Make a ball of soil and drop it. If the ball crumbles, your garden is ready for seeds. If it holds its shape or breaks into two clumps, it's still too wet for planting. You can also step into the garden and then step back and look at the footprint you've left in the soil.
Soggy soil will look dark and damp, and will hold its form when squeezed and compacted and will have a plastic consistency. If you squeeze darker soil in your hand, and it maintains that shape, your water is soggy.
Planting in wet soil conditions also creates lumpy soil, which is counterproductive to making seed beds with a fine tilth. Large clumps make it difficult to cover all the seeds to the correct depth and creates an uneven surface that doesn't retain a consistent amount of moisture across the bed.
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.
Collect some soil in your hand from the depth of the field where you are planning to plant the seed. Now try to squeeze the soil in your fist. With excess moisture and soil is able to cling to your palm, then the soil maybe too wet and not suitable for planting seeds.
Wet soil or fully saturated soil is soil that has all pore spaces filled with water and devoid of air. For example, a sponge that is completely full of water and no air would be considered fully saturated. Roots need air—even those of high moisture plants.
It usually takes a few days after a good rain for the soil to dry out enough that you can start planting.
If you walk across your lawn and the ground feels spongy and has a lot of give in it, you are likely overwatering. Watering less often and allowing the soil to dry out before watering again actually encourages grass roots to grow deeper to find moisture.
The recovery time depends on the severity of the overwatering, but it can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks for a plant to recover.
Signs of Overwatering
When a plant is first becoming overwatered, leaves turn yellow. If soil doesn't have a chance to dry out before you water again, leaves start to wilt. When overwatering is the problem, wilted leaves are soft and limp. (If too little water is the issue, wilted leaves are dry and crispy.)
Soils with excessive moisture have poor aeration because pore spaces are filled with water. Roots tend to grow near the surface in such soils. With poorly anchored roots, a tree is susceptible to wind throw.
Too much water can be just as damaging to plants as too little water. Before watering, check your garden's soil moisture with your finger. Push it into the ground around your plants. You want the top 2 or 3 inches of the soil to be dry, and the soil below that to be moist.
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.
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).
Browning edges: Another symptom that can go both ways. Determine which by feeling the leaf showing browning: if it feels crispy and light, it is underwatered. If it feels soft and limp, it is overwatered. Yellowing leaves: Usually accompanied by new growth falling, yellow leaves are an indication of overwatering.
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.
The good news is that most plants will bounce back between 7-14 days if they're given proper care (which includes rehydration). If this isn't possible because major damage was done or little healthy root system exists then expect about 2 weeks until improvement can be seen.
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.
So, 'don't be fooled by rain! If you think it's rained and you don't need to water a container, you're probably wrong. ' Continue watering as you would normally, and always do a finger test to check if the soil is saturated.
If the soil is waterlogged, improve drainage by digging ditches or furrows to redirect water away from plants. Check the soil for compaction and loosen it with a garden fork. This helps improve drainage and makes it easier for water and nutrients to reach plant roots.
Add coarse grit
Adding coarse grit can help to improve drainage, especially in winter, when most plants hate sitting in cold, wet soil. It's also a good idea to add grit to the bottom of the planting hole when adding new plants.