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A nursery worker in Asheville showed me how to read a leaf, and it changed how I water everything
I was at a small nursery outside Asheville last spring buying a Japanese maple and the woman working there grabbed a leaf and showed me the difference between a thirsty plant and a drowning one. She pinched the leaf and said if it springs back, leave it alone, if it stays folded, water it. I had been watering my whole garden every other day for 3 years based on a schedule, not on the plants. Since I switched to the pinch test, I have not lost a single plant and two of my hydrangeas that never bloomed put out 11 flowers this year. I also learned that yellow leaves can mean too much water, which I always blamed on not enough. So now I am second guessing my whole routine. Does anyone else use the pinch test, and does it work as well for succulents?
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robinc603d ago
Man, that leaf pinch trick would have saved me so much grief over the years. I did the exact same thing you did, watering on a schedule like my plants were on a clock instead of listening to them. Killed three lavender plants in one summer because I kept the soil wet when they wanted to dry out, and I blamed everything but the watering can. It really is a kick in the pants when you find out yellow leaves mean too much love, not too little. Thanks for sharing this, I am going to try the pinch test on my hydrangeas this weekend since mine have been stubborn too.
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