Think about a basil plant in the summer. Its leaves are soft and beautifully green, just ready to tear over some ripe tomatoes in a tangle of springy, fragrant, fresh lushness. Now think about dried basil: dusty, grey-green color, sharp, crumbly texture – it’s a world away from its summer self.

The difference? Water. When you water a drooping, thirsty plant, you can almost see it start to stretch up again towards the light, vigorous life restored drop by drop.

How Water Helps Plants Grow

Okay, this isn’t news, we know. Plants need water. In fact, a good word to use here is turgor, which is the pressure created by the fluid – the water – content in …