BEST TIPS FOR WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX FOR PLANTS

Contents

1 INTRODUCTION
2 WHAT IS WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX?
3 FACTORS THAT AFFECT WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX
4 BEST MATERIALS TO IMPROVE WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX
- 4.1 Light-weight materials for moisture control
- 4.2 Use of Water-Storing Crystals
5 HOW TO TEST WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX
6 COMMON MISTAKES IN MANAGING WATER RETENTION IN POTS
- 6.1 Overwatering & Underwatering
- 6.2 Using poor Potting mix
7 TIPS FOR MAINTAINING OPTIMAL WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX
- 7.1 Mulching
- 7.2 Watering techniques
8 CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

Importance of water retention in potting mix for container gardening

In container gardening, soil dries out quickly for reasons like hot weather, windy seasons, and limited space. Some plants need constant moisture to thrive (not soggy plants never thrive in soggy soil). To keep those plants moist, you should use a water-retention potting mix. Also, having a good water-retentive potting mix avoids frequent watering.

Challenges faced by gardeners with poor water retention

Keeping your plant moist is like keeping the plant lively. Poor water retention only leads to poor growth, dry and crispy leaves and sad-looking plants. These are out looking signs of poor water retention absorbs fewer nutrients from potting mix, fertilizers and reduced photosynthesis process water is a key raw material for photosynthesis. So, it is important to keep your potting mix water retentive not soggy.

Impacts of Water retention on plant health

Proper water retention stabilizes the plants’ ability to absorb water and nutrients. It’s like how a proper water intake keeps our body hydrated and healthy. Potting mixes that dry out quickly lead to underwatering issues and stress the plants (at least I want to keep the plants stress-free). Continuous leaf wilting and dry potting mixes impact the plants’ health and life.

WHAT IS WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX?

Moisture retention in potting soil is keeping the potting mix moist by adding water-retentive potting components like cocopeat, and peat moss and adding nutrient components like compost and manure that also have the water-holding capacity in the potting mix helps to have a consistent water supply to plants.

In container gardening soil dries out quicker than in in-ground gardening, making potting mix with these water retention components helps to fulfil the container gardening watering needs and avoid frequent watering. Water retention helps plants to absorb and hold moisture in potting mix and slowly release it to roots. This process keeps the plant hydrated even if you don’t water daily.

Frequent watering only leads to overwatering or extra watering chores. Daily watering makes the soil soggy which leads to root rot. To avoid all these conflicts, keep the potting mix water retentive to give water to plant roots slowly in smaller quantities by potting mix.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX

Organic Materials in potting mix

Adding organic materials to the potting mix not only helps to improve the nutrition in the potting mix but also helps to retain moisture potting mix as well without adding extra weight to the potting mix and keeping the structure for the potting mix with needed air pockets that create aeration in potting mix.

Organic matters like peat moss, coco peat and compost have their roles in water retention as well. Peat moss has 98% organic microbial activity in it helps to hold water retention in the potting mix. Cocopeats are known for their water absorption and holding capacity with aeration. Adding compost for better water holding is also helpful.

Soil Texture and Composition

Soil composition for container gardening is important for plant root growth. The core concept of making potting mix with these amendments is to maintain a potting mix structure that has aeration, less soil compaction, water retention and aeration in the meantime. To tick all these boxes, you have to add a combination of water-retentive and drainage components to the potting mix.

Drainage and Aeration

Along with water retention, you’ve to keep a few more things in mind while making potting mix. Proper drainage in container gardening is important for plant growth. While making the potting mix water retentive it’s important to add amendments for drainage and aeration for healthy roots to avoid soggy potting mix. Adding Perlite and soil sometimes leca balls helps overwatering prevention.

BEST MATERIALS TO IMPROVE WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX

Light-weight materials for moisture control

Adding Perlite and vermiculite has two different qualities they are water-retentive materials and improve aeration. Both are organic materials and lightweight. Adding this to potting mixes makes the potting mixture ideal for containers for various reasons.

Perlite is a volcanic glass that is well-known for aeration and drainage. Adding perlite along with compost and peat moss or cocopeat keeps the soil aerated to avoid a soggy potting mix that leads to root rot. The role of perlite in water-retention potting mix is to keep the potting mix moist but not soggy or excessively wet.

Vermiculite improves the potting mix‘s ability to hold moisture without becoming waterlogged. It keeps the balance between water retention and soil aeration. Vermiculite also prevents compaction because of the sponge texture. And keeps the mix loose so the roots can spread easily.

Adding both Perlite and Vermiculite together along with other potting ingredients helps to improve the potting mix’s texture and structure. To know the ratio read my previous blog post.

Use of Water-Storing Crystals

If you’re wondering what’s water-storing crystals, it’s a white material in potting mix that we see in stock photos of gardening pots and some gardening vlogs. Water-storing crystals or Hydrogels are widely used by western gardeners. In countries like India, the popularity of Hydrogels increasing because of urban gardening’s rising popularity.

These Hydrogels hold moisture more than 400 times their weight. They help maintain consistent moisture, reduce water stress, and conserve water. They absorb water and only release needed water, so there are no overwatering issues. It’s not an affordable choice in the Indian market, so it’s up to you.

HOW TO TEST WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX

Simple Home Methods to Test Water Retention

You can test your soil’s moisture by using a moisture meter, inserting a stick into the soil or finger test on the top layer of soil. These methods help to water the plant. To test water retention in soil, you don’t need any special tools you can test water retention in soil with the help of your gardening tools and pots.

To check the water retention you need, a pot with drainage holes and the soil or potting mix you want to test (a clear pot is easier to check), a cup with water measurement a bowl to catch the water. A stopwatch or timer to check the time.

Place the pot with drainage holes that are filled with soil or potting mix in a bowl.
Pour a cup full of water into a pot in a measurement cup.
After 10-15 minutes measure the amount of water collected in a bowl.
Subtract the amount collected from the bowl after watering with the full cup. For example, if you pour 1 cup of water, the collected water is 0.5 cups means the potting mix retained 0.5 cups of water.
If the potting mix retains too much water from the cup add drainage components (perlite, sand and gravel) to the potting mix.
If the potting mix retains less water from the cup add moisture-retentive materials like coco peat, peat moss and organic matter.

Signs of poor water retention

Wilting, if you water frequently but still see wilted leaves, it’s a sign that your potting mix is poor water retentive.
Dry Patches in the potting mix, cracks between the potting mix and pot, and potting mix dries too fast are signs that your potting mix does not absorb water evenly or the water drains quickly before the potting mix absorbs it.
Excessive Drainage if you see that water comes out in drainage holes too fast when you’re watering it is a sign that your potting mix is poor water retentive.
Crispy leaves are in the leaf border it’s a sign that your plant is not receiving enough moisture from the potting mix and roots.

How to Improve the Potting Mix

Adding moisture-retentive ingredients Cocopeat made from coconut fibre retains water and stays moist, Peat-moss is slightly acidic and has 98% microbial activity in it and holds moist and Compost improves structure, gives nutrients to plants and retains more water and still provides aeration.
Incorporate Vermiculite, a natural mineral that expands when heated and increases the capacity to hold water. You can use vermiculite along with cocopeat and compost in a potting mix.
Organic Materials like compost and manure add nutrients along with water retention in the potting mix. Adding a handful of organic matter thrice a year is necessary for plant growth.
Layering and Mulching If you’ve perennials in pots you face this issue, the potting mix dried and lost quantity over time to time which also leads to poor water retention. To avoid this, add a layer of parks and straw to the top layer or you can add mixed mulch also.

COMMON MISTAKES IN MANAGING WATER RETENTION IN POTS

Overwatering & Underwatering

Maintaining moisture in the potting mix is a challenge, especially as a beginner most of the plant problems you going to face are water-related and potting mix-related. Over-watering and underwatering are two main issues in gardening. If you over-water or make the soil much water-retentive the plant pot becomes overwatered. Meantime if you water less frequently or you’re potting mix is less water-retentive then it has become dry and then it’s underwatered.

In the process of making the potting mix water-retentive, you also keep one more thing in mind: the potting mix should be aerated as well. The concept of managing water retention in pots is not only to keep the potting mix soil but also not make them soggy. Keep the potting mix in the right balance can handle overwatering and underwatering.

The right potting mix with water-retentive materials like compost, cocopeat and vermiculite keeps the potting mix structured-aerated-moist. Adding components like perlite, coarse sand and gravel make the potting mix well-drained. Making a potting mix with combined materials maintains a balance in the potting mix.

Using poor Potting mix

Not only is water-retentive garden soil not suitable for growing plants in pots. The reasons are.,

Garden soils are heavier
Less porosity
Less aeration
There is no structure in garden soil
Easily become hardened so it’s hard for roots to spread
Holds excess moisture that makes the soil soggy

Using the best potting mix for containers helps your plants in multiple ways.,

Light-weighted suitable for balcony garden, vertical gardening and hanging pots
Potting mix has a structure that gives roots a space to spread easily
Potting mix has air pockets so better aeration

Potting mix with water-retentive components holds and gives access to water slowly so the plants can get water and stay moist even in dry climates.

TIPS FOR MAINTAINING OPTIMAL WATER RETENTION IN POTTING MIX

Already you know a lot about how to make a potting mix water-retentive in the above paragraphs. Now you’ve to know about how to maintain or keep the optimal water retention in potting mix and pots.

Mulching

Mulching is the process of adding a layer of mulch to the top layer of the potting mix after planting in pots. Mulching container plants helps in different seasons, one is to reduce the evaporation of water in hot weather, protect soil loss in windy seasons, and prevent the plant roots from extreme cold weather.

P.S. Don’t keep the mulched pots in the rain it holds excess moisture and leads to over-watered problems.

Watering techniques

I wrote a separate blog post about this please check if you want to know full details. I give some quick tips that are so important in watering,

Use less-pressured watering tools like watering cans or hose nozzles to control pressure.
Water in the morning before 10 am helps to avoid water evaporation.
Adopt deep watering techniques if you facing under-watering issues.
Don’t follow any watering schedule, just water when you feel the top layer of the potting mix dry or insert a stick to check.
Use pots with drainage holes to drain out excess water.
Use a quality potting mix that is lighter and aerated.

CONCLUSION

Healthy container plants need optimal moisture levels in the potting mix. In this Blog, you’ll learn about how water retention in a potting mix impacts the plant’s growth, root growth and production. And you already know about how to make a potting mix water-retentive in detail. Knowing this detail sounds overwhelming for a beginner but trust me these details are important factors in plant growth. Knowing better about these details helps you have a green thumb as a Gardener.

Happy Gardening