Watering Container Plants: Everything You Need to Know | 💦🌱

[@epicgardening]

Book Pre-Order details: Go to amzn.to/2VIK1Ze and order, then forward your receipt to [e-mail] with your address and I'll send you some heirloom, organic seeds from my friend Brijette at San Diego Seed Company!

[@aquafina6544]

You are so freakn handsome! Omg!

[@kalynnkallweit7940]

THIS is the through watering tutorial that ALL houseplant owners are looking for that they don't even know they need!!!

[@epicgardening]

0:00 - Intro 3:33 - Variables That Affect Watering 7:11 - Specific Watering Tips 12:00 - Using Products to Help With Watering

[@TaylorDurden90]

17:40 Thats actually the only time I use the mister. To soak the top soil a few minutes before watering. It works really well.

[@doodahgurlie]

I love that elephant foot plant! The leaves are just gorgeous. The watering tips are great. Hopefully it'll stop me from wanting to over water plants. It's an addiction that I need to stop already. LOL

[@annekebattenhaussen6535]

😄😄😄

[@sarahyap2230]

Thanks Kevin. Luv how u encourage us viewers to learn through our own experiences with our own potted plants👍🏼. To each his own😉

[@brant5632]

You''ve mentioned things I have observed but haven''t been addressed in my plant care books. Thank you!

[@femlatin79]

I feel like a pro after this video so informative thank you!

[@epicgardening]

That's the goal - thanks!

[@liezl713]

I think a very important thing when determining how much you need to water your specific plants is recognizing the signs of over or under watering. I'm very new to this and i had a very brown thumb for very long. My poor orchid had to endure my ignorance. I moved it around a lot. Not enough light here, too much direct light there. Too much water, too little water, not enough feeding. Finally after 3 months my orchid has finally stopped 'dying' lol. Down to only two large leaves, one of which that was yellowing, it has now finally settled. The yellow is going away and becoming a very nice green again. It was a birthday gift so i was absolutely determined to not kill it. I've learned how to read its signs. The same story with my one trailing succulent. Its leaves were turning purple and shriveled. So I finally figured out that unlike all the advice i was given this particular one likes more shade and more water. My other succulents get watered once a week, but this guy needs water 3 times a week, contrary to all the advice i was given. Its leaves are greening up again.

[@amarisky21]

Great info! Definitely helped me out a lot!! What I also noticed is look at the leaves of the plants. For example, a succulent vs an asparagus fern. You can tell which ones doesn't need a lot of water and which one needs more water than other plants.

[@tarnyshd__dash__4850]

Man, Roman Reign's brother is pretty darn good at gardening.......

[@lchrzan31]

Wow super helpful! No wonder I didn’t have much success with indoor plants in the past. There’s hope!

[@michaelochoa3628]

Thank you Kevin! We are moving to a new house very soon and are planning on getting many house plants, this video was perfect timing! thanks again!!!

[@epicgardening]

Glad to hear it - good luck w/ the move!

[@lucycarpio8844]

I've learned so much with Epic Gardening, thank you so much for sharing your plant talents

[@epicgardening]

Thank you for watching :)

[@2yearoldeastercandy935]

Getting a split rock succulent, Pleiospilos nelii I believe, really broke my habit of overwatering. They only need water in the growing seasons! It was SO tempting to water it at first, but I’ve only watered it twice since getting it a few months ago and it’s doing amazing!!!

[@emm_bee]

Currently researching & binge watching your videos. You uploaded the fungus gnat video recently & it was the same time I got infested w/ them. Trying neem oil atm and then I saw this video today in my recommendations. How convenient! I have a better understanding about watering and how to prevent those pest in the future. Thanks again!

[@kelleymcbride4633]

As a professional farmer of several decades I can say with 100% certainty that over, under watering and inconsistent watering is the #1 problem

[@CustomGardenSolutions]

Eric this is a great episode. You're right the watering question is asked so often by my customers. This episode help to answer so many of those questions.

[@epicgardening]

Glad to help! P.S. My name is Kevin ;)

[@CustomGardenSolutions]

@@epicgardening I know your name is Kevin. I think I was in the sauna a little too long. Although epic Eric has a nice ring to it

[@RealHypocrisy]

This is why i keep aquatic plants. ;)

[@mdml0]

My potting medium gets compacted after awhile so I do the water wait water method too. I've also started throwing in a few earthworms to help loosen it. Not sure if it's a good idea but so far they're doing ok.

[@wojtekimbier]

I've had a water-retaining, poorly-draining soil mix that was dry in the top half, but still very wet in the bottom half, and my kalanchoe roots had rotted. It was in a pot with drainage holes and I poured the excess water from the saucer out after watering. Now I only water my succulents after I check if the soil is dry in the drainage hole or use a moisture meter to measure the whole depth

[@barbll000]

Congratulations on your upcoming book!!

[@epicgardening]

It's out!!! amzn.to/2IAZuVv

[@heatheranne9657]

I like using plastic planters and poking/drilling holes for drainage to provide air to the roots and help water evaporate

[@bushylingus6272]

How come nobody ever seems to use the soil level line on pots? That space from the bottom line to the top is just the right size for the exact amount of water that size pot needs, if you have lots of pots it makes watering much faster and more precise with less waste.

[@michaelpowis]

Omg is this true? 🤯

[@lebeaubastion]

I used to have really bad luck with indoor plants...... until I got a moisture meter. Its changed my life. No more accidental overwatering and rotting plants. I’d recommend it for anyone.

[@PixelPotato]

WOW thank you so much for this!

[@Yupppi]

These days I like to water in the manner where I start watering generously until the plate under is filled to the brim. Then I wait and see how fast the soil pulls the water up saturating the soil. If it disappears under my very eyes, I know I'll fill it again until the pull is slow. If there is water left much later (especially if it's a lot), I empty the plate. This way I don't need to make small watering rounds repeatedly. I feel like this combines the good sides of top and bottom watering - the top soil won't become a hard crust and the bottom watering part saturates the whole soil evenly. And I make sure that the soil has plenty of perlite and possibly almost 50% coco coir too depending on which plant is in question. For plants that are more goldilocks and don't want to be wet, it's plenty of perlite and a lot of coco coir. For the ones that like being moist it's mostly soil and a lot of perlite to give air with the moisture. And always using moisture meter poking if I'm not confident that the plant is not fussy about watering. I've dried and overwatered same plants without being able to figure out what changed or went wrong, they seemed to be doing fine and the environment seemed to be consistent until suddenly they were no more and there was nothing to be done - no longer with the moisture meter. Like my alocasia almost died last year, had a single branch left. Then it started thriving and grew multiple leaves quickly until suddenly everything died for good.

[@gwendolynlee30]

I am just starting to put plants in my apt which is very warm. I need all the help I can get. Thanks for all the great tips.

[@claire403]

I just saw your video on plants I just bought one and am in the process of re potting it. I have these replacement filters for my Mainstays compost pail and they look the very same as that black material you were putting at the bottom of the pot so I will use them there charcoal filters.

[@mirapatel5852]

Great educational video. love it 🤤thanks Kevin

[@toriandtilly]

What do you think of people that say that dirty aquarium water is good for plants? I am new to plants but not new to fish and it would be super nice to recycle water especially because the fish water was treated.

[@KC-ui6cf]

Yes, you can. We do use it because it has good amount of nitrogen.

[@toriandtilly]

@@KC-ui6cf Cool, thank you so much! Do you use it every time or just for fertilizer?

[@maureentrotman6334]

Explanation is excellent. Do you think we can use pieces of old blankets to place in our planters bottom to keep plants hydrated.

[@fortyninehike]

Very informative. Thank you!

[@EthanE3]

I only use Evian for my garden.

[@Liteweaver301]

The only one I disagree with is leaving the water in the saucer. I live in a desert and I water my tomatoes on top every other day until I see trickles into the saucer, and on the days in between I water the saucer so tomatoes can soak up water as they need.

[@FREEDAs]

Thank you Mr Good Looking, Love from Canada God bless.

[@epicgardening]

:)

[@ancyantony8585]

@@epicgardening you have no idea how to respond to that, do you? :D

[@thecurlywarrior]

Binge watching your videos 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

[@funonvancouverisland]

Curious how the hydro box worked out , stagnant water is never a good thing. Love your vids brother congratulations on hitting a milli

[@timmieleo2202]

May I request for some information about how to plant asparagus? Thank you

[@hayamterfa1]

Hello can you explain best way to water roses in teapot in hot climate

[@camronbitzer3159]

Thank you for your videos, mate. Really helpful and informative

[@melindam2776]

Fern - once I grew a sad little plant into a giant in the bathroom. I very rarely watered it but it got plenty of water from the air. (small-ish bathroom). Sadly it didn't survive our move. 😔

[@graphicbarista8458]

all your video's are sooo interesting! I love them I'm learning a lot , thnkyou!

[@mila_and_i]

Thank you and cheers from Tokyo!

[@epicgardening]

Arigato! Love Tokyo!

[@CKSPACE]

Thanks for all the knowledge!

[@epicgardening]

yw!

[@joserogriguez3894]

Thanks for your videos. I had been using new baby diapers to retain water but it can become messy when need to transplant. I’ll be trying your method😊

[@epicgardening]

Give it a try for sure - also those hydrogels aren't the BEST to add straight to soil :)

[@CatopiaCatSanctuary]

That's a clever idea Jose Rodriguez share with me if you would?!

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

Hi , Just found your channel and immediately subbed. Good tips for watering. Once the hydro box is settled , how often do you have to water and how do you check for watering need?

[@epicgardening]

Welcome to the community! I'd say you have to water at least half as often once it's all settled in in my experience.

[@johnnyb5048]

I put holes in plastic bottles in my house plants soil to collect and wicker water. Ya know saving the whales was thought. What a disaster. Thanks for reminding me that old ways are not far gone.

[@Shorrey]

Water stays well on a surface of newly planted or overdried soil. What I do is use this hand sprayer (not sure about the name in English - you pump it with your hand and it makes spray) right into the soil - it penetrates the soil evenly breaking the surface tension, not through one hole in the surface and it compresses the soil to the right density.

[@writegirl2937]

Hey Kevin….I notice that it appears that you only water on top of the perimeter of the pot but not directly in the middle of the plant? Should we avoid watering directly on top of the center of the plant, as well? Asking because that might be why I over-water many of my plants.🤦🏽‍♀️

[@plantsandpiggies7758]

Do you know how long the hydrobox will last at the bottom of the pot before it needs to be soaked in water again? thanks

[@susieclark1498]

Great information...again.

[@randomness8819]

Is it good if i have pooted fruit trees or berry trees indoors to keep plastic on the pot to keep soil humidity?

[@haleymackenzie984]

What about outdoor container gardens? I have tons of plants in different sized terracotta planters and have a hard time knowing if I'm over or under watering through the hot summers. I have mostly low water native plants (but a few that need lots of water) but don't want them to die if they get too hot in the summer. Buuut I also don't want to kill then from over watering haha please help!

[@redpsycho90]

I feel a bit confused about the strictly removing the water from the saucer and those bottom watering pots. Isn’t there also higher risk about root rot by those kind of pots?

[@standardannonymousguy]

Depending on your growing conditions, many plants will soak up that water that has pooled up in the drainage plate. So in many cases you can leave that water in the drainage plate because the plant soaks that up within a couple hours or less. But Kevin is right about how we need to be mindful of "root-rot"

[@janetsmith9380]

should you let all your plants dry out before watering? like how much is too dry? thanks loved this video... so for the ones that grow on the forest floor. is their soil always moist? or does it dry out inbetween? and what is that condition like? thanks

[@juliawhitmore3991]

Honestly they should teach this in school lmao

[@MaydayMishap]

Yeah, I have been a bad plant parent. I started with plants that had no drainage so I didn't need to give that much water. Now I have plants with drainage and still watering them the same amount. :(

[@xuyahfish]

Peace Plants aren't supposed to need too much water, but for some reason mine sucks up water like CRAZY! I often have to water it a couple times a week or it'll get super dry & the leaf tips will dry up. My indoor plants actually do too well ... I gotta pot-up again ... I'm outa pots ... sigh...

[@Justme68ification]

Great tips and methods! Thank you.

[@Faladaena]

What's in those hydro bags?? And what are alternatives (for people outside of the US)?

[@heidihudgins4793]

Thanks for an informative video!

[@meganfoshee4373]

Awesome ideas for watering and SUCH a great approach to teaching. Thank you! I'm struggling with my spider plant and after watching this and your rescuing a sickly (spider) plant and I realize my fault was leaving the dish too full under the pot post watering. On another note, whereee do you get such nicely shaped terra cotta pots? (the one you used to demo the hydrobox) All the ones I've seen around are the basic shape like they have at Home Depot lol

[@epicgardening]

These are just standard terra cottas from my local nursery!

[@Vee-uu3og]

Thank you for these videos. You present useful information in a kind way that encourages rather than overwhelms. I wonder: have you ever used Terra cotta ollas? I was thinking of making some on my children’s potters wheel. Do you have any thoughts about design such as shape, position in the planter (or pot), porosity etc? Vx

[@kirstenbakker839]

Will the porosity of terracotta pots (incl. terracotta dishes) cause moisture stains on the shelf/furniture they are on, and do I need to protect the surface?

[@epicgardening]

Yeah, i'd always use a saucer

[@cync7878]

is there a video on getting rid/avoiding ants in your potted herbs/peppers ? Thank you!

[@MrFeebs]

Awesome video, great information

[@epicgardening]

Thanks - glad to hear that!

[@fernandapagnossin5549]

Thank you 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@nicholasbennett2358]

I try to use my aquarium water as often as possible

[@sewsweet4010]

Yes I do too it's great.

[@LaedeeTyme]

your videos are really well done and informative, i'm sometimes an over waterer and other times an under waterer so hopefully my next potted plant will make it lol i found your channel looking for information on pothos but not as a pot plant. i heard pothos was a good plant to keep in a fish tank (not fully submerged) to take in excess nutrients from the water, but it turns out its not cat safe and i have a cat who loves eating plants :/ would aluminum plant grow with its roots submerged in water like pothos does?

[@epicgardening]

Appreciate it! Pothos is a great fish plant for sure. Aluminum plant should work in an aquarium too.

[@jamesguimary1252]

Can I direct water to stem ?

[@tobias-holub]

reclined video-making = best video-making

[@prettylagoon]

Why am I getting white fungus on top? I'm using miracle gro soil and a plastic pot. I'm definitely not overwatereding. It's a pothos. I don't understand why?😮

[@edflowers7456]

This video is about watering exotic houseplants.

[@GFG2gifted]

@epicgardening it's a new reply to an older video but all the same I hope I get a detailed reply, sir. First, you made me laugh calling the galvanized nail a screw. Kudos to always adding humor. Main question. When describing the negatives to leaving water in potted suacers. You stated that leaving water leaves you vulnerable to root for, extremely so. My question, how do you combat root rot in hydroponic conditions or is there a difference?

[@you_r_my-world2288]

Do you have a video of how to avoid or get rid of gnat flies?

[@nikkituason1388]

You mentioned that larger pots can hold water longer and therefore don’t need to be watered as often. I have a philodendron Xanadu in a large 10 inch pot, but I’m not sure up to how deep it should dry up before watering. Is it okay to water when the top 2 inches are dry, even though the bottom of the pot is still wet? Or do I wait til half the pot is dry?

[@wolfkremen]

What's your opinion on watering plants by pouring water into the saucer to let the soil wick it up?

[@valiumk.9489]

congratulations on your book and thank you for the cool tips, it's my first winter with indoor plants and I am struggling a bit. Do you mind sharing some more tips about the sponge technique, those pads are unavailable where I live. thank you!!!!

[@epicgardening]

I'll add sponge technique to another vid!

[@AhmadSubhan]

For sponges it is also good to use, but you should put it on the side of the pot with the same height as the pot or the higher it is better, not under the pot

[@sebytro]

My indoor pots always gather a reddish hue on the top of the soil. Is this because of something in the tap water? The plants are ok, but this always worries me.

[@riverdreamwalker3693]

What about ph of soil and water

[@sagarupasani3908]

Cocopith also work as same as Hydrobox I think. Let me know

[@KayaGaara16]

I really like your videos they help me a lot with my houseplant care! Do you know anything about small flies in the soil? My spider plant and pothos have them, they always fly out when I water them. They started to look droopy-y and their leaves don't look that great anymore. Matches are supposed to help, but even after a few months I still don't see any differences... Some non-chemical way to get rid of them would be really helpful! Especially sonce I have the feeling some of my other plants that stood near them at the beginning seem to have a few now as well...

[@epicgardening]

Most likely fungus gnats... I have an article on my website about them!

[@malec56]

I know this is suoer late but incase you struggle again: we got rid of ours quickly by buying little sticky patches to stick next to the plant in the soil and they landed and than stuck and dies on it. After 1-2 weeks almost fully gone after 2 1/2 fully.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

Container gardens are like Dory, "Just Keep Watering, just keep watering"~ ~ ~

[@vergedeleon13]

I'm a lil bit worried for my plant's roots when I aerate the soil before water. Am I going to accidentally break their roots when I poke the soil using chopsticks or any kind of aerating tools?

[@rafaltruszkowski2751]

I have thyme and rosemary in the same indoor container. I have an eastern lake view, and a complementary set of growing lights on the opposite side of the plant (to have 360 coverage). My rosemary is growing just fine; slow, but I heard that rosemary doesn't grow very fast. My thyme, however, is about 6-7in call, maybe 6in in diameter as a bush, and it is drying out, not really growing. Am I under-watering it? I don't want to throw too much water to not damage rosemary, but also thyme shouldn't need a lot of water as a Mediterranean plant. Any tips?

[@countrygirl4422]

I never use tap water. My spider plant loves rain water and when I don't have rain water. I use bottle water on all my plant's.

[@nathanbattimarco4379]

i dont get the water box. It acts as a water reserve some plants have naturally, but wouldnt this lead exactly to what people who over water are trying to avoid, root rot?

[@dawwnnyy2657]

I have two plants that have dark brown water when I water it. The water that runs off is brown. What does this mean?

[@epicgardening]

That means soil is washing out

[@dbryant965]

Could one use a layer of sphagnum moss (~1 in) as an all natural alternative to the Waterbox?

[@katebeedot9052]

Yes but it degrades and the soil goes acidic

[@sea_hous]

I have a canna lilly in a very tall pot. I gave it two gallons without seeing water come through the bottom. I have no idea how much to water it daily. : /

[@richardjanssen3183]

If the plant is dry I water from bottom

[@thunderking8925]

isn't this guy from that hgtv show?

[@lizmagallanes5705]

I just subscribed after watching your videos about Pothos plant, but... Do you have any video about Rangoon creeper? There are millions of videos about care and propagation but all of them in hindi, which is ok but I find annoying that the only thing i can understand is the title 😅.

[@epicgardening]

I don't yet! I need to add that to the list :)

[@lizmagallanes5705]

@@epicgardening Thanks for considering it!

[@spirituallylovingme-11]

Hi how do you handle indoor plant bugs

[@oscarcheung7364]

With the hydrobox constantly keeping the same soil above it wet, does that encourage bad bacteria/fungus/rot?

[@epicgardening]

It could if you OVERwater. If used correctly the Hydrobox (or any similar sub-irrigation type of setup) will release water as-needed and it'll be used up by plants before it becomes waterlogged

[@tinamarieussery3063]

1st time i watched you i did like ans subscribe wish i could just go out and get your book but i will tequest our library to get it so i can read it. Sorry I live on a small budget barely can get my plants. I have to do bargin basement/clearance plants. I don't get nails and hair done like most women my plants and there needs are my hair do and nails.

[@epicgardening]

No worries, I think it should be at libraries when it comes out! I have a ton of videos and articles that will always be free too :)

[@Julia-zz3gl]

Hello from England. I cannot find hydrobox in the UK and am having no luck trying to find something similar. What is a descriptive term for it please? Thanks, Julia.

[@sewsweet4010]

Just use kitty litter in bottom

[@TiMalice2009]

With hydrobox how do you know when to water 💦

[@processoperator1]

Is that the same shelf Gary from the Rusted Garden has his books on?? lol