Never water compacted soil, the more you water, the faster the flowers die

In the process of growing flowers, you will always run into some thorny problems. Many people travel or go on business trips and are away from home for long periods, and when they get back they discover that the soil in the flowerpot has become compacted.

Soil compaction is very harmful to the growth of flowers. It not only affects the normal breathing of the plant, but also easily leads to root rot and eventually death by suffocation.

As usual, the moment many flower lovers see compacted soil, their most direct reaction is to water the flowers. Many people assume that the cause of soil compaction is excessive water loss, so of course the solution is to water.

In fact, this approach is completely wrong. If you water immediately upon seeing compacted soil, it will instead make the plant roots and soil stick together even more, worsening the rot of the root system and ultimately leading to death from root rot.

So when it comes to soil compaction, what exactly is the best way to deal with it? In fact, to sum it up, if you want to solve the problem of rotted roots in the soil, you might as well try the following methods.

Repotting and changing the soil

For compacted soil, the most effective method is to repot and change the soil, giving the flowering plant a new growing environment. Since the old soil has already lost too much water and lost its original nutrients, it is best to replace it as well.

Carefully take out the root system of the plant. If you find roots that are rotten or withered and yellow, simply cut them off with scissors. Then prepare a new flowerpot and suitable soil, and transplant the plant into it.

After transplanting, place the plant in a well-ventilated, shady spot, and water it once or twice a week, thoroughly each time. Wait until the plant grows new leaves or new shoots, then move it to another location for normal care.

Watering flowers with sand

If you do not want to do something as major as repotting, you can use sand to water the flowers. Through the action of the sand, you can properly loosen the soil and ease the problem of soil compaction.

You can choose a few thicker straws and insert them into the soil. Note that the position should be away from the plant's root system. Then fill the straws with coarse sand and pull the straws out.

After that, you can water the flowers. The water allows the coarse sand inside the soil to spread outward in all directions. This not only solves soil compaction and loosens the soil for the flowers, but also increases the soil's air permeability, which is beneficial to the plant's growth.

Applying light fertilizer

If the degree of soil compaction inside the flowerpot is not serious, you do not need to use the above two methods at all. Simply loosen the soil properly, then sprinkle a thin layer of organic fertilizer on the surface.

As the organic fertilizer ferments inside the soil, the soil will ferment and become loose along with it, thus easily solving the problem of soil compaction.

Care and prevention

To prevent soil compaction, in your daily flower care, besides not going too long without watering, you should also note that you must not water with alkaline water, and it is best to choose organic fertilizer when fertilizing.

You can buy a flower rake at a flower shop. If the flowerpot is small, you can directly use items such as toothpicks. After each watering and fertilizing, you can use something to properly loosen the soil for the plant. This way, you can not only prevent soil compaction, but also speed up the flowers' absorption of water and nutrients.

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