I've been following the advice to water my plants until water drains out the bottom of the pot, but I'm unsure if I'm doing it right. My soil mix is just basic soil with a 1:1 ratio of perlite. Whenever I water, the water drains out almost immediately, and upon checking through the clear nursery pot, about half of the soil still looks dry. Should I be watering until every inch of soil is soaked? Also, I bottom watered a snake plant a couple of days ago, and the soil is still damp, which is fine, right? I'm worried it shouldn't stay wet for too long.
2 Answers
It sounds like you might be doing fine, especially with the snake plant! For that one, a 50-50 soil ratio is decent, but I lean towards 55-60% grit. It's okay if the soil is still damp; just make sure to hold off on watering again until it's completely dry. Fry the roots if you water too soon!
Your soil could be hydrophobic, which means it repels water rather than soaking it up. Bottom watering can help to combat that, so don’t stress too much if it drains quickly. Just keep an eye on it!
I did just repot, so maybe that's why! I hope it gets better with time!
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely practice patience. I'm still adjusting to this new watering method; I'm used to just giving them a little splash each day!