You Should Be Dunking Your Plants

Potted plants need some level of maintenance. Plants that can be neglected for a long time need to be watered occasionally. Dirt, dust, and other debris can settle on the leaves.

Some gardeners prefer to dunk their plants in water to deal with hydration related issues. This is what to know.

Why dunk plants?

Dunking plants is the same as it sounds, but why do it?

If enough dust accumulates on the leaves of the house, it may block light from getting through, which could be a problem for photosynthesis. Dunking will remove the dust and other things from the leaves of the plant.

Dunking will remove any insect pests that have made your plant their home. If you are moving plants indoors for the winter, this is important.

Dunking is a way to rehydrate plants in soil that repels water. It's a common problem with potting soil that has a lot of it. When it dries out, it can be hard to re-wet, and can result in hydrophobic soil.

How to dunk plants

Do you know if dunking is recommended for your plant? Gardeners aren't all on the same page when it comes to whether dunking them is a good or bad idea. It's fine to give the leaves a quick dip when you're unsure.

It's time for the dunking.

Smaller houseplants

• Fill your sink or a basin or bucket with lukewarm/room temperature water.
• Place your hand on the plant and soil to keep it in place, and to prevent the plant from floating. Some gardeners recommend inverting the plant, while others dunk right-side-up. Use your judgement.
• Fully submerge the plant in the water.
• Gently give the leaves a quick swirl underwater to ensure that any dust, dirt, or pests (living or deceased) are removed.
• Bubbles should be coming from the plant up to the surface as water replaces the air in the pot.
• When the bubbling stops, remove the plant from the water. Hold it over the sink/basin for a few seconds to let it drain.
• Place the plant on a flat surface that you don’t mind getting wet, as the plant will continue to drain. When water stops coming out of the bottom of the pot, it can go back to its usual location.

Larger houseplants and outdoor plants

The process for dunking larger houseplants and outdoor plants is basically the same as the one described above, except using a larger container and not attempting to Invert the plant when it's underwater. Also, that's right.

• Larger potted plants that are too big or awkward to dunk can take a shower instead.
• If you are dunking outdoor plants before moving them in for the winter, one gardening expert suggests adding a few squirts of a non-detergent, natural soap/cleanser to the container (this is the one she uses), dunking the plant, then rinsing out the container, filling it with fresh (non-soapy) water, and dunking the plant again.

How often should plants be dunked?

You just gave your plant a bath? They are due for their next one.

Dunking on a daily or weekly basis isn't a good idea because you don't want to over-water your plant. One gardening expert suggests dunking your plants monthly, while others suggest doing it on an as-needed basis.