This page explains common watering issues in Potted, especially questions about orange text and hand watering. The goal is to help you understand what you see and how to keep your plants healthy.
What Does Orange Text Mean?
We have seen questions about orange text on plants. Here is what it means.
Orange text is not an emergency. Orange text does NOT mean a plant is sick.
Orange text means
- The plant is below 75% hydration
- This happens about 1.8 days after watering
Why Orange Text Exists
Orange text is meant to make plant care easier.
It helps because:
- You can quickly see if you already watered a plant that day
- You can notice watering cans that are empty or not working
When you do your normal watering routine, orange text can help you remember which plants still need water.
Important things to know
- A plant takes about 7 days to fully run out of water
- Orange text appears long before a plant gets sick
Orange text is only a visual reminder. Your plant is still healthy. You do not need to panic or rush.
Orange Text After Harvesting or Converting
A common situation happens after harvesting or converting a pot.
Sometimes:
- You harvest or convert a plant
- You forget to water it the same day
This can cause confusion later.
Why this happens
- The green “harvest ready” text can temporarily hide the orange text
- After harvesting, the plant may immediately show orange text
- Other times, it turns orange later the same day
Many players remember clicking the pot because of a harvest, but the Water button was not pressed, so the plant does not actually get watered.
Recommendation
- If you hand water, always water immediately after harvesting or converting
This avoids orange text later and keeps your routine consistent.
Rollbacks and Watering
Sometimes Second Life regions (sims) restart or roll back.
Important to know:
- Rollbacks can erase a watering action
- This is more likely if the plant was watered right before a sim restart
Recommendation
- If you know a sim restarted, check your plants
- Re-water if something looks wrong
Hand-Watering Issues
Some players have reported issues with hand watering. Below are the most important tips.
Key Points (Very Important)
- You must be within 20 meters of the pot
- You must click the Water button within 30 seconds of opening the menu
If either of these points is missed, the watering may fail.
Hand-Watering: Distance Limits
When hand watering:
- You must be within 20m of the pot
- This is the normal Second Life chat range
Sometimes watering may seem to work from farther away, but this is not reliable.
Also:
- Watering across sim borders is not guaranteed to work
Best practice
- Walk close to your plants before watering
Hand-Watering: Menu Time Limit
When you click a plant, it opens a menu.
Important:
- The menu only listens for 30 seconds
- After 30 seconds, the Water button will stop working
This is required for script performance and server safety.
What this means for players
- It is OK to water in batches
- Keep batches small enough to finish quickly
A good rule:
- Open and click Water on each pot within 15 seconds, not the full 30
Closing menus often takes longer than opening them.
Verifying That a Plant Was Watered
If you hand water, always verify that it worked.
Check two things:
- A local chat message saying the plant was watered
- The hover text above the pot updates
If you do not see both, the watering may not have worked.
Remember:
- We offer a free HUD that lets you toggle hover text on and off easily.
Summary
- Orange text means lower water (<75%) , not danger
- Plants have 7 days before becoming sick
- Always water after harvesting or converting if you hand water
- Rollbacks can remove recent watering
- Hand watering requires distance and timing attention
Following these tips will help keep your plants healthy and reduce confusion.
