Wandering Jews are in love with moist soils but often struggle in overwatered conditions. Though they won’t mind if you leave them unattended for some days, putting excessive water every time is something that can cause severe damage in the long term.
If your plants are getting overwatered so often, you are in the right place today. Here I will try to highlight all the facts related to overwatering in wandering Jews. So let’s roll on to the main article now.
Reasons behind overwatering | Fixer Guide |
| Irregular watering | Water once, maximum twice a week. |
| Bad drainage | Keep checking the drainage hole in the pots. |
| Water stagnant condition | Make channels to move water in gardens and tilt the pots to remove excess water often. |
Signs of an Overwatered Wandering Jew
Overwatering has multiple signs that can baffle you with other problems in plants. You might have been thinking about it lately how do I know if my wandering jew is overwatered? So, first of all let’s discuss it.
The initial sign of overwatering is wilting of leaves. Yes, you heard it right. Not only water deficiency but also excessive water can cause wilting in wandering jew. You can trace it by checking the soil condition of the pots.
With time such wilting can worsen to yellow and brown leaves in wandering jews. Mostly the leaf tips seem to be the victims in such a case. Well, there might be other reasons behind brown leaves in your plants. To know more about this, you can check my article wandering jew leaves turning brown.
Coming back to the other symptoms, you may also notice that the new leaves are shedding off with the older ones. Even the leaves, stems and flowers form some moldy structures due to overwatering that makes them limp and damp.
In roots, the signs are very common and easy to detect as you can notice some bad odor coming from the base of your wandering jew. If you dig up a bit, discolored and slimy roots will be visible. This may also slow down the growth of your plants. Because of this, you may notice that the wandering jew leaves are curling.
How can your wandering Jews get overwatered?
There can be multiple reasons behind the overwatering issue. Some are due to the environment and some can be because of your oversights. However, irregular watering, bad drainage and ultimately the prolonged wetting of soil push your plants to such stress.
Now let’s check how you can fix the problem of overwatering in wandering jews.
How to Deal with an Overwatered Wandering Jew
1. Arranging a proper watering schedule
Normally wandering Jews are okay with watering once or twice a week. That’s enough for summer and spring. For winter you can take a longer break, almost 12 to 14 days to put the next batch of water.
If accidentally your plants get overwatered, move them away from direct sun exposure and let them have some relief for some time. Clear up the drainage passage in your pot to run off the excess water. It’s advised to let the soil dry up on the top layer at least 1 to 2 inches before starting the regular watering again.
However, don’t let the soil become too dry at a time. You might have been thinking that why is my wandering jew becoming so leggy, this might be a reason behind that.
If you are finding it a bit tough to balance between waterings, you can check my article on how often should I water my wandering jew.
2. Fixing the stem and root rots
Wandering Jews are sensitive to water logging conditions and can not live in the water forever. Prolonged water stagnant conditions due to overwatering can easily cause mushy and soggy roots. You might also observe some stem rotting at the lower parts. Eventually, this will cause wandering jew plants to die at the base.
If your soil is holding too much moisture at the top layer then you can place some charcoal powder to soak up the excess water. After some time, discard them and let the soil dry up.
To rescue your plants from rots, remove the damaged roots as much as possible. Maintain proper hygiene while removing them as fungal spores from roots can infect healthy plant parts.
Such rots are quite serious and can even put them on the verge of death. To revive a dying wandering jew plant due to overwatering and root damage, you may need to repot the whole plant in a new soil media. Then water them consistently to precede the growth.
3. Drainage management
Bad drainage can easily cause water stagnant conditions. Pot-planted wandering jews often suffer from drainage issues. Most of the time, leached-out soil particles clog the drainage hole at the bottom. To prevent this, you can place a flat stone on the hole and then put the soil in the container.
Another option is creating holes at the side of the pots along with the bottom one. These will not be blocked that easily.
If your wandering jews are established in the landscape, you may dig some side drainage path to let the excess water move from your plant base.
4. What to do in wet weather?
On rainy days it’s better to keep your wandering Jews indoors. Plants that are established in the garden will need some rain protection shedding. You can place any thick polysheet supported with poles. As the rain stops, you need to make sure that all the water is passed through the drainage channel.
Mulching the plant base with some polybag or plastic scratches can protect the plant base during heavy rainfall. Also, these will prevent water from penetrating the root zone of your plants.
FAQ’s
Q: Can wandering jew live in water forever?
Answer: No, a Wandering Jew plant cannot live in the water forever. While it can survive for a while in the water, eventually the lack of nutrients will cause the plant to wither and die. It’s best to plant Wandering Jew in soil and water it regularly.
Q: Can an overwatered Wandering Jew recover?
Answer: Yes, an overwatered Wandering Jew can recover if caught early and given proper care. By removing the excess water and allowing the plant to dry out, you can prevent further damage and promote new growth. However, severe overwatering may cause irreparable damage to the plant.
Q: Can wandering Jews live only in water?
Answer: Well, yes. Wandering Jews can survive in water for some time. If you keep changing the water regularly the cuttings can live in the water for several weeks.
Q: How to make a wandering jew bushy?
Answer: To make your wandering jew bushy, you can remove some parts from the stem just above the roots. This will promote branching and your wandering jew will look fuller and finer. Pinching back the leaf tip during summer and spring also works great.
Q: How fast do wandering Jews grow?
Answer- Wandering Jews are quite fast growers. With proper care, they can grow up to 2.5 centimeters in a week.
Conclusion
Wandering Jews are not that tough to handle. Mishaps are common while growing plants. So, don’t be upset if you end up overwatering them.
As I have guided, try to follow the instructions. Trust me you can fix this issue. This may cost you some effort, but in the end you’ll be amazed at how your wandering Jews are getting back to life.
So, don’t be late and start working on your plants just from today. Come back to my articles for any support.
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