SOIL TEXTURAL CLASSES. Dry: Loose, single grained; gritty; no or very weak clods. Moist: Gritty; forms easily crumbled ball; does not ribbon. Wet: Lacks stickiness, but may show faint clay staining (loamy sand especially).
Most plants benefit from drying out completely between waterings; some moisture-loving plants like ferns can be watered again when the soil is mostly dry.
How can you prevent overwatering? The simplest solution is to only ever water your plant when the top two inches of soil feel dry (for cacti and succulents, water when the soil is fully dry). This gives your plants time to drink at a steady pace. Also make sure excess water can drain off.
Gardening FAQ
The problem with your soil resisting hydration is not uncommon. It usually begins with the soil being watered incompletely and then drying more than it should. After that it can become hydrophobic and actually repel water! The ingredient in the soil that is causing that problem is peat.
Having a dry soil is something you want to avoid as this can result in withered or dead plants. When the dry season arrives, soil that lacks organic ingredients will quickly become dehydrated and will actually repel water instead of absorbing it.
Make a habit of checking on your houseplants at least once a week to see if they need a drink. The best way to tell if your plants need water is to stick your finger about an inch into the potting mix—if it feels dry, break out the watering can.
If the soil is wet, it's overwatered - if it's dry, it's underwatered. 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.
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.)
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.
It is important to note that the majority of flowers, trees, and shrubs require moisture levels between 21% - 40%, while all vegetables require soil moisture between 41% and 80%.
'High moisture' plants prefer moist soil—not wet soil. 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.
A high-quality moisture meter used on the right material can be accurate to within less than 0.1% of the material's moisture content by weight.
Woody plants under drought stress can have many symptoms including yellowing, wilting leaves that develop early fall color and burning or scorching on edges of leaves. Plants may drop some or all of their leaves and appear dead. Most established woody plants recover when watered.
When a plant doesn't get enough water, the tips and edges of leaves dry out and turn brown. Ultimately, entire leaves will brown and die. Slow growth. If you are chronically under watering a plant, but still giving it enough water to survive, growth will be slower than normal or expected.
It may take an hour or more to thoroughly re-wet the soil. Be careful not to leave pots soaking in standing water continuously. Check them after an hour or two and remove them when they are hydrated.
Hydrophobic soil occurs when a waxy residue builds up on the soil particles resulting in it repelling water rather than absorbing it. It is most common in sandy soils, dried out potting mix and soils containing unrotted organic matter. You can identify hydrophobic soil by watering it.
Dry soil can be easily improved by adding organic matter, such as well-rotted manure or garden compost. This will improve the soil structure and will help to retain moisture.
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).
Repotting Plants: How to Do It
Make sure the plant is well watered 2-4 days in advance. You don't want to repot when it's sopping wet but being too dry will cause stress. Take the plant out of the pot. If the rootball is a bit tight, gently massage the roots to loosen them up.