Common Signs of Overwatering and Underwatering Plants

Improper watering is the leading cause of plant wilting, browning, yellowing, or stunting. Maintaining the right watering balance is essential for the health of your plants (indoors and outdoors). Overwatering and underwatering can both cause significant problems, but it can be hard to tell which of the two issues is occurring because the signs are subtle and sometimes confusing. Understanding the signs of overwatering and underwatering will help you achieve the right balance in your plants' irrigation, creating a lush, healthy landscape.

Here is a comprehensive guide to help you understand your plants, identify the signs of two common watering mistakes, resolve the issue before it harms your plant, and adjust your watering practices regularly.

What is Overwatering?

Overwatering occurs when a plant receives more water than it needs or can handle. Excess water keeps oxygen from reaching the roots, leading to issues in plants such as root rot. Every gardener must recognize the signs of overwatering early to act before it's too late.

What Happens When a Plant is Overwatered

• Roots suffocate because they need to breathe to function properly, like humans.
• Most plants quickly suffer from soggy soil and show distress symptoms.
• Harmful plant molds thrive in poorly aerated soil. They attack and reproduce in the unsuspecting roots.

Signs of Overwatered Plants

Here is a list of signs showing what an overwatered plant looks like.

Brown Leaf Tips with Yellow Margins: Overwatering can cause soft, limp leaves with yellow or brown tips. When plants are overwatered, excess water escapes at night from the guttation glands located at the ends of leaves. When this water is reabsorbed, the dirt and pathogens that may have entered the leaves can kill the nearby cells, acting as a defense against invaders.

Yellowing Leaves: One of the most common signs of overwatering plants is that their leaves are turning yellow. This dramatic color shift occurs in a few or all of the leaves as a result of poor gas exchange in the roots.

Wet Soil: The best way to spot overwatered plants is to dig into the soil where the water is absorbed. If the soil is highly saturated with water, this is apparent evidence that your plants are receiving too much water.

Rotten or Soft Stems: The signs of over-watering can also be identified by the rotting of the plant's parts near the soil, like the stem. Mushy stems are a sign of root rot, which is caused by too much watering. Water molds typically proliferate and attack the roots and surrounding parts, turning them as mushy as mashed potatoes.

Mold or Fungal Growth: Excess soil moisture provides an ideal habitat for mold and algae to thrive. Fungal growth (green or white substances) on the soil surface or pot edges indicates excess water. When the soil medium remains wet and an extended period, natural bacteria emerge at the top of the soil and begin breaking down organic materials.

Wilting: Overwatering can also cause overall wilting. The plants often wilt just like underwatered plants, but the difference is that overwatering makes plants soft and mushy because their roots decay, and they inhibit water uptake.

Edema: Edema is one of the most obvious differences between overwatered and underwatered plants. When plants absorb more water than they can use, the resulting enormous water pressure causes leaf cells to burst, resulting in blisters, brown dots, or lesions. This condition is known as edema.

What is Underwatering?

Underwatering occurs when plants don't receive sufficient water to maintain their health. Extended dryness stresses the plant, causing it to lose its vitality and, in some cases, resulting in permanent damage.

What Happens When Plants Are Underwatered

• Essential nutrients are less available to plants because they are normally absorbed with water inflow.
• Soil pores are drained, and the plant is unable to extract even the smallest amount of moisture.
• Soil tightens and becomes hydrophobic, so it will require a deeper soak in the next watering.
• Plant wilting, drooping, or worse, death.

Signs of Underwatered Plants

Drooping: The leaves of underwatered plants arch downward or coil up in response to water stress. The leaves of drooping plants feel dry and brittle. This is an early indication that something is wrong.

Slow Growth or Leaf Drop: When moisture levels are low, plants may drop their leaves as a response. An underwatered plant prioritizes survival overgrowth. This can be seen as slow growth or leaf drop to prevent water loss.

Dry, Brown, Crispy Leaf Edges: Dry, crispy tips or edges of leaves are a hallmark of underwatering. This occurs when the plant is unable to maintain moisture throughout its tissues, causing the edges to dry first.

Compact Soil: Hard, compacted, and heavy soil is another sign of underwatering. Compressed soil makes it difficult for water to penetrate the roots, even when you water. This can lead to a cycle in which water runs off the soil media surface instead of soaking in.

Yellowing and Browning: Leaves lose their beautiful color when a plant doesn't receive enough water. Yellow leaves, also known as chlorosis, appear when the water absorption from the roots is cut off. Chlorosis worsens as dehydration progresses, finally turning the leaves brown.

How to Avoid Overwatering and Underwatering of Your Plants

Your beloved plants need balanced watering to stay happy and healthy. To avoid starving or drowning your plant in water, follow these preventive tips to save your plants.

Feel the Soil

Gently scratch the soil surface with your fingers to feel for moisture. The simplest way to determine your plant's watering needs is by checking the soil by inserting your finger up to the knuckle. This old-fashioned trick provides an indication of the soil moisture content. If the soil feels soggy or has standing water, you're overwatering it. On the other hand, if it is dry an inch below the surface, it's time to water.

Know the Watering Time

The day you water your plants depends on the soil moisture, which may require regular or minimal watering depending on the season. It is essential to adjust irrigation based on the plant's requirements and environmental factors, while also establishing a baseline watering schedule to prevent extremes of over- or underwatering. Install an irrigation timer with your garden irrigation system to water your plants on a scheduled time, no matter whether you're present or away.

Check the Pots and Garden Beds Regularly

Ensure that your pots have proper drainage. Overwatering symptoms are often caused by waterlogged soil due to poor drainage. Many decorative planting pots do not have drainage holes. Use a smart pot container made of porous fabric or plant in raised beds for adequate drainage.

Adjust Watering According to Seasons

Plants need more water during the peak growing season (spring and summer) than in the fall and winter. So, adjust your watering timing and frequency according to seasons, climate, and rainfall.

Use the Right Watering System

This is the most important tip to prevent overwatering and underwatering plants. Use a drip irrigation system to precisely water garden beds, shrubs, trees, vegetables, row crops, fruits, and herbs in pots, containers, or raised beds. This irrigation method is the most efficient and targeted, as it delivers water slowly to the plant's root zone.

Use high-efficiency sprinkler heads to water your turf, small shrubs, and ground covers. A sprinkler system is the best solution for providing uniform, large-scale coverage, mimicking rainfall. Automate your drip Irrigation system and sprinkler system with a timer to make sure your plants receive the right amount of water only when they need it.

Observe the Plant Behavior

Learn the specific watering needs of your plants and observe them. Some plants wilt slightly before needing water, making it easy to identify the perfect watering time. If the plant's leaves are thick or have barrel-like stalks, as in succulents, they require less water. However, woody and herbaceous plants require frequent watering before the soil dries out.

Consider the Environment

Sunlight, temperature, rainfall, and humidity all influence the amount of water your plant requires. Higher temperatures might increase the need for water, while higher humidity reduces it.

Use a Moisture Meter

Use a moisture meter to accurately determine soil wetness and know exactly when your plant requires water. This advanced approach lowers the risk of over- or underwatering plants. Remember that the roots extend from the plant, so use the moisture meter in a few locations away from the plant rather than just right underneath it.

Use Perforated Pots

Smart pots , featuring porous fabric and drainage holes, are more efficient than other growing containers. It minimizes the risk of overwatering and underwatering because the water drains quickly through the holes. It also aerates the root zone, enabling healthy plant growth.

Is Overwatering Worse than Underwatering?

Overwatering is just as harmful as underwatering in plants. The duration of exposure is a huge element. The longer the soil remains soggy or dry, the less likely a plant is to survive. Waterlogged soil inhibits gas exchange in the roots, whereas underwatering can cause the loss of hydraulic pressure within and between the cells, resulting in a wilted look.

Drought-tolerant plants may handle moderately dry soil for a few weeks, but tropical plants and moisture-loving plants would suffer from both over- and underwatering. Therefore, it is essential to take preventive measures, follow the above tips, provide plants with essential nutrients, and maintain proper drainage to ensure they grow healthy and stress-free.

The Bottom Line

Overwatering is equally harmful to your plants' health, just as underwatering. Now you know the early signs. You need to read your leaves, understand your plants' health, establish a consistent care routine, and adjust your watering methods accordingly. Use pots and containers with drainage holes, well-drained soil, and water your plants according to their specific needs. Always check the soil before watering, observe your plants closely, and water them deeply and consistently using the right irrigation system when needed. This will help your green friends thrive in their environment and save you a significant amount of money on plant replacements.