Rather than setting up a watering schedule, I prefer to set aside time for a "Plant Health Check". Check in with your plant friends once a week. Observe your plants, then follow through with any actions needed. Remember to reach out to your favourite Plant Lady if you need any assistance.
Observations
SIGHT - look for wilting leaves, washed out appearance, dirty leaves, pests, crispy or damage leaves etc
TOUCH - regularly touch your foliage you'll pick up lots of changes... limp or sticky or dusty, lift the pot is it heavy or light
SMELL - Good = flowers : bad = problems
Actions
WATER - Use your finger to the second knuckle to assess watering needs, feeling the in the changes weight of pot can also assist here. Remember less frequent watering is best. Ask your friendly plant person how often is it being watered when purchasing the plant. Factors that determine watering frequency > time of year, relevant temperatures, light levels, size of pot, maturity of the plant, potting media used, how long its been in the current pot.
Plants are an ever changing (growing) organism, you will have to adjust your watering frequency as the plant grows.
FOLIAGE - Keep leaves clean, we recommend cleaning monthly, use a mircofibre cloth or gloves, water or Neem Oil
Plants take Carbon Dioxide and water and with the power of LIGHT they use their chlorophyll to produce Glucose to store and use and they expel Oxygen. Bi-product. Indoors there is no wind or rain to keep leaves clean and facilitate optimum use of available light, they rely on us to do it for them.
FERTILISING - Like us, plants can't live on sugar alone, they need nutrients, that would be available to them in decomposing organic matter. Regular addition of slow realise, liquid fertiliser should be part of your Plant Care routine. You can use organic fertilisers more frequently than synthetic ones, liquid fertilisers more frequently than slow release ones. No NPK for stressed out PLANTS give Seaweed tonics. Some plants are heavy feeders, fertilize them more frequently.
AERATION - Give those roots somewhere to go, poke with a wooden chopstick and squeeze plastic pots regularly. Root growth = foliage growth. They are in balance.
REPOTTING - Is it time? Has growth slowed/stopped? Roots coming out of the drainage hole? When you stick your finger in the potting mix does it feel dense/compacted/full of roots. If you squeeze the pot, is there give, or is it as hard as a rock, is the pot bulging and misshaped or splitting under the pressure of expanding roots and tubers? You can knock the pot off and have a look at the roots? Aim to repot in spring/summer/autumn. One size up at a time. Buy a potting mix that suits your plants needs, speak to a horticulturist to help you select the right one for your plants needs.
