How to water my plant?
The best place to start for watering intel is the product page of the plant you’ve bought from Patch. This is where you’ll get bespoke information about what your plant needs to thrive. Just scroll to the bottom for tips on when and how much to water it. There are, however, a few general rules for watering. The best tip involves getting your hands dirty: stick a finger in the pot until the soil reaches your knuckle. How does it feel? It should feel a little moist by your fingertip. If it’s not, give it a good drink. If it feels very wet, then you can let it be.
If your plant is ready for a soak, pour water onto the soil until the pot is about to overflow and then allow it to drain for thirty seconds. Then, do this again to make sure that every inch of root gets a drenching. For indoor plants, if you find that after ten minutes there is still excess water at the bottom of the pot, then pour this water down the sink as the plant has quenched its thirst. Not doing this risks saturating the roots and killing the plant.
For outdoor plants with a drainage hole, the excess water will simply escape through the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. If the water runs out immediately, it means the soil is so dry that it has shrunk away from the pot, and the water is just running straight down the sides, leaving the compost – and the roots – as dry as before. In that case, go slow and steady, so the water really soaks in . Or, with small pots, dunk them in a bucket of water and hold under until air bubbles stop rising. Then lift out and drain.
Most plants appreciate being left to dry out a little bit between waterings, otherwise their roots can rot. But if your plant is like Bertie or Boo, the Fargesia Bamboo (below), they prefer things a little damp. To be on the safe side, check the product page.
What about feeding and deadheading?
Plants need food as well as water. During the growing season, feed your plants once a week, using a liquid feed while watering. There’s no need to feed outside your plant’s growing season, typically late summer and winter.
Baby Bio is the UK’s most popular brand of plant feed. There’s a different version for indoor and outdoor plants, simply mix with water and pour onto plants. Patch recommend how often it should be applied on the plant product page.
Deadheading is a simple activity that will help you get the most out of your flowering plants, for longer. It isn’t just cosmetic, although it will certainly help them look better. Not doing it prevents a plant from producing more flowers so don’t be afraid to get the nail scissors out!
To do it, it’s as simple as pinching or snipping off the dead blooms. During the summer, try to deadhead every few days – no hardship on a warm evening with a glass of wine in hand – and your plants will carry on flowering for weeks if not months.
This article was written by our good friend, Alice Vincent (aka @noughticulture). For more practical advice on how to become a plant-pro check out her book How to Grow Stuff. It’s a simple, straightforward and no-fuss guide to gardening for beginners and those who have already learned to love plants.
