Viewing post #2612578 by needrain

bucsnation1984 said:

Okay, so do you guys all think everything except my snake plants basically needs to be outside? Not sure I should've purchased these then. I live in an apartment. lol

I have the pots with the drain holes at the bottom...I purchased a water meter on amazon yesterday so I can be more consistent with the watering. Before I think I was watering once a week, now it's really inconsistent. I think it's been a month since last watering.

Funny you mentioned setting the plant in a container and let it soak. I literally just watched a video showing this for maintenance.

I don't think they sell that here. At least I couldn't find it on amazon. She said it's a soil wetter.

Sorry for the stupid questions. lol

You saw a video that's special for soaking? Never heard of that. By soaking from the bottom you just need a bowl, bucket or some other container that holds water and is deep and wide enough to set the container with the plant in. Then add water and let the plant soak it up via the drain hole. I like for the surface to be damp to touch if I'm working with something that feels really dry, but sometimes it takes too long and I'll judge it by weight or probing beneath the surface to see how high the moisture has risen in the rootball. Some people use a bamboo skewer and check the moisture that way. I can't imagine buying a special container for that. Send me the link for the video if you can. I'd like to see it .

Your questions aren't stupid. Except those you don't ask . Most everyone here started out inexperienced at one time. Some might have started with more knowledge by being exposed by a relative or other circumstances, but a lot of posters here started from scratch. They got an apartment and looked in House Beautiful and saw the attractive plants here and there. They worked in an office and someone had left a plant there and they began the process of learning to care for it. They were gifted a plant and suddenly were the owners of something alive instead of an inanimate object sitting on a shelf or hanging on the wall that just required dusting off occasionally. There is no telling the number of dead plants in the growing history of the folks who post and share experience on this forum. I guarantee the number is huge. Even the most expert growers working with the most congenial climate have failures. Failures and death may get less, but it still happens to us all. A new appearance by an unfamiliar insect. A freak weather event. Often, an illness or a vacation or some event that causes some negligence and the plant is a goner before you get squared away. Or managing harsh winters or unforgiving summers. What happens to your plants if the heating/cooling dies and it's several weeks before it repaired/replaced? Sometimes they can make those inanimate objects pretty appealing Nah! Not gonna happen.