Watering indoor plants can be a bit tricky. If you follow a few rules of thumb, you will be doing your plants a big favour.
Of course you can't lump all houseplants together, because there are big differences in the water requirements. However, there are some useful tips that will help you water most houseplants properly.
When and how often should indoor plants be watered?
Of course, when and how often you have to water houseplants cannot be answered in general for all plants and possible circumstances. Because our indoor plants have very different requirements, which then vary depending on the planter, soil, season, humidity, plant size and temperature.
Regular but small watering of the plants is generally better than infrequent and then excessive watering of indoor plants. Signs of a clear lack of water are when the soil detaches from the edge of the pot, i.e. falls towards the middle, the plant curls up the leaves or they hang limp. In contrast, brown spots or discoloration on the leaves combined with a musty smell from the earth indicate excess water.
Water houseplants in summer and winter: In general, houseplants need to be watered more frequently in summer than in winter. They are then in the growth phase, there is more light and heat available and more water is evaporated. Because of the constant environmental conditions in the home, it doesn't matter what time of day you water.
Water indoor plants as needed
Of course, the water requirement of the plant is the decisive factor in how much watering is required. At least the following distinction should be made:
- Low water requirement: For example cacti and succulents, i.e. plants with thick, fleshy leaves. But also citrus plants, some herbs and plants from tropical andsubtropical, arid areas may have low water requirements. Here, the soil does not always have to be evenly moist, because dry phases are also survived. The substrate should even dry out a little in the meantime so that the plants remain he althy.
- Moderate need for water: For example ivy (Epipremnum) and purple lute (Syngonium), accordingly Plants with many, large, rather thin leaves. They are common in the tropics and subtropics, where they usually grow under larger plants in light shade. These need water regularly, but should not be permanently damp or even wet. Only the root ball must always be kept evenly moist. Other plants that require moderate watering include Monstera Monkey Leaf (Monstera adansonii), Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamini) and Balsam Apple (Clusia ).
- High water requirement: For example carnivores like the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) or marsh plants like the papyrus (Cyperus papyrus). Plants from very humid or wet areas of origin must be watered very frequently or even stand in water. Also Elephant Ear (Alocasia macrorrhyzos), Basketweed (Calathea), Piston Thread (Aglaonema), Arrow Leaf ( Alocasia), Wildflowers (Spathiphyllum wallisii) and Avocado (Persea americana ) need a lot of water.
The soil is now tested with the finger test and reacts depending on the water requirement: For moisture-loving plants, the substrate should never be dry, but always moist. If the soil surface feels dry, water immediately. If the water needs of the crop are moderate, the top 2 cm of soil can feel dry. For some plants with low water requirements, even the root ball can dry out completely.
Tip: Plants with a high water requirement benefit particularly from a layer of mulch on the soil - because less water evaporates from the substrate.
Houseplant watered too much: what to do?
Sometimes you mean well and your houseplant accidentally gets too much water. If you have watered the plant too much,Waterlogging and thus root rot can easily occur. Check if the soil is damp and smells musty. In this case, you have given the houseplant too much water over a long period of time. Now the best thing to do is to change the substrate and put a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot so that the liquid will drain better in the future.
Expert Tip: Some plants should not be watered at all at certain times, namely during the dormant phase. In citrus plants, for example, this phase serves to induce flowering. Also Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyi), Desert Rose (Adenium) and Amaryllis ( Hippeastrum) have dormant periods during which they are not watered or watered very little.
Which water is suitable for indoor plants?
Most indoor plants prefer low-lime irrigation water. Rainwater, which can be collected with a rain barrel, for example, is particularly suitable. Another option is to mix tap water and distilled water, which you can get at hardware stores. This is desalinated water that dilutes the lime concentration in tap water. Depending on the water hardness, which you can find out with test sticks, for example, you mix in more or less distilled water. Boiling or leaving the tap water to stand can also help if the water hardness is low.
Not only the water hardness, but also the respective plant is decisive for the right mixing ratio - carnivorous plants, for example, need very low-lime water.
Tip: If you water with hard water for a long time, you can see white deposits on the leaves and soil. In this case, the irrigation water should be diluted or descaled.
Methods to reduce water hardness:
- Boil or let stand
- Mixture with distilled water
- Use rainwater because it is naturally softer
Since distilled water contains no minerals at all, it should not be used exclusively for watering. Due to the lack of s alts in the distilled water, the plant roots cannot absorb this liquid at all. In this case, fertilizer is added accordingly. The addition of liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water during the growing season is for almost everyone anywayIndoor plants an important part of care. For example, our Plantura organic indoor & green plant fertilizer is ideal for many indoor plants. It not only strengthens leaves and shoots, but also ensures vigorous root growth thanks to the microorganisms it contains. Depending on the needs of the plant, the primarily organic fertilizer is added to the watering water more or less frequently and in appropriate doses.
Tip: The hardness of the water depends on the concentration of so-called hardness components. These include calcium and magnesium in particular. These can combine with the bicarbonates and carbonates that are always present in the water and form water-insoluble calcium and magnesium carbonates. Such are dissolved again after watering by soil acids, whereby acidifiers are consumed. By binding these acid generators, the acid concentration in the substrate logically decreases: it becomes more basic. However, most plants are dependent on a slightly acidic, maximally neutral soil. It is therefore important to water potted plants with soft and therefore low-carbonate water.
Summary:
- Almost all indoor plants need a slightly acidic substrate for good growth.
- Some plants need particularly soft, i.e. low-lime, water. These include ericaceous plants, such as pitcher plant (Nepenthes) or sundew (Drosera), and rainforest plants such as orchids ( Orchidaceae).
- Cacti and succulents, on the other hand, prefer a calcareous substrate and hard water. These include popular houseplants such as scalloped hemp (Sansevieria) and cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum).
- Some indoor plants such as zebrawort (Tradescantia zebrina), angel's trumpet (Brugmansia), spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum ) or Efeutute (Epipremnum) are very tolerant of watering. They also tolerate lime-rich water as long as they are planted in suitable, slightly acidic soil.
How to water indoor plants correctly?
This question cannot be answered in the same way for all indoor plants. In general, plants should not be watered from the top of the leaves. Because of this, the irrigation water often does not reach the substrate and evaporates directly from the green. But even here there are exceptions. Bromeliads, for example, are watered directly into their funnel-shaped leaves. ManyHowever, indoor plants, especially those that come from the tropics, like high humidity, which is achieved by spraying the leaves. That should be a separate part of maintenance though.
After watering, wait about fifteen minutes before pouring off the excess water that has collected in the saucer. Waterlogging is not tolerated well by the vast majority of plants.
Alternatively, houseplants can also be watered from the very bottom. That means you put the water in the coaster, wait about 15 - 20 minutes and pour off the remaining liquid. Plant and substrate suck the water out of the saucer as needed. This watering method is particularly suitable for plants with sensitive and dense foliage such as the bobbed haircut. Since nutrient s alts are not washed down by the irrigation water with this method, white deposits can form on the substrate surface.
Another option, which is particularly useful when the substrate is dried out, is to submerge indoor plants. Here you place the plant and its inner pot in a bucket of water and wait until no more bubbles appear. Lift the houseplant out again and let the soil drain well.
Automatic watering for indoor plants
Whether on vacation or in everyday life - sometimes automatic watering for indoor plants is helpful. Various methods are available:
- Bottle watering: Bottles are filled with water, the lids are pierced with small holes and the whole thing is stuck upside down in the bottom. This allows the water to gradually flow into the substrate.
- String Irrigation: A bucket of water is placed next to the plants to be watered. Long pieces of fabric or threads are hung in the vessel on one side and weighed down, the other side is buried in the ground. This is how the water is transported from the bucket to the plant.
- Bathtub irrigation: You can also put wet towels in the bathtub and place the plants on them without a planter.
The problem with such systems is that the water requirements of the individual plants cannot be taken into account. They are therefore not suitable for plants with low water requirements. In our special article onYou can find more methods and helpful tips for watering plants on vacation.
Indoor plants not only need to be watered, they also need regular nutrients. We show what needs to be considered when fertilizing indoor plants.