GUIDE
Watering plants in pots
5 steps
How to do it
- 1Judge by weight, not by looking: lift the pot, or push a finger in to the second knuckle. The surface dries first and tells you nothing.
- 2Water until it runs from the drainage holes, then stop. A daily splash keeps the roots in the top few centimetres, which is exactly where they cook.
- 3Water in the early morning. Evening watering on warm nights leaves foliage damp overnight and suits mildew and vine weevil.
- 4Use saucers only at the height of summer, and empty them in autumn — standing water in winter kills more container plants than cold does.
- 5Re-wet compost that has shrunk away from the sides by dunking the whole pot in a bucket until the bubbles stop. Water poured on top just runs down the gap.
COMMON MISTAKE
Judging by the surface. Peat-free composts go pale and dry on top while the root ball is still wet, so the plant gets watered twice as often as it needs.
Plants that use it
Their calendar has a job that points to this guide.
CyclamenJanuaryPoinsettiaJanuaryCliviaFebruaryMoth orchidMarchJapanese mapleAprilMaidenhair fernJunePrayer plantJuneBusy lizzieJulyNerve plantJulyOleanderJulyOliveJulyPrayer plantJulyAmaryllisSeptemberArum lilySeptemberAlocasiaOctoberDendrobiumOctoberDumb caneOctoberFiddle-leaf figOctoberHoyaOctoberPeperomiaOctoberPhilodendronOctoberRubber plantOctoberScheffleraOctoberAreca palmNovemberArrowhead plantNovemberKentia palmNovemberMoney treeNovemberParlour palmNovemberSwiss cheese plantNovemberGardeniaDecemberGerberaDecemberHibiscusDecemberYuccaDecember
RELATED GUIDES
Feeding & NPK basicsRepotting houseplantsMoving plants indoors/outdoors seasonallyPruning shrubs (general principles)