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Basic watering question

17 years ago

How do I know when my Moonglow needs water? I have it in a clay pot in mostly-cactus potting mix. I'm terrified of overwatering. (I don't know succulents at all, and I think my aloe is dying.) Will it give me a sign? (LOL, my peace lily is so good that way...!)

Thanks,

Jude

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Comments (9)

dufflebag2002
17 years ago
Start watering very thoroughly as soon as the night time temps don't go below 55F, Fertilizing will give you better plants, (stronger healther plants , more offsets, more flowers, which is only on new growth) I have been growing this species since 1978, getting my first one from the Vincent Price estate. I really didn't know which one I had at that time. It was taken from a leaf cutting. Norma
greenjude
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks...but how do I know when to water? As soon as the soil is dry all the way down? I thought they liked to be dry?
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User
17 years ago
Hi Greenjude,

OK, slow down a bit, you needn't be terrified, it's much easier to kill them from overwatering rather than under, so it's best to water them less often & err on the safer side.

But there's no great urgency, I'd just given them one good watering when you're sure it's dry all the way down the mix. Then watch & wait, observing how quickly it'll dry out in your conditions.

If you don't water it for a while, it won't be harmful to the plant, they DO have their own water reserves for a while 'cause they're succulents.

In the meantime, you can take a bit of time to read different forums here abt the different kinds of plants you've just gotten & the care they'll prefer.
greenjude
Original Author
17 years ago
LOL Pirate Girl, that's all I do, read about the different plants and the care they need!

The question I'm trying to answer, which neither my book nor any of the posts I've found makes clear to me how to tell, by the soil or by the plant, when this particular plant needs watering. Is the soil supposed to dry out and stay dry for a couple of days? Or get almost-dry? Or stay dry for a month? Or never completely dry out? This is what I'm trying to find out.

Jude
tjsangel
17 years ago
Jude,

I hate to tell you this, but it depends on the temps and time of year. In summer-this is an example-I water mine every 3 weeks, when the soil is completely dry. I grow mine in full sun, off a South window. If grown in an East window you'd probably water less. In winter I water once a month. Remember they are succulents, holding a lot of water in their leaves, and can go a long time without it. Aloes are winter growers, which means you can water them a bit more then and a little less in summer. Keep dry then water well so the soil is saturated. Dont be scared! Your plants will respond to your good care & reward you : ) Good luck,

Jen
whip1 Zone 5 NE Ohio
17 years ago
I'm still a beginner with house plants. The first lesson I learned was do not over water. Especially succulents. If you think they need water, wait a while, then water. The stress signals of an underwatered and overwatered plant look pretty much the same. Underwatering is easy to fix, overwatering is not. Give the plants a deep drink, and then let them be!
greenjude
Original Author
17 years ago
Hmm. Thanks everyone - I guess I just have to hope I develop some sense. I guess I'll let it stay dry for about a week or so and then water again. If it starts drying out more quickly, I'll water more frequently. I dunno. I don't really "get" this plant yet...lol.

Jude
User
17 years ago
Well Jude,

Spend some time just watching the plant & over some time you'll get the feel of it. It's hard to say for a lot of reasons, peoples' growing conditions are so variable ....

You're handle doesn't indicate where you are, many of ours do & it can help to know this.

Norma, who is in CA grows in a dry climate & she knows here in NYC we have humidity to deal with, so each us of has to conform our growing to differences like that.

Add to that Sans. come from lots of diff. places where growing conditions vary as well. Many like it on the drier side, but really the key thing is that they be fast draining, 'cause what they tend not to like is staying wet or moist. Yet they also can thrive in the tropics, w/ lots of humidity (I grew up in tropical Brazil, where these plants grow absolutely anywhere they can get a foothold).

So you see, it's tough to make hard & fast rules for this, sorry.
brandon7 TN_zone7
17 years ago
Jude,

If you plant Sansevierias in a clay pot with fast draining soil (I use half cactus mix, half perlite) and water once a week (if kept inside), I think it would be difficult to overwater the plant. I have many different types. I watered them spareingly when I first started my collection and they started to suffer. The leaves started folding up. After trying different things and listening to different people, I decided to ignore the ones that said to water spareingly. I started watering them thoroughly once a week. Since then, my plants have done much much better and are thriving on all the water I can give them once a week.

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