How to Water Houseplants Like a Pro

How to Water Houseplants Like a Pro (Without Drowning Them in Love)

Watering houseplants sounds simple, right? Pour some water in the pot and call it a day. But here’s the thing: plants are kind of like people — they all have different preferences, and some get cranky if you treat them the same. Give a cactus the same amount of water as a fern, and you’ll have a very soggy, very unhappy cactus on your hands.

Let’s break down exactly how to water your plants so everyone stays healthy and thriving.

1. How Much Water Different Types of Plants Need

🌵 Cacti & Succulents

These desert dwellers — think Aloe vera, Jade plant, Echeveria, Barrel cactus — like their soil to dry out completely between waterings. Overwatering is the quickest way to send them to plant heaven. Water deeply, but only when the soil is bone dry all the way down. In winter, you might water only once a month.

Watering style: Top water slowly until it runs out the drainage holes. Then wait… and wait… until it’s desert-dry again.

🌴 Tropicals

Plants like Monstera, Philodendron, Pothos, Peace lily come from humid rainforests. They prefer evenly moist (not soggy) soil. Let the top few inches of their pots dry out before watering again.

Watering style: Top water until you see water drain out, then empty the saucer so roots aren’t sitting in water.

🌿 Ferns & Other Moisture-Lovers

Ferns, like Boston fern, Maidenhair fern, Bird’s nest fern, are dramatic little divas when it comes to drying out — their fronds crisp up fast. They like consistently moist soil. Never let them dry out completely.

Watering style: Bottom watering is often best for these plants, because it lets the soil soak up water evenly without splashing delicate fronds. However, watering from above works too.

2. When to Bottom Water vs. Top Water

Bottom watering means setting your pot in a tray or sink of water and letting it soak up moisture through the drainage holes. Depending upon pot size most plants will be good after 15–30 minutes, remove it and let it drain. Be sure when you touch the top of the soil it’s wet ensuring the water has been soaked up fully.

• Great for: African violets, ferns, prayer plants, peperomia — plants that hate getting their leaves wet or need even moisture.
• Not ideal for: Cacti and succulents (their soil can soak up too much water this way).
• String of things in wide vs. deep pots usually do fine with bottom watering – ensure they’re bone dry before doing so.

3. How to Check if Your Plant Needs Water

Your finger works, but if you want precision, a moisture meter is your new best friend. https://www.socal-soul.com/products/moisture-meter?_pos=1&_sid=0c4edee43&_ss=r

 Insert it into the soil, halfway down or where most of the root ball of the plant sits:

• Succulents & cacti: Water when reading is in the “dry” red zone.
• Tropicals: Water when reading is in the middle or green zone of “moist.”
• Ferns: Keep readings towards the blue zone of “wet.”

Moisture meters also help avoid the “surface trick” — where the top looks dry but it’s swampy underneath.

Another method is what we call the “Stick Trick” which works well with pots 6” or smaller.

·         Use a clean kabob skewer or chopstick and push it into the center of the pot until you hit the bottom, give it a twist then pull it out and align it against the outside of the pot.

o   If the stick is completely covered in wet soil and discolored from moisture – Don’t water, the root ball is plenty moist.

o   If the stick comes out with wet soil only stuck to the bottom half while the top half is dry– that’s a good place to be at for watering most leafy houseplants.

o   For cacti, succulents or snake plants don’t water until the stick comes out bone dry.  

4. The Water Quality Question

Tap water works fine for most plants, but some are extra picky because minerals, chlorine, or fluoride in tap water can cause leaf tips to brown.

Best with distilled or filtered water:

• Peace lily
• Calathea
• Spider plant
• Prayer plant
• Airplants

If you can’t get distilled water easily, you can:

• Use filtered water from a pitcher or refrigerator
• Let tap water sit out 24 hours so chlorine evaporates.
• Collect rainwater (plants love it!).

5. Quick Watering Cheatsheet

Bottom line: Get to know each plant’s personality, check the soil before you water, and remember — most plants forgive a little thirst, but few forgive constant soggy roots.