Chinese evergreen plants are always on the list of plants that many people love to grow as ornamental plants. The slow growth rate of this plant saves space and requires little effort to care for. The beauty of green, healthy leaves, and unique patterns will attract all attention at first sight.
Chinese evergreen plants have the ability to adapt to many different living environments. However, Chinese evergreen watering is one of the important factors affecting the growth of this plant. Watering properly is an effective method to stimulate and maintain comprehensive plant growth. How often do you water Chinese evergreen? What are Chinese evergreen water requirements? How to water properly for each season of the year? To answer this series of questions, please join us in finding out the detailed information below.
Chinese Evergreen Water Requirements For Each Season
The water demand of Chinese evergreen plants will depend on many different factors such as light, temperature, soil mix, pot size, and time of year. You cannot water this plant with the same amount of water and time intervals throughout the year. Each season will have different characteristics, so the water needs of Chinese evergreen plants also change. Below is detailed information on properly watering plants during each season.
Summer And Spring Season
This is a period of warm weather and growing season for Chinese evergreen plants. This plant will grow best during this time. Spring and summer will provide continuous warm sunlight for a long period of time. Sunlight helps plants photosynthesize and produce chlorophyll to maintain the green color of leaves. Sunlight also helps promote water evaporation in the soil and air exchange inside the potting soil. In addition, sunlight and high temperatures also limit the risk of plants being infected with harmful fungal or bacterial diseases when the environment is humid. Therefore, Chinese evergreen plants will grow quickly and healthily in spring and summer.
You need to water Chinese evergreen plants once a week or once every 10 days during this period. This plant prefers moist soil, so you should not let the soil dry out between watering. You should water when the soil surface is 1-2 inches dry. Check soil moisture before watering to avoid problems with poor drainage and waterlogging.
Winter Season
Winter is the time when most plants stop growing and so do Chinese evergreen plants. In winter, low temperatures, low humidity, lack of warm sunshine, and shorter daylight hours than in summer are also factors affecting plant growth. Therefore, plants will enter a period of dormancy and stop growth activities. They try to conserve energy and maintain life in the face of harsh natural conditions. Chinese evergreen plants will need less water in the winter because there is no need to use it to grow. You should only water plants every two weeks or so once the soil is dry. Also, you need to use room temperature water to water your plants because water that is too cold or too hot will also put undue stress on the plants.
What Factors Affect The Water Needs Of Chinese Evergreen Plants?
Chinese evergreen plants prefer moist soil, but that doesn’t mean they need large amounts of water to survive. Therefore, you only need to water the necessary amount of water to maintain soil moisture and avoid waterlogging. There are many factors that will affect the frequency and duration of watering plants such as temperature, light, humidity, soil quality, and type of pot.
Temperature: When the temperature is high, water evaporation in the soil and environment will be faster. Therefore, the soil will also dry faster, plants need more water to balance the lost moisture. It is the reason why and summer and spring you need to water more due to the high temperature and abundant sunshine in a day. On the contrary, in winter, low temperatures and lack of sunlight will cause water evaporation to be slower. Therefore, you only need to water Chinese evergreen plants with a small amount of water in winter to maintain life.
Humidity: Chinese evergreen plants will grow well in ideal humidity conditions of 50-70%. If the humidity in the air is high, plants will also need less water than if the humidity is low. Continuous evaporation over the stomata on the leaf surface signals the root system to transport more water into the soil. You can use a humidifier to maintain ideal humidity in your home. In addition, if the humidity is low, you should increase watering and misting to quickly balance the humidity.
Light: Plants need light to produce energy and food. High-intensity light will promote the soil drying process faster, thus increasing the plant’s need for water. On the contrary, if your plants live in a low-light location or use artificial light, you should not water them too much because the plants can easily become waterlogged.
Soil quality: Chinese evergreen plants prefer well-drained soil because they cannot tolerate waterlogging. Soil quality will also affect the water requirements of plants. Potting mixes that contain a lot of clay will not be suitable for growing this plant. Because it will drain poorly and retain a lot of water in the soil. Therefore, you should water this soil mixture sparingly. You should choose a soil mixture with ingredients such as organic matter, peat, coconut fiber, gravel, or perlite at the bottom of the pot to promote drainage and oxygen exchange.
Pot type: The materials used to make a pot also affect the plant’s water needs. If you grow plants in terracotta pots, the evaporation of water will be faster. In contrast, pots made of plastic or glass will prevent water evaporation. Therefore, you should water the right amount of water for the type of pot to avoid waterlogging.
How Often To Water Chinese Evergreen
The ideal watering frequency is once a week in spring and summer, and once every two weeks in winter. However, the amount of water and frequency of watering depends on a number of environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, light, soil quality, and the type of pot in which you grow the plants. Here are some important notes when you water Chinese evergreen plants.
- No scheduled watering is available for all seasons of the year.
- Never water without checking the moisture in the soil.
- Reduce the frequency and amount of watering in winter, water more in the growing season.
- Choose a location with enough light to promote evaporation of the water.
- Use a good quality soil mix to enhance drainage.
- Select pots must have at least 1 drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.
- You can mist the plants when the humidity is too low.
- Do not water the leaves at night because a humid environment will create favorable conditions for fungi to grow.
- Avoid over-watering on days with insufficient sunlight as it will increase the risk of waterlogging.
- Do not use water that is too hot or too cold for irrigation to cool or warm plants. You should water at normal temperature to ensure the health of plants.
- Tap water should not be used to irrigate plants because tap water contains excess salts and chemicals.
- You can use neem oil to mix with water and water once a month to increase resistance to pests.
Conclude
Chinese evergreen plants are plants that love moist soil but do not like too much water. Therefore, you should not let the soil get too dry between waterings. You should water according to the actual water use needs of the plants. Environmental factors that affect plants’ water needs include light, humidity, temperature, soil quality, and the type of pot used to grow plants.
In spring and summer, when temperatures are warm and light is abundant, water needs are higher, so you should water once a week. Conversely, in winter when temperatures are low and humidity is high, you should only water once every two weeks or when the soil surface is dry.