1 year ago
2 minutes reading time

How much should I water my plant?

It's important to make sure your plant gets enough water to grow healthily, but not so much that it drowns.

There is no universal answer for how to water plants, but there are general rules. You'll find specific watering instructions on your plant's care page, but as a rule, it's helpful to think about where your plant lives in the wild. Dry desert plants will be used to going for a while without water, whereas tropical rainforest plants are used to regular showers and high humidity.

For almost all plants, you should water them only when the top inch or so of soil feels dry. An easy way to check if your plant needs watering is to follow the finger dip test.

Never be tempted to over-water. Over-watering is equally as harmful as under-watering. Letting a plant sit in water can cause it to rot. One of the reasons we recommend that you keep your plant in its nursery pot (the brown or black pot it arrives in) is that nursery pots have holes in the bottom, for drainage. The best way to water your plants is in the sink. Water them until water runs out of the holes in the bottom of the nursery pot, then leave them in the sink for about half an hour or so to let any excess water drain out. Then pop the whole think back in its decorative pot.


An under-watered plant will usually have dry, brown or yellow leaves. An over-watered plant will often have yellow, drooping leaves.


Houseplant Basics

Siyad Salim

Plantsman