Determine How Much Water to Give Your Plants

Hi! John Mueller again with paradisepalm.com on behalf of expertvillage.com. Just to show you real quick, I've got a tree right here. It is a Ficus tree. Get your fingers in the soil, feel that it is dry, feel the soil and it not only appears slightly dry but it looks slightly dry. I've got my water here which you want to make sure that it is not cold, not hot. I usually refer to it as luke cold and water the plant to the extent that you get the whole soil surface and not just any one portion of the soil surface. You want even water to go through the soil evenly from side to side and also drain evenly. What that does is it allows the plant to dry evenly and to be able to wet the roots evenly from top to bottom, side to side. Now if you go as if this plant hasn't been watered and I feel it and it is as wet as it is now, you definitely do not want to water the plant. So in general if you can keep that in mind, get your fingers in the soil, check to make sure that it is moderately dry before being watered again and that you at least one week to pass between waterings, you are definitely on your way to proper watering for your plants.