When and how to repot a plant
Signs your plant has outgrown its pot, and a step-by-step guide.
Watering through the monsoon
Why plants that were thirsty in April can drown in July.
From June to September, Bengaluru’s air is humid and the sun is often behind clouds. Plants grow more slowly and use far less water. Yet many of us keep watering on the same schedule we used in April, and the soil stays wet for days. Roots that sit in wet soil rot, and the plant wilts, which looks exactly like thirst.
The fix is to water by touch, not by calendar. Push a finger 3 cm into the soil. If it feels damp, wait. For snake plants and succulents, wait until the soil is completely dry, which in the monsoon can take three or four weeks.
Check that every pot drains. A pot without a hole, or a saucer full of standing water, is the main cause of monsoon plant losses. Empty saucers half an hour after watering.
Balcony plants in the rain need extra care. Move succulents and cacti under a roof. Plants that love water, like ferns, can enjoy the rain, but tip out any water that collects in decorative pots. When the sun returns in October, increase watering slowly.
