It’s an age-old question. How often should you water your indoor plants? If you’re a first-time plant buyer, this might be one of the things that are holding you back from trying to buy a diverse range of indoor plants. The good news is that there is no exact number of times a week that can be used as a blanket rule for watering all plants. How often you should water a plant depends on the type, how the soil interacts with it, responsiveness to water in the first place, as well as environmental factors. Knowing that there is more that goes into whether a plant thrives or dies than the amount of times you water it in a week can help to reduce anxiety about owning plants and making them a part of your life at home.
The Type of Plant Matters
Some plants love wet conditions, while others are better suited to dry ones. The first thing you should do before buying any plants is to research the type of plants that might suit your home environment. Checking the water requirements first, or even just talking to one of the experts at the nursery, can help to make knowing how often to water your indoor plants a little easier. Don’t be shy — they’ve probably heard your question countless times already and have the experience to offer sound advice.
Test The Soil Dryness
When your new plants are at home, a good rule for whether a plant is due some water is to use your index finger to poke around in the soil. That way, you can see whether the soil is dry or very damp. For a lot of different plants, the depth at which the soil is dry can be a guideline indicating that it may be due some water. This is not a standard rule, however, when you consider something like an orchid or succulent, both of which require a tremendously small amount of water over the course of their lifetime.
Responsiveness to Environmental Factors
Another way to gauge whether you need to water your indoor plant is to see how it interacts with environmental factors at home. Wilting or drooping leaves can be a sign that you should give your plant some water. Keeping track of the cycles of each individual plant can help you to spot the signs and to hit the sweet spot when it comes to your watering routine. Wilting might not only be caused by lack of water, however. If you notice it’s getting worse, chat to an expert about it.
A Rule of Thumb
Although it’s impossible to create a rule of thumb for how often you should water any of the plants sold by our team, we will say that on average, most houseplants need to be watered somewhere between every one to three weeks. Rather than sticking to a rigid schedule, monitor your plants and try to connect the dots regarding their cycles and routines in your space. Because the frequency of watering depends on so many different factors, living closely with your plants is one of the best ways to give them an opportunity to shine in all their glory for the long haul.