How often to loosen soil and help with root exposure.

Question

I have some potted plants like Dumb cane plant, Money plant, Song of India plant, Rose Plant, Tulsi Plant etc
I water them every day as it’s really hot summer in June in Northern India where I live. Should I loosen up soil around roots every 15 days to have good plant health? In the process if roots get exposed above soil in air is it bad or is it good?

Answer 1

Hi Grhitesh; It's best not to loosen the soil surface as you will be disturbing the upper layer of absorbing roots, which are vital for uptake of water and nutrients. It's better to mulch the soil surface with a layer of compost. This helps to retain soil moisture and improves soil tilth and organic matter content, which enhances the beneficial soil biology.