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
I’m going to paraphrase one of the best explanations I’ve seen on this subreddit from [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/s/RtYhtGtnUh) thread that asked the same thing:
Basically, overwatering isn’t about how much you water, its about how *frequently* you water. This is why even after heavy thunderstorms and floods plants can survive despite literally being inundated as long as they can thoroughly dry afterwards. When you water too *often* though, the soil always stays damp and bacteria and fungi start to set in (because they thrive in humid conditions) and grow around the roots of plants, suffocating and ultimately killing them. Plants grown hydroponically don’t have this issue because very few pathogens can survive in just water.
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