Not all plants are watered equally.

Cody Batten
Feb 5, 2023
5 min read

This is our definitive plant watering guide! As mentioned above not all plants are watered equally, so there is some key steps to know when taking on this task!

First things first. The provided tips & tricks are from our own experiences; and we are mainly talking about house plants unless other wise stated. We are also aware there is several different ways, methods, and techniques when it comes to growing in containers. We always will do our best to provide accurate information aswell as tried and tested methods that we like to use. So on saying that. We like to water heavy with very "airy" mixes. We've found this helps immensely with root development, leaf development, quicker growing rates (long as you don't forget) as well as getting your plants on a consistent watering regime. We understand not all people want to water plants as often as we do, so we will go through that further down.

Below we go through ALL the steps on how we achieve a good water regime, if you're looking straight for tips. scroll down to 5 to cut to the chase!

1./ Once we get a new plant, we tend to immediately repot it. We like to do this because we can ensure we are using a soil we are familiar with as well as any needed pest and/or fungus control.

2./ We always research a plant prior to getting (even if its a quick google search when we are picking it up!). We like to do this because there is a TON of information out there, and what we are mainly looking for is if its either a terrestrial (ground), epiphytic (tree) or lithopic (rock). This can usually determine what kind of soil we will run. What its altitude is as this will determine what kind of temperature range your plant is going to want. (altitude is more important if you're looking at getting into a bit more challenging plants, not ones from your local box store)

3./ We grow a very vast majority of our plants in Nursery pots. We do this for several reasons. a./ it's extremely easy to pick your plant up and feel how heavy it is; heavy plant = no water, light plant = time to water b./ you can create extra humidity around your roots by using a decorative pot as a catch can + a humidity tray with-out wrecking the integrity of your soil c./ when it comes to repotting, it's much easier to remove your plant with-out damaging roots. d./ we like to re-arragne...ALOT. This includes our plants; so we constantly are changing our decorative pots to suit our needs.

4./ Terra-cotta pots! Terra cotta is a little tougher to measure how wet your pot is by picking it up. They actually tend to dry out quicker than a plastic pot believe it or not (unless its HUGE!) Couple things we do when we are unsure though. Pick up your pot and if you can stick your finger in the bottom, and if that isn't possible and is of real concern. We will use our humidity checker! We still use a humidity checker on several of our plants that don't use such an "airy" mix. IE, Monstera's, Alocasia's, and several of our Anthuriums.

5./ Now that those first things are out of the way. Here's our checklist: - What kind of plant is it; does it need water yet? - Visually look at soil ( this works best in clear orchid pots) - Touch your soil; is it wet and/or cold? - Pick up your pot to check the weight of it.

- When was the last time you watered?

After answering all these question you can begin to water your plants if needed. Below is also a quick guide on what plants we've noticed like what.

6./ Hoya - Hoya's are considered tropical succulents. This mean they store water in their leaves. We like to have ours almost completely dry out before watering; although we've found they can get completely dry between waterings if in high humidity with little change to growth rate. You're always better to let dry out than to overwater. Overwatering with hoyas is a death sentence to the bottom part of the plant & the entire plant if not acted on quickly. IE. chop & prop. We can't stress enough about researching what Hoya you have. Some can be fairly tricky to get started or grow in general if culture isnt replicated to its natural one. - eriostemma's - undulata - mitrata - imbricta

7./ Orchid - Orchids are the most commonly sold house plant around the world! Which would also mean in all fairness the most killed house plant aswell. They're actually a pretty forgiving plant and will reward your patience with a pretty remarkable flower. We've found most of our orchids are in straight bark with little water retention. so on this, we water frequently. If leafs show any signs of wilting or not lush, It's time to water! We've found if you're starting to get into orchids and not your standard box store ones. It's best to see what type of orchid you purchase, as trying to grow a lowlands orchid in highlands conditions will bare little results and difficult blooming.

8./ Anthurium - Anthuriums are come in all shapes and sizes, as well as conditions. We grow almost ALL of ours in a extremely chunky mix just like our Phalaenopsis the only difference we have with these is we like to put a nice layer of straight spahgnum moss ontop of our soil. When our moss gets crispy, its time to water! Be aware after about a year your moss will start to loose its "crunchy-ness" but by this time you should have a pretty good feel on when to water your plant!

9./ Philodendron - Philodendrons are definitely one of the other very common house plants sold at big box stores! Although this species of plants is incredibly vast, from variety to price. We've found ours can do well if they get slightly dry, but never let them completely dry out, or you will stunt growth incredibly. We've also found lack of water to the plant will develop smaller leafs, so if you're starting to develop leafs that are not larger than the previous, you will need to adjust your watering regime. Keep in mind that some philodendrons are Terrestrial plants and some are Epiphytic. meaning, some grow on trees, some on the ground. This will need a slight adjustment in soil.

10./ Monstera - Monsteras are in almost every back ground setting and/or on every plant collectors shelves. With increibly beautiful fenstrated leafs, easy growth habbits, and fairly reselient to all sorts of climates it's no wonder why. Monstera's are thirsty plants more so than philodendron or anthuriums. We had struggled with a few of ours for almost a year until we really started watering them much heavier. We suggest if you have an airy mix to ensure ALL of the soil gets saturated when watering, and only let the first little bit dry out. This so far goes for ALL of our Monstera's. Which includes the following: - obliqua - pinnatipartita - deliciosa - andansonii - standleyana - siltepecana - dubia

- subpinnata

- epipremnoides

11./ Nepenthes - Nepenthes are pitcher plants. These plants want to be wet, all the time. But NEVER saturated, so to get this can be tricky. Any of our Nepenthes that we grow in tents or cool chambers we grow live spahgnum moss on top which needs incredibly high humidity to get lush, It also lets your figure out how much water is really acceptable for these plants. If we don't grow in grow tents or chambers, any kept in normal humidity we always grow in a netted pot that fits into a catch pot. We never let the spghanum dry out, and the extra humdity around the root system still allows us to produce pitchers. Even at 30% humidity, although no where near the same size as the ones in our tents/chambers.

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