I've been using thin bamboo skewers, which are lighter than chopsticks, to poke holes in the soil when bottom watering. This helps with water absorption and drainage. I sometimes stab the soil if it feels too compact, hoping to loosen it up a bit. Is this practice risky for the plant's roots? Could I be inadvertently causing damage with my enthusiastic poking?
2 Answers
Poking around with skewers can definitely hurt roots if you're not careful. It's like blindly thrusting something into the ground. But don’t stress too much; if your plant is healthy, it usually won’t suffer much from a little rough treatment. They’re pretty resilient!
Skewering the soil does impact roots, but a healthy plant will often bounce back just fine. Many folks use skewers while repotting to get rid of compacted soil or to separate roots. Just look at bonsai artists – they really get in there with tools and the plants handle it. They’re tougher than we think!
Absolutely! Bonsai techniques show how robust plants can be.
Exactly! As long as the roots are strong, a little poking here and there shouldn't be a huge issue.