Hello, caretaker. I am your oleander, a resilient and sun-loving shrub. While I am known for my drought tolerance once established, my relationship with water is a delicate balance. Both too much and too little can cause me significant stress. To help you understand my needs, I will describe the specific signs I display when my roots are either drowning in excess water or parched from a lack of it.
My roots need oxygen as much as they need water. When I am forced to sit in saturated, poorly drained soil, my roots begin to suffocate and rot. This prevents them from absorbing nutrients and water effectively, creating a cruel irony. The signs of this are distinct. You will first notice my older, lower leaves turning a bright, conspicuous yellow. These yellow leaves will often drop prematurely, even while they still feel soft. My newer growth may appear pale green or yellow. The most telling sign is the condition of the soil and my roots; if the soil is constantly soggy and emits a musty odor, and if my roots are dark brown, mushy, and slimy instead of firm and white, I am undoubtedly receiving too much water.
Although I am built for Mediterranean climates, I am not a cactus. Prolonged periods without adequate moisture force me into survival mode. My strategy is to conserve water, which I achieve by sacrificing parts of myself. The first and most obvious sign is wilting; my leaves and stems will become limp, droopy, and lack their characteristic sturdy rigidity. As the drought stress continues, you will see the tips and margins of my leaves turn brown and become crispy to the touch. This browning will often work its way inward from the edges. I will also begin to drop my leaves, starting with the oldest ones, to reduce my surface area and minimize water loss. My flower buds may fail to open or drop off entirely, as blooming is a luxury I cannot afford when struggling to survive.
To truly understand what I need, you must look beyond my foliage and into my soil. The most reliable method is the finger test. Please insert your finger about two inches into the soil near my base. If the soil feels sopping wet and clings to your finger, hold off on watering. If it feels bone-dry and crumbly, I need a deep, thorough drink. If overwatering is the issue, please cease watering immediately and ensure my planting site has proper drainage. In severe cases, you may need to gently lift me and amend the soil with sand or grit to improve aeration. If underwatering is the problem, water me slowly and deeply at the base, allowing the moisture to penetrate well into the root zone rather than giving me a brief, superficial sprinkle.
