Overview of Watering
Watering your plant is the most important thing you can do for your plant. It's very easy to make mistakes during the watering process, but once you get the hand of it, it becomes second nature. We will dive into the the five most common mistakes people make when watering and how to correct those mistakes.
#1. Overwatering
Overwatering is when you give your plant water too often, even when the soil is still moist.
Symptoms of Overwatering
Leaves can appear limp and yellow and look wilted. Verify by checking to see if the roots are white and firm (healthy), or brown and mushy (a sign of root rot).
Why Overwatering is Harmful
Overwatering displaces oxygen in the soil, suffocating the roots. Roots need oxygen for cellular respiration, which powers nutrient absorption and growth.
How to Correct Overwatering
For most houseplants, you only want to water when the soil feels dry and appears lighter in color. For some plants, like ferns, calatheas, and certain ficus varieties, you should water when the soil its still slightly moist but not soaking wet.
#2: Underwatering
Underwatering is not watering your plant frequently enough, causing drought stress.
Symptoms of Underwatering
Leaves droop and soil may appear crusty and withdrawn from the pot. Under intense drought, leaves can also fall off.
Why Underwatering is Harmful
Without enough water, the plant can’t maintain turgor pressure, which keeps it upright and healthy. Turgor pressure is driven by water inside plant cells and is essential for structural support.
How to Correct Underwatering
Similar to correcting overwatering, always touch the soil and water as soon as the soil feels dry and looks light in color. If you don't water frequently enough, it's helpful to set reminders to check your plants every 2-3 days, as some plants need water more frequently.
#3: Incomplete Watering
When you only water the top layer of soil or put a little dribble of water in the pot, you are not watering thoroughly and completely.
Symptoms of Incomplete Watering
Symptoms can look like both overwatering and underwatering with wilting, yellowing leaves.
Why Incomplete Watering is Harmful
Incomplete watering can prevent roots from accessing essential minerals dissolved in water. Not watering throughly or completely can cause drought because the root ball may never be saturated.
How to Correct Incomplete Watering
Every time you water, water slowly until the water comes out the bottom drainage hole into the saucer. Don't worry about dumping the excess water in the saucer out, the plant will drink it up when it needs it. The only time you want to dump the excess water out is when you are fertilizing your plant so that the fertilizer doesn't build up in the soil.
#4: Choosing the Wrong Pot for Your Plant
The wrong pot for your plant might be too big or not the correct material.
Symptoms of Having the Wrong Pot
If you sized up more than 2 inches, the pot is most likely too big. A pot that is too big or made of a suboptimal material will cause distress in the plant. Leaves will yellow, droop, and may fall off.
Why the Wrong Pot Can Be Harmful
When a pot is too big, too much wet soil sits around the root ball, causing disease and preventing the roots from growing. When you have a pot made out of suboptimal material for that specific plant, your plant can dry out too quickly or too slowly.
How to Ensure You Have the Right Pot
Make sure to only size up by 2 inches once your plant is fully rooted. To tell if it's ready to be potted up, take your plant out of the pot and see if there are lots of visible, healthy roots on the outer perimeter. If your plant is in a 4 inch pot, for example, you can put it into a 6 inch pot. Most plants are not harmed by staying pot-bound, and some, like citrus, can thrive in pot-bound conditions. In terms of the pot material, clay is often the best choice because it allows roots to aerate. However, for certain plants, like ferns, calatheas, and carnivorous plants, glazed or plastic pots are good choices since they need to be grown on the wetter side.
#5: Using the Wrong Type of Water
Tap water is not compatible with all plants - sometimes you need rain water or distilled water.
Symptoms of Using the Wrong Water
Plants that are getting the wrong type of water usually signal this problem through tip-burn on their leaves. This means the tips of the leaves are brown and crispy.
Why the Wrong Water Can Be Harmful
Tap water carries chlorine and sodium and even filtered tap water won't remove these minerals. For most houseplants, tap water does not harm the plants, but some plants are very sensitive to these minerals. These plants include carnivorous plants, calatheas, coffee plants, calliandras, pipers, and more.
How to Fix Tip Burn with Water
If your plant is experiencing tip burn, use rain water (if you collect it) or distilled water that you can buy at the store.
Final Thoughts
Watering may seem simple, but it’s one of the most common areas where plant care goes wrong. By avoiding these five mistakes—overwatering, underwatering, incomplete watering, using the wrong pot, and using the wrong type of water—you’ll give your plants the best chance to thrive. The key is to pay attention to your plant’s specific needs, check the soil regularly, and make small adjustments as you go. With consistency and observation, you’ll quickly develop the confidence to water correctly, and your plants will reward you with healthy growth and vibrant foliage.