How often to water houseplants
Watering on a schedule kills more houseplants than anything else. Learn the 10-second finger test, how much water to give and how seasons change it.
Plant Care Basics
Plant Care Basics
Watering, light, soil, repotting and propagation explained without the jargon.
The hand-shadow light test
The free 30-second trick plant pros use: read your hand's shadow to know if a spot has bright, medium or low light — and which plants will thrive there.
Plant Care Basics
A watering chart for 24 plants
A printable watering chart for 24 popular houseplants: when the soil should be dry, how many days in summer vs. winter, and which plants are toxic to pets.
Plant Care Basics
Does misting plants work?
Misting feels helpful, but the water evaporates in minutes. What actually raises humidity for ferns and calatheas, ranked from most to least effective.
Plant Care Basics
Propagating pothos in water
Turn one pothos into many. Where to cut, how long roots take, when to move cuttings to soil and how to make a fuller, bushier plant.
Plant Care Basics
How often to fertilize
Feed most houseplants once a month in spring and summer at half strength, and not at all in winter. A dilution chart, what N-P-K means and signs of too much.
Plant Care Basics
The lift test
Lift the pot: heavy means wait, light means water. How to calibrate the lift test with a kitchen scale in two days, plus a worked example with real numbers.
Plant Care Basics
When to repot, and what size
Roots out the bottom? It's time. A pot size chart for going up one size, the 5 signs a plant needs repotting, the best time of year and a step-by-step method.
Plant Care Basics