How do I know when to water?

When to water, how to water, how much water...

It feels like a lot of information that you need to know just to be able to keep your plants alive, let alone getting them to flower or grow new leaves! In this blog, we hope to simplify watering, making it easy to keep your plants thriving.

Let's start by understanding that water should be offered in balance with the amount of light a plant receives. Imagine you bought two identical plants on the same day, from the same shop (Fern & Ivy obviously!) and put one on a windowsill and the other in the same room on a coffee table, two metres away from the window. Your friend has the same plant and tells you that they water it weekly so you water both of your plants weekly. It may seem obvious, but the plant next to the window will have access to more light, so it will be able to generate more energy to use the water you give it. The plant on the table will likely become overwatered because the frequency of watering is not matching how much light it's getting.

We really advocate getting to know the weight of your pots before deciding when to water. Pick up your plant in its plastic, nursery pot and feel the weight of it. If it feels heavy, then it's likely got enough moisture in the soil to keep it going without the need to add more. If it's on the light side, but you're not sure, check the soil underneath and see if it looks damp. If in doubt, let it go without. If it feels very light and the soil is coming away from the sides of the pot, it is likely in need of a thorough soaking. Soil this dry can become aquaphobic and may need to sit in a bowl of water overnight to rehydrate.

Getting the frequency of watering right is really key. So, by all means, check your plants on a schedule but only water if they need it. We'll say it again, if in doubt, let it go without!

Some plants will require more frequent watering than others and choosing plants based on how you'd ideally like to care for them is a good idea. If you love watering, choose plants like peace lily, oxalis, bird of paradise and ferns. If you want a plant that is happy to thrive on some neglect, choose something like a snake plant, aglaonema, zz, cactus or succulent.