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Daily gardening tip · Southern hemisphere · Saturday 24 October 2026 · mid spring

Use Pot Weight to Know When to Water

Lifting your potted plants is one of the easiest ways to check if the soil is dry inside.

Use Pot Weight to Know When to Water
5 minuteseasycontainers
  1. Water your potted plant thoroughly until water runs out the drainage holes.
  2. Lift the pot slightly with both hands to feel how heavy it is when wet.
  3. Wait a few days as the soil dries out in the warm spring weather.
  4. Lift the pot again to compare its weight.
  5. Water the plant only when the pot feels light.
A garden in mid spring

Why it works

Water adds significant weight to potting soil. As the plant drinks and moisture evaporates into the warm spring air, the soil becomes much lighter, giving you a clear physical signal that it is time to water again.

Lilly-pilly

Plant of the day

Lilly-pilly

Syzygium smithii

An evergreen tree or shrub native to eastern Australia, widely grown for its dense, glossy green foliage and colorful pink or bronze new growth. It produces clusters of fluffy cream-white flowers followed by edible pink to magenta berry-like fruits

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Gardening news

Gardening news

Wyevale Nurseries champions seasonal planting with autumn campaign

A plant grower in Hereford is starting a promotional effort to encourage people and plant businesses to put plants in the ground during the fall.

The Dirt · 2026-10-23
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Scientists Find Ideal Growth Conditions for Endangered Plant

Researchers studied how light and water levels affect the growth of young Tongkat Ali plants. The team identified the exact amount of shade and moisture required to optimize seedling survival. These findings help growers cultivate the endangered species in gardens rather than harvesting wild populations.

bioengineer.org · 2026-10-17
On this day

Birth of American Botanist William Chambers Coker

American botanist William Chambers Coker was born on 24 October 1872. He established the Coker Arboretum at the University of North Carolina to teach the public about regional plant species. His lifetime of work made significant contributions to plant science and public gardening education.

en.wikipedia.org · 2007-10-06

Written for the southern hemisphere. Gardening north of the equator? See the northern edition

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