With temperatures already on the rise, you may be worrying about keeping our plants watered and thriving. While plants die without proper water, the same is true of plants that receive too much water. It is easy to tell when a plant is dying from lack of water (by becoming dry and brittle), but it’s not always so easy to tell when they’re being over-watered. Here are a few signs to help your HOA make sure area plants and flowers are receiving the proper amounts of water. You’ll keep your plants alive and save on the water bill – it’s a win-win!

Look for:

  • Yellow and wilting leaves – The first and easiest way to tell if a plant is getting to much water is to look for droopy, wilting leaves that are yellow. Unlike plants dying from a lack of water, yellow leaves on an over-watered plant are NOT brittle.
  • Edema – This is a bit trickery to spot, but if you suspect over-watering check the bottom side of the leaves for brown, tan, or white blister like areas. If you see these, it’s a sure sign the plant is getting too much water.
  • Rot – Just like it sounds, rot is when your plant/flowers literally start to rot away. Over-watering can cause pests and fungi to take over and cause the plant(s) to dull, turn yellow, and eventually die as the roots rot away to nothing. This is especially common for plants whose soil doesn’t drain properly – which is another causes of over-watering.

While too much water can obviously cause over-watering, there may be more to it than that. Before you cut back the water, check the soil. If it isn’t draining properly, it won’t matter how much you water, your plants will drown. Before seasonal planting, make sure to use/add the proper kind of soil to help prevent over-watering.

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Hopefully being aware of these signs will help your HOA protect landscaping and seasonal flowers. Before planting, always make sure you’re using proper soil for the type of plant that you’re planting and manage watering with the help of drip irrigation or a reliable sprinkler timer. Before you know it, your outdoor areas will explode with summer blooms and lush greenery! If you need any other help maintaining your landscaping, do not hesitate to give Spectrum a call!