The Ultimate Watering Guide for Your Indoor Plants

Indoor plants can bring immense joy to your life. They provide mood-boosting properties, air-purifying abilities, and decorating prowess. Those reasons alone are enough to commit to their longevity and wellbeing. To attain flourishing indoor plants, provide adequate exposure to sunlight, and it’s also vital to water them regularly.

While watering plants is in itself a straightforward process, there’s usually more to it than meets the eye. You need to determine when to water, how often to do it, and how much to give them. If you nurture an indoor jungle, you need to be especially mindful of how frequently you water to ensure that all of your plants have the same chance of thriving. What’s the best way to sort out the confusion? If you have even one indoor plant, make sure you stay on top of its health and wellbeing by keeping these valuable watering care suggestions in mind.

Seasonal Considerations

The time of year makes a big difference where your plants’ watering needs are concerned. Summertime brings valuable extra light and sun exposure, but it usually comes at the expense of drying out the soil in potted plants. To prevent them from wilting prematurely, you’ll need to water them more frequently.

A simple guideline is to insert your finger into the soil, pushing until you reach your first knuckle. If it feels dry, it’s time to water. By contrast, fall and winter are considerably cooler. Less sun also means there’s less opportunity for soil to dry out, so you may find that your plants don’t need as much water during this time of year.

When to Water

Plants communicate with their owners in mysterious ways. Often, they’ll send a signal when they need watering. Sometimes those signs are quite obvious: you’ll see it in the condition of the leaves, which may appear to droop and look lackluster. The quicker you catch this problem, the easier it is to reverse and salvage the plant.

In addition to the finger knuckle test, you can also use a moisture meter to determine more accurately when it’s time to water your plant. These valuable tools are essential to avid indoor gardeners because they give a precise reading, allowing you to measure just how dry the soil is — something that’s especially important for plants that start to get unhappy if they miss one or two watering sessions.

How to Water

You don’t have to possess a green thumb of any kind to water your plants like you’ve done it all your life. The key to watering is to identify the type of plant first. Those with foliage should be watered approximately every five to 10 days. Take the time to water thoroughly, allowing the moisture to soak into the soil. Make sure your pot has sufficient drainage holes to prevent root rot, a problem that could lead to premature plant loss. If you’re nurturing a larger indoor garden, make this step easier by removing them from their individual pots and placing them in a large tub or sink. Water them all at once, then put them back in their respective containers after they’ve drained.

Watering succulents is less of a task, if only because they barely need any water to prosper. Their fleshy leaves hold their moisture, making them unique beings in the plant world. These attractive and trendy plants are desert loyalists, and they thrive during droughts and in dry conditions. So when should you water it? Take note of its soil, which should be completely dry before you add any more water. It can take up to three weeks to reach this point, depending on the humidity levels in your home. When it’s time, water the succulent from the bottom. This process helps the roots remain resilient and prevents common issues like overwatering and rotting. Most importantly, it’s simple: just remove the succulent from its post, add water to the container, and put it back inside. This ensures that the soil soaks up the moisture efficiently and minimizes the chances of damage.

Overwatering Indications

Adding too much water can be as detrimental — and in some cases even more so — as neglecting to water altogether. Plants often send signals when they’re under moisture stress, so you may be able to salvage it if you identify the problem in time. In particular, be on the lookout for signs of yellowing foliage. That’s often a key sign that there’s too much water present. Test the soil for moisture with your finger and check for standing water that lingers at the bottom of the container.

Because too much water can leave the plant vulnerable to rot, it’s helpful to know the signs. They include discoloration and wilted leaves. Rot impacts the roots’ ability to efficiently soak up moisture, so the roots too will appear sickly over time. Most often, they will feel spongy to the touch and take on a black color.

Remember — it’s always better to underwater than to overwater your plants. You can always feed it more, but you can’t take back the water that seeps into the soil and makes its way to the roots. Moreover, you’ll need to go through the often complex process of restoring a plant that’s suffering from rot, which may not always be successful.

Underwatering Signs

While it’s not harmful to underwater a plant once or twice so long as you make up for it, it shouldn’t become a habit. Usually, this only happens if you believe that you’re watering it enough. The key is to identify which plants require more water and which, like succulents, perform best with less moisture.

Usually underwatering is easily detected through a simple finger check of the soil. Does it feel hard and compacted, or appear as though it’s separating from the edges of the container? These are signs that there’s no moisture present. Prompt hydration is crucial, as dry soil will impact the health of your plant quickly.

Resolve compacted soil by placing the entire pot in water; this ensures that the moisture saturates the soil completely instead of simply sinking to the bottom of the dry soil. Then resume your normal watering routine, checking the soil with your finger to determine whether it’s dry and needs more moisture. Remember that the top inch should be dry before you water foliage again.

Know Your Plant Needs

All plants are different. Some, like orchids and certain types of palms, do best when their leaves and roots are lightly misted. By contrast, air plants should be soaked for approximately an hour each week, then drained and dried. Tropical plants, meanwhile, enjoy a good soak from above, so don’t hesitate to wet their leaves. Then there are the succulents and African violets that do best when watered from below.

Indoor gardening is among the most rewarding hobbies you can adopt, for countless reasons. To ensure that your plants stay happy and healthy, develop a solid watering routine and enjoy the fruits of your labor.