5 flower-watering tips that never go out of date even after 10 years; learn them and you are a plant-growing expert

Keeping a few flowers at home not only adds charm to life and makes existence more vibrant, but also benefits physical and mental health, cultivates noble character, and inspires a love of life. Growing a few plants indoors can improve the living environment and put green environmental protection into practice. Green plants can absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Every square meter of green plants absorbs 90 g of carbon dioxide and releases 60 g of oxygen per day, so what knowledge is there about growing flowers? With the 5 watering tips below, learn just a few at random and you are a plant-growing "expert"; they never go out of date even after 10 years!

1. Choosing the growing medium

The medium is actually all the materials used to grow flowers, including the commonly used garden soil, leaf mold, nutrient soil, river sand, ceramsite and sphagnum moss. The most critical thing about potting soil is good drainage and aeration. The common green plants at home basically all need loose, fertile, well-drained soil, so prepare this kind of medium and growing flowers becomes much easier than for others. Leaf mold, garden soil and river sand in a 5:3:2 ratio is a commonly used potting soil mix for green plants.

2. Tips for telling when the potting soil has dried out

Observing the change in the color of the potting soil is one of the common ways to judge the dryness and moisture of the potting soil. If you find the surface of the potting soil turning pale, that is a sign the potting soil has dried out, telling us it is time to water. Besides observing the color change of the potting soil, we can also judge whether a plant lacks water by observing the state of its leaves. If you find the plant's leaves wilting, going soft and losing their luster, it means the plant is short of water and should be watered as soon as possible.

The lift-the-pot method is the simplest. The flower pots we use for growing flowers on the balcony are all fairly small, so you can lift the pot before and after watering to feel its weight; if the pot has clearly become very light, then it is short of water. The lift-the-pot method suits small pots; if you are using a large pot, then it certainly does not apply.

3. The watering needs of flowers

Watering the plants kept at home is not simply a matter of knowing how many days apart to water. That method only suits growing flowers in a greenhouse, where the temperature and humidity do not change much all year round. Growing flowers in your own home, the temperature and humidity differ through the four seasons, so the watering frequency naturally differs too. You can use your own finger or a dry wooden stick to test whether the soil is dry or wet. If the soil is always wet, the roots rot easily; if the soil is often too dry, the plant will wilt.

Generally, after flowers sprout, their water requirement gradually increases, and in the vigorous growth period the water requirement is even greater; during the flower bud differentiation stage, water and fertilizer should be controlled to prevent flowers from dropping; during the dormant period the water requirement is the least, especially for bulbous flowers, which must not be watered much even in dry weather.

4. Controlling water in high temperatures

The time for watering flowers is aimed at the plant's growth period. Flower lovers should pay attention; especially with the succulents many flower lovers now grow, water needs to be controlled in summer. Evening (dusk) is the best time to water, because in the evening the water temperature and soil temperature are closer, which helps cool the potting soil and let the plant release heat, and after the water is replenished, the plant grows more rapidly at night.

The reason you cannot water at noon is that watering plants in summer easily makes them wither. At noon the plant's transpiration is vigorous and leaf moisture is lost quickly, which requires the roots to absorb water from the soil quickly too. But after watering, the soil temperature drops rapidly, lowering the root temperature as well, which slows the life activities of the roots and slows water absorption. The result is wilting.

5. Flowers you can grow indoors

Flowering plants and trees that stay evergreen all year round are the most suitable to place indoors. Varieties such as spider plant, asparagus fern, evergreen, cactus, English ivy and kalanchoe also have the function of absorbing toxic gases and are suitable for indoors. Aloe, spider plant, snake plant, cast-iron plant and Monstera deliciosa are natural scavengers that can remove harmful substances from the air. Research shows that snake plant and spider plant can absorb more than 80% of the harmful gases indoors, and their ability to absorb formaldehyde is extremely strong; aloe is also good at absorbing formaldehyde, able to absorb 90% of the formaldehyde contained in 1 cubic meter of air.

This is a gathering place for flower lovers, sharing flower care tips; you are welcome to follow and exchange ideas.