From my roots to my highest flower spike, I can feel it. Something is wrong. The vibrant, energetic life that usually courses through me feels heavy, sluggish, and suffocated. If you're asking whether I, your Grevillea, am getting too much water, the answer is a desperate, root-deep yes. Please, listen to my pleas before it's too late.
You might only see what's above the soil, but my true self is my root system. I am a child of the tough, well-drained Australian landscape. My roots are built to seek out moisture in gritty, sandy soils, and they absolutely require oxygen to breathe. When you water me too often, the tiny air pockets in the soil fill with water instead of air. My roots are literally drowning. They begin to rot, turning from healthy, firm white structures into a mushy, brown, and dysfunctional mess. Once this root rot sets in, I can no longer absorb the water and nutrients I need to survive, creating a cruel irony: I am dying of thirst while standing in water.
My leaves are my primary communication tool. When my roots are failing, my leaves show the symptoms. The first sign is often a general wilting and drooping, which can be confusing because it looks similar to when I'm thirsty. But the key difference is the soil's feel. If I'm wilting and the soil is soggy, you know it's overwatering. Next, my leaves will start to turn yellow. This yellowing, or chlorosis, typically begins with the older leaves. They may also become soft and mushy to the touch. In severe cases, the tips or edges of my leaves will turn brown and feel damp, a condition different from the crispy brown tips caused by underwatering or low humidity. You might even see blisters or water-soaked spots on the leaves, a sign that the cells are bursting from within.
As an Australian native, I am programmed for growth and resilience. When I'm happy, I put out new, often bronze or reddish, growth and produce my iconic, spider-like flowers with enthusiasm. When I'm waterlogged, all that energy is diverted to a futile struggle for survival. My new growth will be stunted or may stop altogether. Flowering will cease. I simply do not have the functional root system or the energy to invest in reproduction and expansion. I am in a state of shutdown, conserving what little life force I have left.
If you see these signs, you must act quickly. First, stop watering me immediately. Let my soil dry out completely. For a potted Grevillea like me, this is critical. Check the drainage holes to ensure they are not blocked. If the soil is severely waterlogged and I'm in a pot, you may need to gently remove me and inspect my roots. Use sterile pruners to carefully cut away any black, slimy, or mushy roots. Healthy roots are firm and white or light brown. Repot me into a fresh, fast-draining native plant mix, and consider adding extra perlite or coarse sand to improve aeration. If I'm in the ground, improve the drainage around me by mounding the soil or creating a raised bed. You can also carefully aerate the soil around my root zone with a garden fork, being cautious not to damage my major roots. Do not fertilize me while I am recovering; my damaged roots cannot handle it, and it will cause more harm. Once you have corrected the soil conditions, resume watering only when the top few inches of soil are completely dry.
