From my perspective, my roots are my lifeline. When you provide too much water, you are essentially drowning me. The soil becomes saturated, pushing out all the oxygen. My roots cannot breathe in this environment. They begin to suffocate and rot, turning from a healthy white to a mushy, dark brown or black. This root rot is a death sentence if not caught early, as my damaged roots can no longer absorb water or nutrients, no matter how much you give me. You might see my lower leaves turning yellow and feeling soft and limp, a sign of systemic failure starting below the soil. The entire plant may become wilted, not from a lack of water, but because the rotting roots cannot transport it to my stems and leaves. The soil will also feel constantly wet and may even develop a musty or sour smell due to the anaerobic conditions.
Conversely, when you forget to water me, I am plunged into a state of drought stress. My first priority is survival. Without sufficient water, I cannot maintain turgor pressure—the water pressure that keeps my cells rigid and my structure upright. You will see my leaves and stems become limp and wilted. This is my most obvious plea for help. My leaves will often feel dry, crisp, and brittle to the touch. They may start to turn yellow or, more commonly, brown, particularly at the tips and edges, as these are the areas furthest from my vascular system and dry out first. The soil will pull away from the edges of the pot and feel dry and dusty deep into the pot, not just on the surface. My growth will become severely stunted as I lack the basic building block for all my cellular processes.
To truly understand my needs, you must look at the subtle differences. The wilting is a key symptom for both, but the texture of the leaves and the condition of the soil tell the true story. A wilted, overwatered plant has soft, mushy leaves and wet soil. A wilted, underwatered plant has dry, crispy leaves and bone-dry soil. The yellowing of leaves also differs; overwatering causes widespread yellowing, often starting with the older, lower leaves, while underwatering causes browning and crisping at the leaf margins. The most definitive check is to gently examine my roots. Healthy roots are firm and white. Soft, brown, foul-smelling roots indicate overwatering, while dry, brittle, and shriveled roots point to severe underwatering.
