🪴HOW TO & TIPS
Spring makes the perfect time to take a step back and honestly ask yourself: am I actually doing this whole houseplant thing right?
No judgement. I've been growing houseplants for years and I still catch myself making mistakes. The difference between a struggling plant parent and a thriving one usually isn't talent or some mystical green thumb. It's just knowing where the common traps are and how to avoid them.
So this week, I'm kicking off a brand new series where we're going to go through the most common beginner mistakes with houseplants, one by one, and talk about how to fix them. I'll be sharing more throughout the week, but it all starts right here with the one that I see more than any other.
Whether you've had plants for five minutes or five years, I guarantee there's something in this series that'll click. Think of it as a mid-year skills check. We're edging closer to the halfway point of 2026, and there's no better time to sharpen up and give your plants the best possible chance heading into the strongest growing months of the year.
(To celebrate this free email series, I'm also giving you a huge discount on Houseplant SOS, my best-selling houseplant course with brand new updated videos).
Right. Let's get into it.
The #1 Mistake: Overwatering
I know, I know. You've heard this one before. But there's a reason I keep banging on about it, and a reason it's first on the list. It is, without question, the single most common reason houseplants die in people's homes.
And the frustrating part is that it almost always comes from a place of love. You care about your plant. You want it to be happy. So you give it a drink. And then another one a couple of days later because the soil looks a bit dry on top. And then maybe one more for good measure because you read somewhere that tropical plants like moisture.
Before you know it, the roots are sitting in soggy soil, they can't breathe, they start to rot, and your plant is giving you yellow leaves and drooping like it's lost the will to live. Which, honestly, it sort of has.
Here's the thing that took me years to properly understand: most houseplants don't die from too little water. They die from too much.
The soil might look dry on the surface while being completely saturated an inch below. Roots need oxygen just as much as they need water, and when the soil stays wet for too long, they suffocate. Root rot sets in quietly, and by the time you notice the symptoms above the soil, the damage below has often been happening for weeks.
How to fix it
First, throw out any watering schedule you've been following. "Water every Sunday" sounds nice and organised, but your plant doesn't care what day it is. It cares whether the soil is actually dry.
Here's what to do instead:
Stick your finger in the soil. Not just touching the surface. Push it in about an inch or two. If it feels damp, leave it alone. If it's dry, give it a drink. This is the simplest and most reliable method, and it costs you absolutely nothing.
Lift the pot. This one takes a bit of practice, but once you get used to how heavy your plant feels when it's freshly watered versus dry, you'll be able to tell just by picking it up. A dry pot feels noticeably lighter. I do this with almost all of my plants now and it's become second nature.
Use a moisture metre. If the finger test feels too vague or you've got larger pots where it's hard to gauge what's happening deeper down, a moisture metre takes the guesswork out of it. Stick it in, read the number, done. They're cheap and genuinely useful.
Check your drainage. This is the one people forget. It doesn't matter how perfectly you time your watering if the water has nowhere to go. Make sure your pot has drainage holes, and never let your plant sit in a saucer full of water for more than 30 minutes after watering. Tip it out. Every time.
Adjust for the season. Your plant's water needs change throughout the year. Right now, as we head into spring and summer, most plants will need more water because they're actively growing and the soil dries faster. But in winter, they slow right down. The amount you water in July should not be the same as January. Pay attention and adjust.
If you're reading this and thinking, "Oh no, I think I've been overwatering," don't panic. Here's a quick rescue plan:
- Stop watering immediately and let the soil dry out completely.
- If the pot doesn't have drainage, carefully repot into one that does.
- If you suspect root rot (mushy, brown or black roots, or a funky smell from the soil), take the plant out of the pot, trim away any rotten roots with clean scissors, and repot in fresh, well-draining soil.
- Going forward, only water when the soil tells you it's ready. Not when the calendar does.
Overwatering is the biggest one, but it's far from the only one. Over the coming days I'll be sharing more common mistakes each day via email, so keep an eye out.
If you've got a houseplant mistake that you learned the hard way, I'd love to hear it. Hit reply and share your story. I might even feature the best ones in a future edition.