Accent Decor’s Resident Plant Expert, Danae Horst, offers her plant care guidance on the do’s and don’ts of plant watering. Read on for expert tips to ensure your plants remain healthy and vibrant.

Watering is one of the most important aspects of plant care (second only to light), but it’s also easy to make watering mistakes that can quickly cause problems for your plants and their health. Avoiding these mistakes isn’t hard though – once you know what you’re looking for. My top Do’s and Don’ts for plant watering will get your watering on track and help you keep your plants happier and healthier.

DON’T Water based on schedule alone

DO Pay attention to your plants for signs they’re ready for water
Plants will often give us signs that they’re ready for water. Look for soft or pale leaves, stems that have flopped over, or soil that is pulling away from the edge of the pot.

DO Check the moisture level of the soil before watering to ensure the soil has dried adequately for the needs/preferences of the individual plant.
Different plants do best when their soil is allowed to dry different points. On the extremes, desert plants like succulents and cacti should be allowed to dry all the way to the bottom of the pot, while plants like Calatheas, and Ferms should be watered when the soil is just barely dried at the surface. Many plants kept as houseplants fall somewhere in-between these extremes, with many doing best when the top 1/3-1/2 of the soil has dried out.

DON’T Apply very small quantities of water

DO Water thoroughly every time
One of the most common watering mistakes is using too little water. Soil should be fully saturated each time you water – no matter the type of plant. Watering deeply ensures the entire root system can access the water equally. If you only apply a small amount of water, the lower levels of the soil won’t be rehydrated, and the roots won’t have access to enough water and may die off if they get too dry. If you’ve watered thoroughly, you’ll usually see water flowing out of the drainage holes, the soil will look saturated, and the pot will feel much heavier.

DON’T Apply water in just one spot

DO Water evenly, applying water across the entire surface of the soil
Another common mistake is pouring all the water in just one spot as you water. This leads to the soil being unevenly saturated, which means only roots in the wet spots will be able to access water, and the rest of the roots will dry out too much and die, which can lead to portions of the plant dying off. Whether you water at the sink/tub or with a watering can, move the source of the water (or the pot) around to make sure the water is applied evenly all around the pot.

DON’T Use very cold or hot water

DO Use room temp water
Water that is too cold or too hot can shock the root system and hot water can damage leaves, so room temperature water is best.

DON’T Apply large quantities of water to plants in pots without drainage

DO Remove grower pots from decorative pots before watering
When pots don’t have drainage holes at the bottom, there’s no way for excess water to drain out, which means that the plant’s roots will be sitting in any water beyond what the soil can absorb. Roots sitting in the water eventually suffocate and rot, which will lead to the death of the plan. To prevent this, just remove the grower pot to water, allow the excess water to drain out, then return to the decorative plant pot.

DON’T Bottom-water only

DO Alternate between bottom and top watering
Bottom-watering (where you set grower pots in standing water and allow the soil to draw the water up until it’s rehydrated) can be an efficient way to thoroughly water many plants at once, and is also the best way to water soil that has become too much too dry, but if you can bottom-water every time, the mineral salts that can be present in water build up in the soil and never get flushed out. When enough of these salts build up they can affect the health of the plant and cause stunted growth, wilting, brown tips on leaves, and lower leaves to drop off. To avoid this build-up, be sure to alternate between bottom-watering and regular (top) watering. The top watering allows any built-up mineral salts to be flushed out before they can cause any damage.

To shop Accent Decor’s wholesale decor and wholesale pots and vases including all new and flower, plant and home products, visit accentdecor.com. 

About the author: Danae Horst is the founder of Los Angeles based plant boutique and plant styling studio, Folia Collective. Her life-long love of plants and interior styling, paired with her desire to empower people to keep their plants happy and healthy, led her to start Folia in 2016. In her past work as an interior photo stylist and plant care columnist at the Jungalow, and in the years since starting Folia, Danae has guided tens of thousands of people to the right plants for their space and lifestyle. Danae’s work and plant advice have been featured in the Wallstreet Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, House Beautiful, Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Gardening, and more. The Folia Instagram feed was called a “Plant-Filled Instagram That Will Turn Your Black Thumb Green” by Domino Magazine. Danae’s book, Houseplants For All is available anywhere books are sold. Danae, her husband Bill, and their rescue dog Homer live in a little plant-filled bungalow in Pasadena, California. 

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