A neighbor's comment about my ferns changed my whole watering habit

Last month my neighbor saw me dumping a full watering can on my Boston ferns and said 'you're drowning those poor things'. She showed me how the top inch of soil felt wet but the roots were bone dry. I switched to soaking them in the sink for 15 minutes twice a week instead of daily sprinkles. Now the fronds look way more perky and I caught new growth within 10 days. Has anyone else had a simple tip from a non-gardener that ended up being spot on?

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wesleyjohnson12d ago

My grandma did the same thing with her Christmas cactus for 30 years. Bottom watering every Sunday in the kitchen sink, not a drop from the top. She never read a gardening book in her life, just watched what worked. The trick is the soil, most potting mixes get hydrophobic when they dry out too much. Water runs right off the top like rain on a tarp. Roots stay thirsty while the surface looks soaked. Your neighbor basically figured out the whole science of capillary action without knowing the word for it.