CRAIG: One of the first things people ask me
when they walk into my indoor jungle is,
"Oh, my God. How do you water all of these plants?"
Well, I get why they ask,
but there's a system and a strategy behind it.
Now, getting the right amount of water to their plants
is something that a lot of indoor gardeners struggle with.
We've covered what your plants are growing in
and how much light they need.
Now we're tackling water and humidity.
In an indoor environment, plants are basically like your prisoners.
Well, I like to think of them as my pets, but the point's the same.
They're totally reliant on you and a little bit at your mercy.
Indoor plants don't have access to rain,
so they need YOU to water them.
If they're parched, they'll be stressed
and their growth will slow right down,
but if they're too wet, the roots will suffocate and they'll rot.
So I'm gonna give you all of the watering tips
I've learned over the years
so you can be responsible plant parents
and keep your dependants healthy and happy.
Most plants like a consistent level of moisture.
That means they don't like to be too wet
and they also don't like to be too dry.
There'll always be outlier plants
that love arid conditions or wetlands,
but today, I want to focus on the majority of plants
that people grow indoors.
Knowing when to water your plants is the key.
The worst thing you can do
is wander around on a Saturday afternoon watering
just because you feel like watering.
Your plants either need it or they don't.
And it can be a little bit tricky, because a wilting plant
can be a symptom of overwatering or underwatering.
So it's best to use the most proven method, and that's go by feel.
And I don't mean that in a hippie woo-woo kind of way either.
I mean, use your finger.
This is the best method I've found.
Gently scratch the surface of the soil about 2cm,
and if it feels dry and looks dry, it needs watering.
If it's a bit dark and you can feel moisture, it doesn't need watering.
A tip that I swear by is to resist the urge
of going around and giving each plant a little nip of water in situ.
Instead, take your plant to the sink or bath
and give it a good, solid drink.
The force of the water sucks the oxygen down through the potting mix,
flushes out any stagnant water
and also gets rid of any fertiliser build-ups.
It might be a little bit too much effort to take every plant outside
or to the sink or bath every time you water it,
but I like to do this at least every fourth watering
so that I flush the soil out and really give the plant a refresh.
It also gives me the opportunity to wet the leaves down
and dust off any grime and grit that's built up there,
which can actually prevent the plant
from absorbing as much sunlight as it should
and also harbour pests and diseases.
I really like to use warm water when I water my plants,
especially in the colder months,
and that's because the idea is to keep the temperature of your plants
as constant as possible,
and dousing this one with ice-cold water would really shock the roots.
I mean, I don't want to have an ice-cold shower
in the middle of winter.
I don't want to force my plants to have one either.
Plants use water to take up the nutrients they need to grow,
and when you really flush the pot well like this,
you activate the pelletised slow-release fertiliser
that you get in most premium potting mixes.
To get really great results with your indoor plants,
you can also reapply this fertiliser
to give them a boost of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
I do this twice a year - at the beginning of spring,
when shoots are starting to emerge,
and then a half dose in early summer.
There's another tip that you can add to your watering regime
that you literally add to the water.
Spring and summer are the months
when your plants are gonna be growing the most.
So every three to four weeks,
I add seaweed solution,
and it gives your plants a real boost.
And unless you want little seaweed puddles all over the house,
this is definitely something to do over a sink.
About an hour or so after you finish watering,
it's really important that you go around and check to make sure
that there's no excess water sitting in the saucer
or in the decorative planter that the pot might be in.
Leaving your plant soaking in water
is one of the worst things you can do for it.
Makes it prone to rootrot and other diseases.
So it's really important not to miss this step.
If you discover a plant
that you've accidentally left sitting in a puddle,
and I say this through bitter experience, we've all done it,
there is a little hack that you can use to save it.
You just take an old towel, wrap it around the pot,
make sure that you wrap it tightly
around the base where the drainage holes are,
and this will act as a wick, drawing out that excess moisture
and hopefully saving your plant.
Plants don't just love water at their roots.
They also love it in the air.
Because a lot of indoor plants are from the tropics,
humidity really makes them feel at home.
Air conditioners and heaters can make the air indoors quite dry,
but you can combat that with a humidifier.
This is not a deal-breaker. Plants are really adaptable.
Monstera deliciosa, for example,
is a tropical rainforest plant from the humid jungle.
It'll grow outdoors in Melbourne, freezing-cold Melbourne.
So you don't need to go out and buy a humidifier, but at the same time,
you can get them for as little as $20.
I have some of the larger ones, which I run most of the day,
but you don't need to turn your place into a sauna.
About 50% to 65% humidity is perfect for plants and people.
If you want to go to the next level, for about $10 or less,
you can buy a hygrometer, which will read the humidity for you.
Now, all of this gadgetry is next-level plant parenting.
You don't have to have it, but you'll probably get better results.
It's no surprise that plants need water,
but hopefully now, you'll have a bit more structure around your regime,
because there certainly CAN be too much of a good thing.
We've been building some solid indoor gardening skills -
potting, light, water.
What else can there be?
Well, I think there'll be some indoor gardeners with burning questions
about tiny things that can become big problems for your indoor plants.
So next time, we're gonna look at common pests and diseases
and how to banish them from your indoor jungle.