How Often and How Much You Should Water Your Houseplants

What Does Watering a Plant Do?

Water provides structural support, cools the plants, and transfers minerals to all the right places.

Think of plant cells as water balloons. When they fill with water, they will become stiff and your plants will stand upright. When water is scarce, cells shrank and plants look wilted – a telltale sign that your plants will need more water if paired with a dry potting mix. Plants also produce cellulose to help them maintain their shape, but water pressure (the water that flows through the plants) helps plants gain and maintain their shape more than cellulose alone.

When you water a plant, an invisible process called transpiration takes place. Sunlight evaporates the water in the leaves through the stomata, causing the leaves to lose water. This is great because the available water will flow to where it is needed most. Ideally, water is drawn from the roots, but if the roots are dry, water is drawn from the leaves themselves.

How Often Should I Water My Plants?

Just as different plants need different amounts of light, different plants require different amounts of water. To get an idea of how much water your plants might need, consider the natural environment of houseplants: are they hot and dry, or are they rainy and tropical?

Desert natives love succulents and prefer to stay dry, and reducing the frequency of watering will benefit. Succulents come from hot and arid environments, prefer watering more than plants in tropical habitats, and have physical characteristics related to their ability to store water. For example, fleshy leaves, thick stems, or rhizomes. Some have shallow root systems, indicating that they grow in places where rain is scarce and rarely deep enough to go deep underground. When you water your succulents, make sure the potting mixture is completely dry and wait a few weeks before watering.

Unlike succulents, tropical plants such as monstera or bird’s nest fern are accustomed to frequent rains in their natural environment. They are not adapted to the succulent nature to store water and tolerate drought. These leafy plants thrive through more frequent watering (about once a week or so).

How Much Water Should I Water My Plants?

In addition to the variety of the plant, the size also determines how much water it needs. Potting soil is like a sponge. In small pots with less soil, the soil dries faster than in larger pots with more soil. If you have two plants of the same size, and one is larger than the other, one will need more water than the other.

How to water

1. Inspect the potting soil to determine if it is dry. Most plants benefit from complete drying between waterings. Some moisture-loving plants, such as ferns, can be watered again when the soil is largely dry.
2. If the soil is dry, fill a watering can or container with room temperature water. Some plants may be sensitive to tap water, try to leave the water overnight before watering.
3. Pour the potting mixture evenly around the plants. You want to saturate the soil, but you don’t want to create dirt. Avoid splashing water on the leaves of the plant, which may cause fungal or bacterial spots. (Unless, of course, your plant is an epiphyte with no soil.)
4. Water to a quarter or a third of the pot’s volume. For pots that don’t have drainage holes, pay special attention to the amount of water you use. For pots with drainage holes, water until you see excess water draining from the bottom of the pot. You can let the water sit in a dish or storage jar for 15-30 minutes to allow the plant’s roots to absorb more water before discarding it.

Should I Set a Watering Schedule?

We tend to “stay hydrated”, but if plants are overwhelmed with too much water, they can drown. This is what we call overwatering. If the potting soil is too wet for too long, your plants may begin to droop and rot their leaves or roots. On the other hand, if the soil of your plant is too dry all the time, you are likely to be submerged.

So what do you do? Don’t stick to a strict schedule – watering on the same day every week can do more harm than good. Use this day to check on your plants and water only those that need them.

Pro tip: It’s easier to add water to potting soil than to subtract it. If you’re worried about overwatering your plants, it’s better to do it better.

Does the Season Affect How Much Water My Plants Need?

During the summer growing season, the sun is stronger and the light hours are longer. Most houseplants, including succulents, benefit from more frequent watering. Due to the shorter days and less light, succulents are semi-dormant in the winter and are lucky enough to survive a month without water, and may need weekly watering in the summer. Tropical plants may need to be watered twice a week, while winter plants need to be watered once 1-2 weeks.

What Else Should I Know About Watering Houseplants?

There are a few golden rules to keep in mind when watering your plants:

• Most houseplants prefer warm or lukewarm water over cold water, which may shock your plants. Warm water is most easily absorbed by the soil.
• Some houseplants are sensitive to tap water. Allow the water to sit overnight before use to allow the chlorine to dissipate.
• Plants in large pots dry out more slowly than plants in small pots due to the volume of potting soil.
• Try not to splash water on the leaves of the plant when watering. Fun fact: Most tropical plants have waxy leaves because their natural environment (rainforests) can receive too much rainfall. The waxy leaves help the moisture slip off and avoid the risk of fungal infections.
• Unless the plant is a drought-tolerant succulent, it should be watered more in bright light and less in low light.
• If you’re afraid of overwatering, first look out for obvious signs of thirst, such as wrinkled leaves on succulents or drooping stems of tropical plants, paired with dry potting soil.