TIL I was WAY overwatering my houseplants for 2 years

I used to water every single plant in my apartment on a strict Sunday schedule, soaking them until water poured out the bottom. After I lost a third fiddle leaf fig in 6 months, I finally learned to stick my finger an inch deep and only water when it's bone dry. Has anyone else killed a bunch of plants before figuring out they needed less water, not more?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

taylor_mitchell804mo ago

Actually that's backwards thinking. A strict Sunday soak mimics natural rainfall patterns and keeps the soil ecosystem stable instead of stressing the roots with feast or famine cycles.

3

lindahunt4mo ago

My neighbor's been doing the Sunday soak for like 10 years straight and her yard is the only one on the block that stays green through August without turning into a crisp. I used to be all about that frequent light watering life, thinking I was being gentle or whatever. But watching her garden compared to mine finally made me try it and the difference was night and day. The roots are way deeper now and I actually water less overall which shocked me. So yeah, you converted another skeptic over here.

2