Watering your house plants is one of the most confusing parts of being a plant parent. Luckily, we at Prickle have got an easy and simple guide to understanding how much water to give your new leafy friends.
Regularly
The most common watering schedule, lots of plants love to be watered regularly. This will vary from plant to plant, depending on the size and time of year. We commonly say that once the first 5 centimetres of soil is dry, it's time to water, however, this can be confusing when it comes to baby plants. Another way to think about it is when the first 25% of soil is dry to touch, water that plant!
We love bottom watering, it's mess-free and you can do all (or some, if like us you have lots and lots) your plants at once. Pop them in your bathtub or shower, plug the drain and fill it up with a few centimetres of water. Leave your plants in there for a few hours, and let them all drain before putting them back in their decorative pots.
Little but often
It really does what it says on the tin with this one. Give your plant a little water each time, every few days. Unlike how you would normally water your plants, you don’t want water running out of the nursery pot - this means you’ve overwatered the plant.
Plants that like little but often water schedules never want their soil to dry out, not even the first 5 centimetres. Our best tip? When you walk past your plants, touch the top of the soil to check on them.
Rarely
If your new house plant wants to be watered rarely, it means it. Think desert conditions, let that soil fully dry out, and when you do water it, soak those plants. At Prickle, we like to put them in a bathtub or shower and run water over the soil until it's running out the bottom.
The best tip we can give you for plants that rarely want to be watered is to forget about them and then forget about them some more.
Prickle Tips
- Misting can be just as important as watering - read our guide on humidity.
- Cacti & Succulents hate to be watered often; make sure to let them dry out between drinks.
- Root rot is a common problem with indoor plants. To avoid it, check your leafy pals aren’t sitting in water and the nursery pots have drainage holes in them.
- Underwatering is always better than overwatering, it’s a lot harder to save a plant that has been watered too often. Plants are great, they will let you know when it's time to give them a drink, look out for dropping leaves.
Common Problems from Watering
Overwatering
We’ve all been there, forgetting you gave it a drink last week, and now it's looking sad and its leaves are discoloured. Take a step back, move away from the watering can. Let the plant dry out, and check for root rot.
Underwatering
Plants are like Goldilocks, first, it's too much water, then it's too little. Luckily, plants always do better being underwatered than over, they will bounce back in no time, but they might be a little grumpy with you for a few days. You’ll notice curling leaves, dropping leaves and crispy leaves, all common signs of your plants being thirsty af.
You’ve got this!
It takes time, no one is a plant master overnight. We’ve got you though, send us your questions or photos of plants, and we will help problem solve and keep those leafy friends happy.
Send us your questions @prickleplantsuk and find more care tips and plant inspiration.