葉水のやり方　/ My own way of watering leaves

観葉植物の育て方を勉強しだすと、割とすぐに知ることになるのが『葉水』である。植物の葉に水を与え、乾燥を防ぎ元気に育てる手助けをするという行為だ。植物そのものの乾燥を防ぐほかに、埃等を洗い流して光合成を活性化させるとか、害虫予防にも良いとされる。

しかし、当然のことではあるが、葉水は万能ではない。植物にも水を好むものや好まないものがあるし、育てている環境次第では逆効果にもなりかねない。その塩梅は、最終的には育てている人が植物達の様子を見て判断しなければいけないものだ。

私も様々な種類の植物の世話をしているため、植物によって葉水をする頻度を変えているが、ぶっちゃけかなり頻繁にかけている。家にいない時は別だが、休日になると一日一回では済まない。偶に植物に目をやった時に乾燥しているようだったら、葉水をするのだ。これは、ネットで推奨されるやり方ではあまり見かけない。

だが、実際にそのやり方のほうが、我が家の植物の場合は明らかに元気だ。葉水の頻度が減ると、特にアスプレニウムなんかは露骨に元気がなくなり、葉の角度で水不足のサインを出してくる。そう考えると、アスプレニウムはわかりやすいので初心者にも育てやすい植物だと思う。

見知らぬ土地が原産の植物達を日本で育てるためには、先人達の知恵は必要不可欠だ。その一方で、そうした知識を鵜吞みにすれば必ず植物の育成に成功するとも限らない。日々、植物の様子を見て改善策を考えることが一番大切だと思う。上手くいかないこともあるが、それもまた勉強。だからこそ、私は植物を育てることが大好きだ。

When you start learning how to grow houseplants, you will quickly learn about "leaf water". We Japanese call it "Hamizu".　It is the act of watering the leaves of plants to prevent them from drying out and help them grow vigorously.　In addition to preventing the plants themselves from drying out, it is said to be good for washing away dust, activating photosynthesis, and preventing pests.

However, as should be obvious, leaf water is helpful but not a panacea. Some plants like water and some do not, and depending on the environment in which they are growing, it may have the opposite effect. Ultimately, the person who is growing the plants must make a judgment based on the condition of the plants.

Since I take care of many different types of plants, I vary the frequency of leaf watering depending on the plant, but to be frank, I do it quite often. Except when I am not at home, but on my days off, I can't do it more than once a day. If I happen to look at the plants and see that they look dry, I water them with leaves. This is not often seen as a recommended practice on the internet.

But in fact, our plants are clearly healthier that way. When the frequency of leaf watering is reduced, plants like aspleniums, in particular, lose obvious vigor and show signs of lack of water by the angle of their leaves. In this sense, I think that Aspleniums are easy to understand and easy to grow for beginners.

In order to grow plants native to strange lands in Japan, the wisdom of those who have successfully grown them before us is indispensable. On the other hand, it is not always possible to succeed in growing plants by simply relying on such knowledge. I think the most important thing is to look at the plants on a daily basis and think about how to improve them. There are times when things don't go well, but that is also a learning experience. That is why I love growing plants!

OrAngE.