How often should I water my plants?

How often to water a plant depends on the plant, the light, the pot and the season: indoors in July, a monstera needs water every 5⁠–⁠10 days and a snake plant every 14⁠–⁠28. Before you water, feel the soil: if it’s dry, water it; if it’s still damp, leave it.

Updated 12 October 2026. How we write these pages

The usual rules How to tell if it needs water

How often to water plants: the usual rules

Once a week, for every plant

The days change from plant to plant and from month to month. Water them all on the same day and some stay wet too long while others go dry.

A little every day

It only wets the top few centimetres and keeps the surface damp, which is where fungus gnats lay their eggs. Water less often, until it runs out of the holes.

Feeling the soil first

Yes

Push a finger a few centimetres into the soil: if it’s dry, water; if it’s damp, don’t. A dry pot also weighs much less than one you’ve just watered.

Why one schedule doesn’t fit every plant

Soil dries because the plant drinks and because water evaporates. A plant with lots of soft leaves drinks more than one with a few thick, waxy leaves, like a snake plant or an aloe.

So indoors in July a peace lily needs water every 4–11 days and a pothos every 7–14, while a lemon tree in a pot outdoors needs it every 3–6. Each plant’s page has its own days, month by month.

How to tell if a plant needs water

Pothos, monstera, peace lily

When the top few centimetres are dry.

Push a finger into the soil: if it’s dry two or three centimetres down, water until it runs out of the holes. If it’s still damp, check again in a few days.

Snake plant, aloe and other succulents

When it’s dry all the way down.

A finger only reaches the surface, so lift the pot instead: dry, it weighs much less than it did just after watering.

What makes soil dry out faster or slower

Light and warmth

More light and warmth, faster drying.

Near a bright window or a radiator, soil dries sooner than it does in a cool room.

The pot

Small or terracotta pots dry sooner.

Unglazed terracotta dries faster than plastic or glazed ceramic. In a pot that’s too small for the plant, the water runs out quickly.

The season

In winter most plants drink less.

They grow slowly and the soil stays damp for longer. Near a radiator, though, dry air dries it sooner, so feel it anyway.

Questions about watering plants

Is it better to water plants in the morning or the evening?

For pots outdoors, early morning: it’s cooler, so less water evaporates. Evening is fine as long as you water the soil and not the leaves, because leaves that stay wet overnight encourage fungal diseases and pests. Avoid the hottest part of the day.

How much water should I give a plant in a pot?

Water until it runs out of the holes in the bottom, then let the pot drain and empty the saucer. If the pot sits in water, the soil fills with water instead of air and the roots drown.

Can I water plants from the bottom?

Yes. Stand the pot in a few centimetres of water, in the sink or a bowl, and take it out when the surface of the soil is damp too. If the soil has dried out completely, sink the whole pot in a bucket until no more air bubbles come up.

Can I use tap water for my plants?

Yes. Use it at room temperature, especially in winter, and let it stand for a day in an open jug so the chlorine can escape. Never use water from a water softener: the salts in it harm plants. Azaleas, rhododendrons and other plants that need acid soil do better with rainwater.

How often should I water succulents?

Only when the soil has dried out all the way to the bottom of the pot. Indoors in July, an aloe or a jade plant needs water every 13⁠–⁠34 days; in winter even less often, and a snake plant can go six weeks.