If the plant receives too much water then the air spaces are filled with water, the plant roots cannot breathe and so the plant dies.
But the basic difference between plants and all forms of animal life, including humans, is that plants cannot reject the water they are given. If a pet dog or cat is given water then it will drink as much as it requires and leave the remainder, possibly to be consumed at a later time. But if a plant is given water it can only accept it. This, coupled with the fact that we all tend to be overgenerous and over-solicitous of our plants, is the reason why more plants die from overwatering than from any other cause.
On a hot, sunny day, the quantity of carbon dioxide around the roots of a plant can increase tenfold in a single day and this is frequently the cause of the wilting that we see under these conditions.
Watering can be a successful cure of this trouble not so much because of the additional moisture that is received by the roots of the plant as because by watering the pore spaces are opened up and the excess carbon dioxide is either pushed out or allowed to escape into the air, being replaced by healthy oxygen.
So obviously a tiny trickle of water into the pot will have no real and lasting effect, for it does not help to get rid of this excess carbon dioxide. And by overwatering the healthy oxygen is denied any possibility of coming into contact with the roots as the spaces are either filled with water or with the constantly out- coming carbon dioxide.
Now when this water courses through the soil it drags clown after it by suction a certain amount of air. Both water and air are essential to the life of the plant roots.
But the basic difference between plants and all forms of animal life, including humans, is that plants cannot reject the water they are given. If a pet dog or cat is given water then it will drink as much as it requires and leave the remainder, possibly to be consumed at a later time. But if a plant is given water it can only accept it. This, coupled with the fact that we all tend to be overgenerous and over-solicitous of our plants, is the reason why more plants die from overwatering than from any other cause.
On a hot, sunny day, the quantity of carbon dioxide around the roots of a plant can increase tenfold in a single day and this is frequently the cause of the wilting that we see under these conditions.
Watering can be a successful cure of this trouble not so much because of the additional moisture that is received by the roots of the plant as because by watering the pore spaces are opened up and the excess carbon dioxide is either pushed out or allowed to escape into the air, being replaced by healthy oxygen.
So obviously a tiny trickle of water into the pot will have no real and lasting effect, for it does not help to get rid of this excess carbon dioxide. And by overwatering the healthy oxygen is denied any possibility of coming into contact with the roots as the spaces are either filled with water or with the constantly out- coming carbon dioxide.
Now when this water courses through the soil it drags clown after it by suction a certain amount of air. Both water and air are essential to the life of the plant roots.
About the Author:
Azalea Indica is a beautiful indoor gardening houseplants. The root ball must never be allowed to become dry. Watch the main stem or trunk just above soil level. This should show a dark, moist ring at all times.
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