Less sunlight = less frequent watering
October in Vancouver has about half as many hours of sunlight as September. Less sunlight means your plant will not use water as quickly as it did in previous months.
Watering your plant now as often as you did in the summer will mean your soil is constantly moist, and this can lead to root rot, the reason many new plant parents fail with their plants.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to know how often to water your plant that doesn’t require you to know anything about sunlight hours or the time of year.
How to water your plants with success all year.
DO THIS
Before watering, check your plant’s soil to see if it’s ready for a drink.
Instead of watering every *insert frequency*, here’s what to do to see if your plant is ready to be watered:
- Before watering, check your plant’s soil to see if it’s still moist or if it’s dry.
- Water only when the soil is at least partially dry.
- For most houseplants, aim to water when the soil is dry 30-50% deep from the top of the pot.
*For desert plants that can store water in their leaves, trunks or roots like Snake Plants, ZZ, Ponytail Palms, Catci and succulents, wait until 80-100% of the soil is dry.
HOW TO DO IT
Use your finger or a moisture meter to check the soil's moisture.
If you have a plant in a large pot or aren’t confident using your finger to check soil moisture, try a moisture meter. We use these in the shop and couldn’t live without them.
Bonus: Dry soil for too long is better than watering too frequently.
When in doubt, remember that plants have adapted to deal with the unpredictability of rain, so leaving your plant to dry for a bit longer if you’re unsure is almost always better than watering it too frequently.
*If you really need to put something in your calendar, make your reminder to simply ‘check the soil’ once per week, which is often enough for most common houseplants.
Know when to water your plants no matter the season.