From my perspective, rooted in this pot, the most immediate and distressing sign of your over-kindness with water is what happens below the soil, where you cannot see. My roots are not just anchors; they are my mouth and lungs. They need to breathe oxygen from the air pockets in the soil. When you water me too frequently, you fill these precious air pockets with water, creating a soggy, anaerobic environment. My roots begin to literally drown. They cannot function, they start to soften, and they rot. This root rot is a silent, creeping death for me. You might not see it at first, but its effects will soon become painfully visible above the soil. A healthy root system is white and firm; a drowning one is brown, black, mushy, and has a foul smell.
You might find it confusing that I wilt when you have been so generous with water. It seems like a paradox, but it is a clear cry for help. When my roots are rotting and drowning, they are damaged and cannot perform their vital duty: drawing up water and nutrients to transport to my stems and leaves. Even though the soil is wet, I am suffering from a form of dehydration because my water-conducting system is compromised. This is not the same wilting you see when I am thirsty. Thirsty wilting happens when the soil is dry to the touch, and I will perk up quickly after a drink. The wilting from overwatering is persistent; I will remain limp and sad-looking even though the soil is damp. It is a wilting of despair, not of thirst.
Look closely at my leaves, my pride and joy. They are the engines of my growth, where I turn sunlight into food. When my roots are failing, my leaves are the first to show the nutritional and systemic stress. The most common sign is the yellowing of my leaves, particularly the older, larger leaves at the base of my stems. This yellowing often starts from the tips or edges and moves inward. It is a sign that I cannot access the nutrients I need, or that the cells within my leaves are dying due to the lack of oxygen and root function. Furthermore, you might see my leaves becoming limp and soft, losing their firm, turgid structure. In some cases, the leaves may also curl downwards or develop oedema, which are blister-like bumps caused by water-soaked cells rupturing.
When I am struggling to survive, I simply do not have the energy to grow. My primary focus shifts from producing new, fragrant leaves to simply trying to keep my existing structures alive. Therefore, a clear sign that something is wrong is a complete halt in my growth. You will notice that I am not producing any new shoots or leaves. My stems may become weak and spindly as they struggle to support my declining foliage. More alarmingly, the constantly wet environment you have created is a perfect breeding ground for fungal diseases. You might see fuzzy grey mold (Botrytis) on my stems or leaves, or the base of my stem might become dark and soft, a sign of a fungal infection like damping off. These pathogens thrive in the conditions your overwatering has created, accelerating my decline.
