be more on it with the watering can!
Because many houseplants come from tropical climates, they like humidity – misting a great way to keep them healthy and to stop them from drying out.
In hot weather, a plant that is close to a window where the sun comes in may dry out quicker than others in different positions – you may have to consider moving them.
The air inside a house is often more dry than the outside air. If you know your house is hot and dry, consider getting a humidifier.
Some plants really like to be misted – this adds humidity to the air, and the plants can absorb water through the leaves as well as from the soil.
A self-watering system, like a watering globe, is a great option for those of use who can be a little forgetful when it comes to the watering schedule!
What Causes Indoor Plants To Dry Out?
The most obvious answer to this question is that they use more water than they are being given.
Another cause may be the hotter weather – if the air temperature is higher, plants will use more water, and there won’t be as much moisture in the air.
Many houses have a central heating system, which can dry the air as well as heating it, which can cause problems for many plants.
Often, indoor houseplants come from hotter countries with a tropical atmosphere, so they need more humidity in the air than they are getting.
Surprisingly, pests and bugs can also be a cause of your houseplants looking dry – these creatures can take on water themselves, leaving less for your plants to use.
If a plant is too close to a hot area in the house, or near a window in the direct sunlight, this can cause them to dry out more quickly.
How Do You Revive A Dry Houseplant?
If your plant has dried out and is looking very sorry for itself, you can definitely bring it back from the edge.
- The first step is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Place your plant’s entire pot in a container full of water and leave it for 15-30 minutes.
- Lift it out and let the water drain away – you don’t want to try to cure the underwatering by overwatering!
- Set a reminder to water the plant again the following day, in the same way, to ensure that it has had a really good drink.
- After this, ensure that you water it regularly – when the soil is dry to the first knuckle of your finger, it’s time to get the watering can out.
- Remove any dead foliage. The plant may have cut off support entirely from some leaves to try to save itself – if these leaves are completely dead, they need to go.
- Give it a feed. Giving your plant a helping hand in the form of some all round liquid fertilizer is a great way to get it back to its former glory.
Will Dried Out Plants Recover?
Thankfully, the answer to this question is usually yes. As long as your plant is still alive, you should be able to bring it back.
Once you have given it a really good watering by submerging the pot in a container of water, you can help it in other ways too:
- Ensure that it has its favorite conditions. Place it in a sunny position, keep it warm (but not too warm) and water it regularly.
- Add a little feed. Giving your plant some fertilizer can help it get the boost it needs to recover from the stress.
- Mist it regularly. Adding some humidity to the air will help your plant to recover from its dry spell.
- Remove dead or dying leaves. If the plant has started to sacrifice its own leaves, you may as well remove them to help the whole plant recover faster.
This is a long video, which explains everything you need to know about underwatered plants:
What Can I Put In My Potted Plants To Retain Moisture?
Using watering globes and self watering pots is all well and good if you are going away, but what if you want to keep your plants consistently moist?
A great solution is moisture retaining granules. You may have seen these in potting mix, but did you know you can buy them separately and add them at will?
These clever little beads can be added to your indoor plants’ soil, and they will help the soil retain moisture better, for longer periods.
Water-retaining granules will swell up to many times their size when wet, meaning that they can then release their moisture slowly in hotter weather.
They are ideal for hanging baskets, potted plants, and those that have high water needs that are not being met.
Just ensure that you follow the directions on how much to add; they really can swell up to enormous sizes and can even push plants out of their soil!
To learn a little more about moisture-retaining granules, check out this article.
Final Thoughts
Once you have got the hang of how to keep indoor plants from drying out, you can get on with the more important business of just enjoying them!
Keeping your plants healthy and happy is a must, and therefore watering them is a must. Fingers crossed you now have some great ideas on how to do this easily.
