Title. It’s just funny to me how cautious I am not to overwater my plants when in soil. But if I cut a piece of a plant and stick it in 100% water it thrives. Wouldn’t the roots being literally underwater be “overwatered” as well?
In: Biology
As long as the roots have oxygen, they will survive. This is how roots can grow in water, because the water is in contact with the air to exchange oxygen. The issue is when the soil is made of of things that can rot. Most “potting soil” that is sold at the store is ground up trees, which will rot when continuously wet. When the wood chips in the “potting soil” rot, they use all the oxygen, and the roots around it die. If there is nothing in the soil that can rot, then there is no such thing as overwatering. If your plants live in a well drained sand/silt/clay mixture, you can water as much as you want and the plant will never ever rot. Water has oxygen in it when it rains or we water, so there has to be something in the soil to use up that oxygen to kill the roots. Growing a plant hydroponically (roots in pure water) is the fastest way to grow a plant because the roots have unlimited water and oxygen. The most lush place on Earth is the rainforest, where it rains everyday, and the soil never dries out, yet the plants seem to do OK there (because the roots are in soil made of minerals that don’t rot, and the leaf litter, mulch, compost etc is all sitting on top of the soil where it can rot into compost with access to oxygen). This whole “wait until your plant is dry before you water it or you’ll kill” thing is only because they sell potting soil that is full of things ready to rot if they stay wet too long. If your soil is made of minerals (dirt) and therefore can’t rot, there is no such thing as overwatering and you’ll have happy plants.
Here are a couple videos that explain this:
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