Soil won t absorb water
Pots without drainage holes retain all water added to the soil until it is either used from the plant or evaporates from the soil. I’ve written an article about choosing and making houseplant soil which covers everything you need to know. Potting your houseplants in suitable soil is one of the most important aspects of growing healthy houseplants. These materials help water drain quicker, reduce the overall water-holding capacity of the soil, and improve soil aeration, largely preventing the issue of soil not drying out quickly enough. Many ready-made houseplant soil mixes are great at retaining water but tend to drain poorly, which can result in the soil not drying out for a long time after watering.Īdding 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. If you notice that water pools on the soil surface after watering, or takes a long time to drain out of the drainage holes after watering, it is likely the soil is insufficiently well-draining. Adding a fan, or simply opening a window can increase ventilation and lead to soil that dries out faster, reducing the risk of overwatering problems. Reduced ventilation around your plants decreases the rate of evaporation and transpiration, leading to soil that takes longer to dry out. In addition to reduced evaporation, low temperatures can also stress your plants, or directly damage them, which will dramatically reduce their ability to make use of water within the soil.
Soil won t absorb water windows#
Drafty windows or drafts from heating or cooling appliances can cause large temperature swings. I use a digital thermometer that records the minimum, maximum, and current temperature, so I good a good idea of whether temperature fluctuations are causing any issues. I usually like to monitor the temperature in the rooms I grow my houseplants in to make sure they are not exposed to temperature extremes. It also results in your plants having reduced transpiration and a reduced growth rate, with lower water requirements as a result.
Low temperatures result in reduced evaporation of water from the soil, slowing the rate at which soil dries out. Low light is one of the most common reasons why people end up killing their houseplants because it becomes so easy to overwater them in this situation. If your plants are kept in low light conditions, much of the water that you add to the soil will stay there unused for a long time if the plant has no use for it.īy moving your plants to a brighter location, they will start to grow much quicker, and you will see a dramatic decrease in the length of time it takes for the soil to dry out. Plants use much less water in low-light conditions, resulting in their soil staying wet for much longer after watering. The following are the main things that can increase the length of time your soil takes to dry out. There are a lot of reasons why soil can take a long time to dry out, but they all relate back to issues with drainage, water loss through transpiration or evaporation, or reduced water use by your plant. Why Is My Soil Taking So Long To Dry Out? Make sure the soil drains thoroughly and the container has drainage holes. Increase light, ventilation, and temperature to increase evaporation and water use by your plants.
Soil not drying out is usually a sign that drainage or evaporation is insufficient, or water use by your plant is reduced.
Soil won t absorb water how to#
This article is going to cover all the causes of soil not drying out and show you how to fix each issue. Most plants like their soil to progressively dry out after being watered, rather than sitting in constantly soggy soil. If you’ve noticed that it takes your houseplant soil a long time to dry out, this is usually a sign of a problem.