Signs of an Overwatered Plant and How to Fix It

People love their plants and they want to feel like they’re actively caring for them. However, some plants get too much love in the form of water. I once read someone say they love their plants to death referring to watering. I think it's common problem. In reality, we want to water, or love, our plants enough so they thrive. Too much water can create an inhospitable environment for your plant, which can lead to its demise. I’ll cover how to spot the signs of an overwatered plant, and give you some tips on how to fix it.

Signs of and Overwatered Plant

Below you will find a list of signals your plant may be sending you to say, “Cool it on the water.” This is not a checklist. Your plant may only be showing one of these signs. However, it's not uncommon to see more than one.

Yellow or Browning Leaves Are a Sign of Overwatering

I put this first because it’s the most ambiguous. Yellow and browning leaves are also a sign of under watering and over/under fertilizing. That’s pretty confusing, but hopefully these next tips will help you out. To eliminate underwatering as a culprit stick your finger in the soil. If it’s dry, you are probably under-watering rather than over-watering.

Eliminating a fertilization issue isn’t quite as easy without some tools. Soil fertility is generally measured through levels of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). See the Old Farmer Almanac for more information on N-P-K ratios. Soil pH is also a factor.  Unless you’re a chemist, you probably need a soil fertility testing kit. Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself first. How often am I fertilizing? Am I following the packaging instruction correctly regarding dosage, diluting, and frequency of application? Also remember most plants do not need to be fertilized during dormancy, i.e. the winter months.

Mushy Stems or Trunk

If the plant is mushy at the base of the trunk, that's a glaring sign of an overwatered plant. Unfortunately, this sign is usually the death knell in the coffin. A mushy plant has been rotting for a long time. If you take your plant out of its pot, you would likely find rotting roots as well.

Your Plant is Dropping Leaves

Don’t worry. It is normal for a plant to drop leaves occasionally. Healthy leaf drop happens to the oldest leaves. Older leaves will be the ones closest to the trunk base or the base of a stem. If your plant is dropping leaves that are old and new, then you may have a watering problem. Leaf drop can happen for other reasons as well, shock being the main alternative reason. If you just repotted your plant or moved it to a new location, it may drop leaves and it may not be related to water. As you know by now, I suggest you stick your finger in the soil to see how wet it is to confirm.

Mold or Fungus on the Top of Your Soil

Mold and fungus-like moisture. Overwatered plants have extremely moist soil ripe for mold and fungus. Mold will generally look white or light gray and fuzzy. Fungus may look similar or you may even get little mushrooms cropping up in your soil. Another sign of fungus is the dreaded fungus gnats, which look a lot like fruit flies but live in your plant’s moist soil.

Root Rot

This is the hardest way to check because it involves removing your plant from its pot to inspect the roots. Healthy roots are generally a white color. Obviously they’re in dirt, so don’t be alarmed if they aren’t pristine white. Rotten roots will be brown maybe even a little translucent looking and they will be squishy to the touch.

The Soil Has Not Dried Since the Last Watering

You should be checking your soil moisture before your water every time. If the soil is still very moist, then you should not water your plant. If this is happening frequently, then that is a sign you have overwatered your plant.

How to Fix an Overwatered Plant

It depends on how far gone it is. I’ll go over a few options.

If you have determined that you have overwatered your plant because you have yellowing or brown leaves, mold or fungus on your soil, mild root rot, or leaf drop follow these instructions:

• Carefully remove your plant from its pot.
• Shake loose all the wet soil from the roots. Be very careful.
• Remove any mushy or rotten roots.
• Repot in with new soil.
• Do not water immediately. Wait a day or so.

If your root ball is pretty dense and intact and there is no visible root rot, instead of removing all the soil you could also leave it out of the pot for a day or two to let it dry out at a quicker rate.

For mushy stems and trunks or serious root rot, you must completely remove all rotten plant material. Some plants can be propagated from stem and leaf cuttings. Look up your plant to see if it can be propagated. Some plants can be propagated in soil or a non-soil medium and some can be propagated in water (funny considering that was the problem). Propagation does not work 100 percent of the time and it can take a while depending on the plant so have patience and don’t get your hopes up.

How to Prevent Overwatered Plants

Check the Soil Moisture Before You Water

You must check your soil before you water to ensure your plant does indeed need water. You also need to know how much moisture each plant needs. Some plants should dry out between waterings, while others prefer to stay more evenly moist (not soggy) all the time. People often use their fingers to test soil moisture. They say to stick at least up to your first knuckle in the soil, sometimes two. I just don’t find that practical all the time. I like to use a moisture meter like this.

I like this meter because it’s simple, cost-effective, and it removes the need to guess about moisture levels. As a bonus, it measures light and pH, but I only use mine for soil moisture. If you have larger pots I recommend that you take moisture readings from several spots in the pot to make sure you get an accurate reading. For example, the soil tends to be drier the closer to the edge of the pot.

Get the Right Pot

Never get a pot without drainage. I don’t care how cute it is. Or at least drill holes to add drainage, which you can do to most pots with these diamond drill bits. If you have trouble with overwatering plants, you should also consider using terracotta pots. They are very porous and dry out much quicker than ceramic, plastic, and metal pots.

Find the Right Spot

Make sure your plant is getting enough light. If you have a reasonable watering schedule, a pot with adequate drainage, and your plant is still not drying very well, you should consider moving it to a new spot. Your plant may not be using its moisture resources because it’s not getting enough light. If you aren’t sure about your light I have a blog on light tracking with a light meter for plants. You could also use a grow light to supplement light if you don’t want to move your plant.

Share your overwatering horror stories and questions in the comments.