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watering low light plant
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Posted by evilurbangardenfairy z4 MN (My Page) on Thu, Dec 28, 06 at 9:57
| I have not been very successful at watering draceana, chinese evergreens, and cast iron plants. They are all in very low light, and I have been waiting to they look like the need a drink ( sometimes this is more than a month from the last watering), but within days i loose leaves. They turn yellow and then fall.
It seems no matter how long i wait, when i do water I loose leaves. None of the plants sit in water when i water them. Some of the plants have soil that is now so dry water just runs throught it.
How should i be watering in these low light settings? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: watering low light plant
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| I don't grow the plants you mention, but I do have a very large jade tree that I bring indoors for the winter. I let the soil dry out between waterings. The problem with watering under these conditions is: 1) if the plant becomes root-bound, then there is very little growing medium to retain the water, and
2) most growing mediums become "hydrophobic" when dry, meaning they shed the water rather than absorb it. This is probably the reason that the water runs right through when you try to water. When I water the jade tree I pour a little water at a time, then let it sit and soak up for a good long while before watering some more. It may take 6 waterings over the course of half an hour or more before I'm satisfied that it's thoroughly watered. But it's important to get it truly watered, because I'm going to ignore it for the next month. You might also try a watering wand that turns the water into a fine mist so it's less likely to run through. |
RE: watering low light plant
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| "Very low light" means different things to different people but the plants you describe are very tolerant of low light levels. It may be that the existing leaves on your plants are adapted to higher light levels at a previous home and they will all die in the low light, to be replaced by leaves which will be happy in the dark. |
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