How to Tell If Potted Soil Is Short of Water? Master These 5 Main Ways to Tell

When a flowering plant lacks water, the whole plant looks listless, with new shoots and leaves wilting and drooping, and even withering and yellowing, and the leaf color is not as bright and glossy as usual. Whether the potting soil is short of water is a hard thing to judge, since the air humidity and sunlight intensity at home can both make the potting soil on the dry or wet side, so knowing how to tell whether the potting soil is short of water becomes especially important.

The ways to tell whether the potting soil is short of water are as follows:

1. Visual inspection

Look with your eyes at whether the color of the potting soil surface has changed. If the color has become lighter or grayish white, it means the potting soil is dry and needs watering; if the color has become darker or brown, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be put off for now.

2. Pinch-and-roll method

Roll some potting soil between your fingers. If the soil is powdery, it means the potting soil is dry and should be watered at once; if the soil forms flakes or crumbs, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be put off for now.

3. Finger test method

Gently insert a finger about 2 cm deep into the potting soil and feel the soil. If it feels dry or rough and hard, it means the potting soil is dry and needs watering at once; if it feels slightly moist, fine and soft, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be put off for now.

4. Wooden stick method

Insert a bamboo or wooden stick into the potting soil down to the bottom of the pot, then pull it out and check the moisture of the soil clinging to it, and you can judge the moisture of the different soil layers.

5. Tapping the flowerpot method

Lightly tap the upper-middle part of the flowerpot's side wall with your knuckles. If it gives a rather crisp sound, it means the potting soil is dry and needs watering at once; if it gives a dull, muffled sound, it means the potting soil is moist and watering can be put off for now.