I have been doing some reading and talking to a few people who I know about hydroponics, and plants. One of my questions was “How can plants live in water? If you over water a plant, they will die.” When I found the answer, my mind was blown. This all will make sense once you read it.
What Plants need to live.
Plants need four main things to live. Food, water, air, and sun. Plants need the sun to turn CO2 and water into Hydrocarbons for their food. One awesome part of a plant making hydrocarbons is that it also releases oxygen at this point. Plants need oxygen to live as well. They take in their oxygen from their roots. Plants also take in water and some nutrients through their roots. Much of the oxygen plants take in comes from cracks in the soil. When you water the plant too much the cracks in the soil will close up, cutting off oxygen. Plants that are not adapted to live in water will surely die.
Because of photosynthesis plants turn CO2 and water into Hydrocarbons for food, and they release oxygen at this point. When photosynthesis stops, and the sun goes down, the plant will consume oxygen and put off CO2. With out the sun, plants like us. I bet you will look at your fern a little bit different from now on.
How can a plant live in a Hydroponic system?
If a plant needs oxygen, how can they live in only water? Plants that are in a Hydroponic system draw their oxygen from the water. You see, plants grow little tiny hairs on the roots. The tiny hairs allow the plant to take in oxygen from the water. Now you still have to make sure that there is enough oxygen in the water for the plant to breathe. Aeration is a must. When the plant can not get enough oxygen it will die back a bit, and eventually just die. With potting soils you have nutrients generally added to the mix when you buy it. If your plants are growing in water, you need to make sure they still have nutrients. Just about any hydroponic store will sell a liquid fertilizer for your hydroponic set up.
I hope this helps answer some questions about why plants die from over watering. There are many neat things that plants can do, all you have to do is look.
Thank you for reading.