A plant watering schedule for common houseplants
Most houseplants die from too much love or none at all. Here’s a sensible starting rhythm for the common ones. Always feel the soil first: the reminder is a prompt to check, not an order to pour.
How it looks in the app. Tick one.
The whole list
Every few days
Herbs on the windowsill
Basil and mint like moist soil. Check every 2 to 3 days.
Seedlings
Never let them dry out. A light water or mist.
Every week
Monstera
When the top few centimetres are dry.
Pothos
It droops a little when thirsty, then perks right up.
Peace lily
Same: it flops when it wants water.
Orchid
Soak the pot for ten minutes, then let it drain.
Fiddle leaf fig
Water well, then wait until the top is dry.
Every 2 to 3 weeks
Snake plant
Let it dry right out. Less in winter.
ZZ plant
Thrives on being forgotten, within reason.
Aloe and succulents
Soak, then leave until the soil is dry.
Every month
Cacti
Monthly in summer, barely at all in winter.
Feed them
Spring and summer only, at half strength.
Wipe the big leaves
Dusty leaves can’t soak up the light.
Once a year
Repot the ones that outgrew their pots
In spring, when roots poke out underneath.
Give them a shower
Rinses the dust and flushes the soil.
Keeping it going
Check, then water
Push a finger into the soil. Still damp? Snooze it a few days. The rhythm is a reminder to look.
Slow down in winter
Most plants drink far less in the dark months. Stretch the rhythm in October and bring it back in spring.
One chore per thirsty group
Plants with the same rhythm can share a chore, with the names in the note. Fewer reminders, nothing missed.
Away for a week?
Share the list with whoever is watering. They see what is due and tick it off, and you see that they did.
Keep this list in Chores Machine
Add the chores once, say how often, and forget about them. Each one stays out of sight until it is due, then one tap clears it.
No account needed to start.
Free. Make as many lists as you like. Sharing one with others is Pro.