You just purchased a new plant or maybe you inherited or were gifted one, or perhaps, your plants are starting to die and you are here just trying to help them out and figure out what is going on. No matter what the circumstance is, you’re being a great plant parent by researching this topic and learning how to properly water your plant so it won’t die.
Watering your plant seems like such a simple task yet so many people struggle with how to do it. Don’t you just dump some water on it and walk away? And if it starts looking bad, surely it must need more water, right? Well no, but I assure you, there’s an incredibly simple solution to your watering problems. This lesson will save you from a lot of headaches and heartache over your plants. It applies to indoor plants as well as container gardens, and even outdoor gardens. I learned this while working for a greenhouse that was in charge of maintaining all the indoor plants throughout my university’s campus. It was the number one cause for problems and plant death if it was not followed.
Water According to the Soil
Alright, so here it is, water your plants according to their soil. Now what I mean by this is before you ever water any of your plants, I want you to check their soil. Simply place your finger down an inch or two into the soil and notice how wet or dry it is. If it feels soggy and wet, it does NOT need any more water. It may not need water for another week or so depending on where the plant is placed. If the soil is damp, a very small drink will do or you can skip for another few days. And if the soil is dry when you poke your finger in, then it is ready for a drink of water. The one caveat to this rule is only for desert plants. This includes things like cacti, succulents, and snake plants. Since these plants are used to and thrive in dry conditions, be sure that their soil is completely dry before you give it another watering.
Watering Doesn’t Follow a Schedule
The actual plant itself is generally awful at telling you when it is thirsty or when it is bogged down with too much moisture, but the soil is a great indicator. This is why we always check the soil first. The whole notion of watering your plant every week or every other week is rubbish and I want you to throw that out of the window. Your garden center or nursery does their best by telling you how often to water your new plant, but in all reality, they don’t know where you’ll be placing these plants and the conditions they’ll be in. For example, an indoor plant close to a window is going to be using and needing much more water than a plant in a dark bathroom. And if you were to follow the rule of watering every week, the one in the bathroom would quickly die because it’s not using its water as fast as the one in the window and is being over watered.
Plants in darker areas of your home don’t grow as quickly and use water as quickly because they don’t get the sufficient sunlight and energy to be pulling up water constantly. Because of this, they need to be watered less. And your soil will be telling you all of this! The houseplant in the bathroom may have moist soil more often and you’ll know that it means it does not need to be watered and can be skipped.
Be Careful Not to Over Water
Over watering doesn’t actually kill the plant, it’s the constant wet environment of the soil that will. Fungi survive in wet soil and if your soil is constantly wet, then it can thrive and begin to deteriorate your plants roots and cause what is known as “root rot”. Root rot typically leads to plant death. It’s more common with plants that are in pots with no drainage holes because the water has nowhere to go and will sit in your pot until it is drawn up by the plant, which can take awhile for the plant to do. If you don’t have drainage holes at the bottom of your plants pot, be very conservative to not give your plant too much water and be diligent about checking it’s soil before watering.
If you do have drainage holes in your pot, then you are free to water the plant until water begins to escape through the drainage holes. Just dump the extra water that has leaked out down the sink and your plant should be fine until the soil dries again.
I hope this is helpful for you as you care for your plants! Just remember to check that soil and you can save yourself a whole lot of money and sorrow from killing any more indoor or outdoor plants.
For more tips and tricks on watering your plants, see our 5 tips to remember when watering your plants. You can also listen to our podcast, Plant School, as we dive in more detail about best practices when watering your plants.
