Look out for signs of overwatering – including a limp plant, yellowing leaves, or dropping leaves. If you see these signs, test the soil with your fingers. It should be pretty obvious if it's soggy! Stop watering and let the soil dry out.
You can gently take the plant out of its original pot and place the root ball on top of a layer of newspaper. The newspaper will help to absorb excess water. You may need to change the newspapers a few times until it has removed as much of the water as possible.
Overwatered plants can sometimes recover on their own, but it depends on the plant and the extent of the overwatering. If the roots have rotted, the plant will likely not recover. However, if the overwatering has only caused the leaves to wilt, the plant may be able to bounce back.
It can take 7-14 days for your plant to start recovering from overwatering. If your plant is wilting from too much water, replant it. Discard any roots/fungi-infected roots using scissors. Use a quality disinfectant to lower the odds of fungal infection propagation.
– Manually Dry Out
Otherwise, manually dry out the soil by using a hair blow dryer, but of course, you will have to remove the plant from the pot so that every section of the root and the soil is dried out.
Signs of root rot are slow growth, mushy stems, and wilting, yellow, distorted leaves (especially when the plant has been well watered, as wilting leaves can also be a sign of a dry plant).
When you overwater your plant, there are several ways to rescue it. Overwatering doesn't always have to mean that your plant dies. You can let the soil dry, repot your plant in soil or leca, or propagate your plant to not have to give up on your plant and let it die.
1. If a plant is overwatered, it will likely develop yellow or brown limp, droopy leaves as opposed to dry, crispy leaves (which are a sign of too little water). Wilting leaves combined with wet soil usually mean that root rot has set in and the roots can no longer absorb water.
Plants growing in soil that is too wet suffer from a lack of oxygen which leads to the death of roots and a loss of vigor in the plant. Stunted slow growth with yellowing leaves is a symptom of over watering. Plants may suffer from leaf scorch or leaf burn.
Air drying
This is super easy with no special equipment required, just select good quality flower stems and strip off the lower leaves. Tie with a rubber band and hang upside down in a place with low light levels and good ventilation. They should be ready in a week or two.
How to Create Well-Draining Soil. Digging organic matter (like compost or shredded leaves) into your existing soil is one of the best things you can do to improve soil drainage. This simple fix works for almost any soil that drains too fast or slowly.
Move your plant to a shady area even if it is a full-sun plant. Remove any dead or dying leaves. These should be easily recognizable. Check your pot for proper drainage and, if possible, create additional air space around the roots.
A root sample will show blue-black roots, a typical sign of waterlogging that may be accompanied by a sour, rotting smell. Roots may rot away completely, with few remaining. Damaged roots will be blackened and the bark may peel away.
To dry out soil quickly, you can apply hydrated lime to the soil, add compost and then turn the soil thoroughly to aerate it. Adding hydrated lime and compost will help absorb the water in your soil, and turning it all will help distribute the water in the waterlogged soil throughout your garden.
Adding inorganic amendments such as perlite or pumice to a houseplant potting mix can make a huge difference to drainage, and help the soil dry out much faster.
Yellow Leaves + Fading to Green + or Bright Yellow =
These symptoms together mean that your plant is overwatered. Usually lower leaves drop first, although the whole plant may be affected. The solution = repot (to remove soaked soil) and water less, or let soil dry out and water less.
In the most extreme cases, when conditions are ideal for the fungus to spread quickly, plants can die within 10 days. If these symptoms occur in a plant, loosen the soil around the base of the plant with a hand trowel or shovel and remove the plant from the soil.
Underwatering your plants will result in limp and wilting leaves. Your plants must have enough water to pass through the cells for turgor. If there isn't enough water, the plant will not only wilt but also close its stoma to prevent evaporation.
When plants have too little water, leaves turn brown and wilt. This also occurs when plants have too much water. The biggest difference between the two is that too little water will result in your plant's leaves feeling dry and crispy to the touch while too much water results in soft and limp leaves.