When you see leaves curling or stem drooping or leaves dropping, the first thing that crosses your mind is the plant is under-watered. Unfortunately, overwatering the plants also reveal the same signs and symptoms. New gardeners need to learn the connection between plant roots and water first.
One thing to remember is less or overwatering can kill plants. Read about plant care tips on harvestgoldorganics.com and enjoy a great gardening experience!
Root and water connection
Plant root’s main body is responsible to transport the nutrients and water across the plant’s leaves, stems, or branches. If you look closely there are hair-like roots, which play a crucial role. Every tiny root is a modified plant cell and needs oxygen for metabolism. It is similar to the cells present in the human body that regularly needs air.
The respiratory system transfers oxygen to the blood circulation system, which then moves it all across the human body. Poorly oxygenated blood including a lot of carbon-dioxide gets expelled making your body harmless.
In plants, the hair-like roots obtain oxygen from small air pockets, which exist in the soil surrounding it. In a normal environment, the water from rainfall fills the air pocket, which drains away. If the water does not drain due to constant flooding then the roots start to rot. Root rot is caused due to fungi like Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Phytophthora. This root decay makes it impossible for supplying essential water and nutrients to the whole plant.
Why sufficient water is needed?
Insufficient supply of oxygen to the hair-like roots makes these special cells unable to metabolize. They can handle these conditions for some time but consistent overwatering eventually kills them. In this way, roots get stifled and cannot breathe. Therefore it is crucial to give plant reasonable water supply needed for transpiration, maintain temperature as well as remain upright and turgid.
As these hair-like roots supply water and nutrients, their death can impact the whole plant’s survival. It cannot do its normal regulatory functions and enters a stress phase. It starts to dry out internally displaying drought symptoms.
Unfortunately, many people who are not familiar with this will water the plants as they see it for wilting. Thus, the plant’s survival situation worsens even more. Root decay due to waterlogging or poor drainage cannot reverse root rot.
Excess water can wash out fertilizers
Fertilizers added to improve soil’s nutritional profile and help a plant grow can get washed out due to overwatering thus the plants get deprived of essential nutrients.
