What are signs of too much sunlight or water for plants?

Do you despair of ever having a green thumb? If it seems like you kill every beautiful nursery plant you bring home, don’t lose hope. Keeping plants beautiful and healthy isn’t that difficult once you know the secret of giving them the right amount of sun and water. Pay attention to what your plants are telling you, so that you can care for them properly.

To grow healthy and strong, plants need light and water. Whether inside the house or in your home garden, plants must get the proper amount of both if they’re going to thrive. Some plants, like cacti and succulents, are drought-resistant, so they require very little water to thrive. Other plants are less water-wise and need more. The same goes for sunlight, with cacti enjoying a lot of full sun and other plants preferring partial shade or even to be moved from location to location. When it comes to light and water, how do you know when enough is enough?

Plants that get too little light will grow in unhealthy ways. They may get tall and leggy, with few leaves and wide spaces between the leaves they do have. They also might produce smaller leaves or lean toward the light source to get as much light as possible. They can also lose their coloring or slow their growth when they don’t get enough light.

Too much light, on the other hand, can also be detrimental. Even sun-loving plants like cacti can develop dark patches from sunburn, for instance. Other signs that they’re getting too much sun include drooping leaves and a faded color. The soil may become dry, the plant may be hot to the touch, and sometimes the leaves can even crumble to the touch.

While plants need water to grow, too much can be extremely detrimental. When you go to water your plants, notice if the soil is still wet. If it is, they have been over-watered. If a succulent or cactus looks dark or has rotting leaves, it’s probably the result of watering on top of the plant. It’s better to water directly into the soil. And while house plants can wilt from too little water, if their leaves are yellowing, they’re probably overwatered. Pay attention to how much you are watering your plants. If the soil is wet or the plant seems to be growing fungus, don’t water the plant. To stop fungus, cut back on the watering and use a fungal remedy, like copper fungicide or Triple Action, a neem oil-based product.

Whenever you’re looking for plants and expert advice, head to Moon Valley Nurseries. Moon Valley Nurseries started as a small neighborhood nursery garden center, and now has locations all across the West. We deliver and plant anything in our massive inventory, and because we grow our plants ourselves, we can give our customers the lowest prices in town, guaranteed. Whether you need ground cover, a tree or two, or an entire landscape, our friendly staff members will go the extra mile to make you happy. Contact us through our website or stop by one of our locations to check out all we have to offer, from the best trees and plants to professional crews and planters to certified designers ready to provide expert design advice and make your yard the best in the neighborhood.