5 Foolproof Steps to Watering Indoor Plants
Watering indoor plants is a skill, not a talent you were born with.
So, get over the idea you don’t have a green thumb!
I can’t even count the times people have asked me: “How do I water my indoor plants? I either fry them or drown them!”.
You are not the only one wondering how and when you should be watering your indoor plants.
I always hesitated writing an article watering indoor plants as every plant has different needs and its needs change based on its environment.
You’d think a Snake Plant is a Snake Plant, no matter where you put it. The reality is that watering frequency varies based on the climate the plant is in. (A Snake Plant in Arizona should be watered more often than a Snake Plant in Florida. The air in Arizona is so much dryer than in Florida. Dry air will absorb moisture in the plant’s soil much faster, requiring more frequent waterings).
There is no quick answer to the watering indoor plants question.
There is no specific watering schedule either! (However, it depends on which plants you have…some plants are more forgiving than others and may play along well with your first Saturday of the month watering schedule!).
If you are struggling with one particular plant, you can find hundreds of free plant care articles online on that specific plant. However, if none of these articles have helped you out, or if you have more than one plant and need a “universal” approach to watering indoor plants, this article is for you.
The following is a step by step process to help you determine whether your plant needs water or not.
It took many trials and errors, but eventually I learned the tricks. This process now works for me and my many plants!
1. know your house plants
The first thing you need to know before watering is what type of plant(s) you are dealing with. Some plants need their soil completely dried out in between waterings, others like their soil moist but not too soggy.
These soil conditions, (whether it has to be dry or moist), vary based on the plant’s environment; how much natural light exposure you’ve given to your plant; how humid is your home; what season you are in; the type and size of pot your plant is in.
- TYPE OF HOUSEPLANT; This is an essential fist step. You need to know which plant you are watering and do some research on its basic needs. Sometime, this information is written on the tag that came in your plant’s pot when you first bought it.
- NATURAL LIGHT ACCESS; Once you’ve determined which house plant you have and its basic needs, you’ll need to determine whether you have it in the right spot. Some plants love bright natural light, some do well in indirect medium light. Exposure to more or less natural light will affect the soil humidity. The more light the plant has, the quicker the soil will dry. The soil of a plant in a shaded corner of your home will take longer to dry out.
- HUMIDITY; The air of your home has a big impact on how fast your plant’s soil will dry. If you have a fern or a tropical plant that thrives in high humidity, you need to make sure the soil of your plant is kept moist; not too soggy; not too dry. This is one of the trickiest conditions to re-create if you live in a dry environment and watering is often done wrong.
- TIME OF YEAR; With time you’ll notice that you need to change your watering frequency based on the season. In my case, for example, I need to water my plants more often in the winter than I do in the summer. This is the opposite of what one would think as growing season is in the spring and summer. However, since I live in a region that gets really cold and dry in the winter, forced air heating keeps my house warm and extremely dry. I see the soil drying out so much faster in winter compared to spring and fall.
- TYPE OF POT; Different pots materials retain moisture differently. Terracotta pots are known for their porosity, allowing the soil to breath, hence to dry out in between waterings at a slower pace than plastic pots. In addition to their materials, some pots have drainage holes, others don’t. Pots with drainage holes allow the soil to drain excess water and dry out faster. Pots without drainage holes retain excess water at the bottom, keeping the soil moist for longer periods of time. However, this isn’t good for all plants. Read my article on Planting in Pots Without Drainage Holes if you want to know more on the topic.
- SIZE OF POT; This one is simple and intuitive. The bigger the pot of your plant, the more water you need to provide. I suggest giving between 1/3 to 1/4 the volume of your pot of water to the plant.
My Fiddle Leaf Fig sits right in front of a South facing window and gets a few hours of morning direct sunlight. It’s also a big plant with a big pot. I water it once a week. I give it 1 quart of water per week in the summer and 2 quarts of water per week in winter when I crank the heat up in the house and the humidity drops drastically.
My Little Phil Philodendron sits in a shaded corner of my house. Because of its needs and its low light location, I only water it once every two weeks all year round.
2. check for signs
Your plants can’t talk to you to clearly tell you they are THIRSTY!
However, they can send you signs to let you know they need water. Or at least, they try. Unfortunately, most under watering symptoms are the same as over watering symptoms. Whoa whoa whoa…
If you notice any of the symptoms here below, it means there is a watering problem; whether it’s over watering, under watering, lack of humidity or water issues, (your tap water may not be compatible with some of your plants).
We will trouble shoot all these issues later in this article.
These are the typical signs of watering indoor plants problems:
- WILTING
- LEAF DROP
- YELLOWING
- BROWN TIPS
This Parrots Beak Bonsai has been over watered in a pot without drainage holes. It lost almost all its leaves. I repotted it into a terracotta pot with drainage holes, placed it in a much brighter spot and it’s slowly growing new leaves!
This Prayer Plant leaf has given me signs of watering problems😱! Useless to say I freaked out over this beautiful plant and its brown tips. It was hard to pin-point the issue. I knew it wasn’t under watering. Like all tropical plants, it enjoys high humidity, so I placed a pebble tray filled with water under its draining pot and I changed tap water with distilled water. It worked!
Hey Midlife Mom!
Reclaim 10 Hours in Your Day With My 5 Day E-Mail Guide Without Sacrificing Family Time, Even If You Are Already Multitasking From 5 am Till Midnight
3. determine if your plant actually needs water
Watering indoor plants really comes down to this one step; determining if your plant needs water in the first place!
So how do you do that? There are two fool proof ways to figure it out!
- MOISTURE METER; this tool is for those of you that really want to go deep into the soil to make sure it’s time to water the plant. Some plants like their top soil dry and you shouldn’t water them until the top 2″ of soil feels dry. A moisture meter it’s also more accurate than your finger in distinguishing between moist and wet levels. Some plants thrive on moist but drown on wet! Or perhaps, you simply don’t want to stick your finger in dirt and get your nails all black…ugh!
- FINGER: sticking your finger into the soil helps you determine whether your plant’s soil is dry, moist or soaked! You may have to dig deeper to determine the soil conditions for some plants, but if you don’t mind that, this is probably your fastest and cheapest way to determine whether your plant needs water or not. I know my finger is not always reliable as when I water plants, my hands are wet and it’s tough for me to determine if the moisture on my finger comes from the soil or my previously wet hands.
I bought this Moisture Meter from Amazon for $14.00 and it works perfectly for me. There are several products on the market that range in price and accuracy.
In this case I used the finger method to determine whether my Monstera Deliciosa needed more water.
4. type of water to use
You’ve finally got to the point you actually need to water your plant!
But hold on for a moment! Since you’ve researched your plant and know what type it is, how much water and light it needs, you should also know what type of water you have in your tap!
There are several myths out there about tap water and which is good and not good for your plants. Chlorinated water will not kill your plants!
I know we have extremely hard water in the town we live. For this reason we use a water softener for our bathroom faucets. I use water from the Kitchen tap, as it is not softened and it’s great for the majority of our plants. Softened water is not good for house plants as it contains salts that will eventually build up in the plant’s soil!
So what’s good?
- TAP WATER; is good for the majority of plants. I still collect it the night before I intend to water the bulk of my plants, (I am not on a watering schedule, remember?), simply because I want it to be at room temperature. However, in certain locations, tap water may be high in salts and minerals that can burn the roots of your plants, causing the infamous brown tips on its leaves. Here below are some options to tap water.
- TAP WATER WITH FILTRATION SYSTEM; some people use a filtration system for their tap water. This can be a great option to water your plants.
- WELL WATER; I know some people use well water to water their indoor plants and it works for them. However, some well water can contain too much alkaline, which can be damaging to plants that thrive on more acidic water.
- RAIN WATER; This is a great option! I always use rain water for my garden and outdoor plants. I never use it inside as I find it too painful to go back and forth with the rain barrel. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to use rain water in the winter as it is extremely cold here. In some regions rain water may contain pollutants that can damage some houseplants.
- DISTILLED WATER: I use distilled water for all my tropical plants. I am doing everything I can to maintain the foliage free of brown tips!
- BOTTLED WATER: This is probably your most expensive solution. You would use bottled water for one very particular and precious plant in your home. Not for all.
I always pour my tap water the night before to make sure my plants get room temperature water. Avoid cold water whenever possible.
I use distilled water for all my tropical plants and those plants that are prone to brown tips. One quart jug is only $2.99 and it lasts a long time as I only use it on certain plants.
5. how to water your plants
And here you are! Finally watering your indoor plants!
“How much do I pour? Which way is best to water?”, you may ask.
As far as quantity goes, you can either go with the 1/3 to 1/4 volume of your pot method as described here above or pour a good amount of water in your pot until you see the water drain into the bottom tray.
You can water your plant one of three ways;
- WATERING CAN; Pour water directly into the pot. Depending on how dry your plant is, it may take more or less time for the water to be absorbed by the soil in the pot.
The drier the soil, the faster the water will drain out if there is a space between the pot’s rim and the soil. If the soil is packed and fills the pot but it’s extremely dry, you’ll notice the water floating on top of the surface soil for a while. In both cases, be patient and give your plan’t soil enough time to absorb the water. Once the water from the bottom tray is gone and the water on the top soil is all absorbed, give it another drink. You’ll know your plant has had enough water when there is excess water in the bottom tray after a couple of hours. At that point, remove the excess water in order to avoid roots rot.
- BOTTOM WATERING; This is a slower and gentler method but it’s quite effective. Pour water into the bottom tray until you reach it’s top rim. If your plant’s soil absorbs the water right away, pour more. You’ll know your plant has had enough water when there is excess water in the bottom tray after a couple of hours. At that point, remove the excess water in order to avoid roots rot.
- IMMERSION; This is also a slower and gentler method but it could be very time consuming if you have a lot of plants. I do it for my Kokedama and it has worked like a charm for a very long time. Simply place your plant in either a sink or tub filled with room temperature water and let it soak for a couple of hours. Let it drain completely before putting it back into its bottom tray. Check it a few hours after you’ve placed it into the bottom tray to make sure there is no excess water standing in that tray!
Bottom watering my Pilea. The bottom tray is big and deep enough to allow for a water overflow when I water it with a can and to provide enough water for the plant when I bottom water it.
This Kokedama, (moss ball), made with a variegated Pothos, gets a 2 hours bath every week. I fill the plastic bowl with water the night before to make sure the water is at room temperature.
And there you have it!
Watering indoor plants should be easy as it is the one fundamental skill to have in order to own plants. Like all skills, it needs to be learned! And what you’ve learned is that there is no one simple answer or schedule when it comes to watering your plant(s).
You simply need to tune in with your plants needs!
Hey Midlife Mom!
Reclaim 10 Hours in Your Day With My 5 Day E-Mail Guide Without Sacrificing Family Time, Even If You Are Already Multitasking From 5 am Till Midnight
Very informative!