From my roots to my leaves, I, your thyme plant, communicate my needs constantly. The most common misunderstanding we have is about water. You often struggle to tell if you're giving me too much or too little. It's a critical distinction because the wrong response can push me further into distress. Let me explain how I show you the difference.
Before you even look at my leaves, touch the earth I live in. It is my immediate environment and holds the truest answer. If I am suffering from too much water, my soil will feel constantly cold, soggy, and cling to your finger. There is no air left for my roots to breathe. If I am thirsty and underwatered, my soil will be dry, pulling away from the edges of my pot. It will feel warm, dusty, and crumble easily. A happy medium is soil that feels like a well-wrung sponge – moist but not wet.
My leaves are my primary billboards for health, but the type of damage is the key. When you overwater me, my leaves will often turn yellow, starting with the older ones lower down. They will feel soft and mushy, and may even droop despite the soil being wet. This is a sign of root rot; my roots are drowning and can no longer support my foliage. In contrast, when I am thirsty, my leaves become dry, brittle, and crispy. They will turn brown, often starting at the tips and edges, and feel like paper. The drooping from underwatering is a wilt from sheer lack of turgor pressure; my cells are deflated.
What you see above the soil is a reflection of what happens below. Overwatering attacks my very foundation. My stems, especially at the base near the soil, may become soft, weak, and appear black or dark brown. This is a fungal condition often called "damping off." If you were to gently lift me from my pot, you would smell a foul, rotten odor and see my roots that are brown, slimy, and mushy instead of white and firm. Underwatering affects my roots differently; they become dry, shriveled, and may even turn brittle. They are searching desperately for any hint of moisture.
The speed at which I show distress can also guide you. The symptoms of overwatering often develop more slowly. You might not notice the yellowing leaves or slightly soft stem for a while, but the problem is festering underground. It's a slow decline. Underwatering, however, can have a much quicker onset. On a hot, sunny day, I might wilt dramatically within hours. While I can often recover quickly from a single underwatering episode with a good drink, the damage from chronic overwatering is frequently severe and irreversible because it destroys my root system.
Finally, look at my general demeanor. A thyme plant that is overwatered will exhibit stunted growth. I will stop producing new leaves because my energy is spent fighting decay and disease. I may look lethargic and pale. An underwatered thyme plant is also stunted, but for a different reason: it's a survival mechanism. I am conserving every drop of water, so growth is put on hold. I might look small, woody, and stressed, clinging to life until the next drink. In both cases, I am not thriving, but the underlying cause is opposite.
