Houseplant Tips: Watering
These pics show the difference between a plant that needs water, and the same one shortly after watering.
The first photo is not a dying or unhealthy plant. It looked fine just the night before. It is merely telling you it needs water, in the only way it knows how, with great drama and flare. Lots of people use another method, of checking the moisture of the soil, but I find that less reliable. Do not dare to water it until it tells you it needs it, or it will react like you tried to murder it. Plants hold grudges.
But when it signals thirst, water it right away, ideally via the "buttchugging" method of sitting it in a dish of water to soak up from the bottom. It's better for root development and avoiding soil compacting.
Some planters/pots don't allow this due to lack of drainage holes, or tall feet. One option is to keep the plant in a plastic nursery pot like this one, and stick that inside the fancy, decorative pot. Pull it out for buttchugging time, and plop it back in after.
Houseplants are fairly straightforward but you must look at them every day, even if only briefly, because their language is entirely visual. No app or watering schedule will work as well as just paying a little daily attention.
(This plant is called a Persian Shield)
