A question we frequently receive at our shop is, “How do I water my plants?” Well, today we will show you how to do just that!

There are plenty of ways to water your plants. But you can’t stick to one method of watering to ensure that your plants are hydrated. In this little video, I’ll show you how we at Flowers Talk Tivoli recommend watering your plants and also how I do it in my own home.

FYI: It is best to keep your plants in the plastic grower pots that they come in. By doing this, it will allow for proper drainage and for the plants to focus on creating wonderful showy foliage for you. 

Most plants will be fine if they are kept in the grower’s pots for about a year or two after they have been purchased from a reputable flower shop.

When it comes to tropical plants, most prefer to be more root-bound instead of being planted in a large pot.

Let’s get started!

Steps To Proper Plant Watering

Step #1: Fill your sink with lukewarm-to-cool water. About an inch or so of water is fine. Place your plants in the sink, and slowly let them sink to the bottom.

Sometimes if you drop your plants in the sink that are very, very dry, they can float on the top and knock off.

Step #2: Once the plants are sitting on the base of the kitchen sink, you can gently spray the top of the soil and the foliage of your plants. Make sure to clean and dust off the leaves and soak the top of the plant; this will help with photosynthesis.

Step #3: Shake out each plant individually to ensure all excess water is gone. It’s fine if there are a couple of drops or two, but you don’t want to place your plants back in their decorative pots when water is pouring out of the bottom.

Step #4: Now you can place your plants back into their decorative pots, make sure there isn’t any water sitting in the base of the pot. If your decorative pot has holes in the bottom, you can place a plant liner within. We also recommend placing felt pads on the base of the decorative pot to protect your flooring.

When you water this way, you ensure that your plants are soaked through, and you can water less often.

Plants With Specific Watering Needs

Tropical Plants: Most tropicals prefer more water! They like a good soak, and you can let them dry out.

The smaller the grower pot, the more often that you will need to water. Most 4” tropical plants need to be checked on for watering every 4-7 days, depending on the variety. 6” plants every 6-10 days and 10”-14” plants every 10-14 days.

Ferns: Ferns are a different story altogether! They like to be kept moderately moist and don’t like to dry out as much as tropical plants do.

Air Plants: Air plants love the water! We recommend submerging them in water once a week. For more on Air Plant care, click on this link!

Plants You Can Forget To Water

If you don’t have a lot of extra time for plant care, here are some honourable mentions to consider. Some plants thrive on neglect, and if you forget to water them, they are incredibly forgiving and patient.

Sanseveria: These plants like to push things to the limit and only require watering after the soil is completely dried. In the winter, you can expect to only have to water them once a month if the soil is still damp after 2 weeks.

Succulents: During the warmer months you can water them 3 times a week, and then limit that to once or twice during the entire winter season.

ZZ Plants: ZZ’s aren’t high-maintenance and actually prefer if you only water them every 2-3 weeks.

Cacti: It’s likely not a surprise that the Cactus made the list of plants that don’t require much water as they originate from a very dry climate. Once every 2 weeks is plenty for them to survive and thrive!

Essential Plant Care Products

For more products to aid you in caring for your plants you can click this link.

Visit our online shop to find the perfect plant and matching pot for your space today.

Looking for more? Check out our full section of pots, planters, and houseplants: