--- title: "Houseplant Watering Schedule & Calendar | Sunny Sill" description: "Plan when to check and water each houseplant, adjusted for pot size, terracotta or plastic, light and season. Weekly calendar, saved locally, .ics export." url: https://sunnysill.homes/ --- # Houseplant watering schedule Add your plants and get a weekly calendar of when to **check the soil**, timed for each plant's pot, light and the season. Water only when the soil says so. ## Soil checks 26 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 These are **example plants**. Add your own and the examples make way, or . | Plant | Mon 26 | Tue 27 | Wed 28 | Thu 29 | Fri 30 (today) | Sat 31 | Sun 1 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Golden pothos Bookshelf · every 10 d | | | | | Check Golden pothos · Bookshelf on Fri 30 Oct | | | | Boston fern Bathroom · every 5 d | | | Boston fern · Bathroom last watered Wed 28 Oct | | | | | | Snake plant Hallway · every 20 d | | | | | | | | | Aloe vera Kitchen sill · every 9 d | | | | | | Check Aloe vera · Kitchen sill on Sat 31 Oct | | check the soil last watered autumn timings (from today's date, northern hemisphere) - ### Golden pothos Bookshelf **Next check: today** every 10 days (expect 8–13) **Let the top dry.** Water when the top 2–5 cm (1–2 in) of mix feels dry. 14 cm (5.5 in) plastic, glazed ceramic or metal pot · Medium light · last watered 20 Oct 2026 Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA) - ### Boston fern Bathroom **Next check: Mon 2 Nov** every 5 days (expect 4–7) **Keep lightly moist.** Water when the surface feels dry to the touch; don't let the root ball dry out. 17 cm (6.7 in) plastic, glazed ceramic or metal pot · Bright indirect light · last watered 28 Oct 2026 Non-toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA) - ### Snake plant Hallway **Next check: Tue 3 Nov** every 20 days (expect 15–26) **Let it dry right out.** Water only when the mix is dry all the way down, then soak it and let it drain. 19 cm (7.5 in) unglazed terracotta or clay pot · Low light · last watered 14 Oct 2026 Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA) - ### Aloe vera Kitchen sill **Next check: tomorrow, Sat 31 Oct** every 9 days (expect 7–12) **Let it dry right out.** Water only when the mix is dry all the way down, then soak it and let it drain. 12 cm (4.7 in) unglazed terracotta or clay pot · Direct sun · last watered 22 Oct 2026 Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA) ## The calendar says when to check, not when to pour A fixed watering day is the quickest way to drown a houseplant: a cloudy week, a cooler room or a bigger root ball all change how fast the pot dries. Iowa State University Extension advises checking the soil rather than watering on a schedule, and Mississippi State University Extension names overwatering as the leading cause of death of houseplants. On each check day: - **Push a finger into the mix.** Illinois Extension tests to about 5 cm (2 in); Iowa State waters when it is dry about 2.5 cm (1 in) down. Damp and cool means wait. - **Lift the pot.** Dry mix is much lighter than wet mix. Lift it just after a good watering once, and you will feel the difference from then on. - **Use a wooden skewer in deep pots.** Push it to the bottom and pull it out: dark, damp wood or clinging soil means the lower roots are still wet. If it is dry enough, water slowly until some runs out of the drainage hole, then empty the saucer: Illinois Extension warns against leaving a pot standing in water. If not, leave it and check again in two or three days. ## How to use the watering schedule 1. Pick the plant from the list (about fifty common houseplants), or choose *Other plant* and say how dry it should get before watering. 2. Enter the pot's width across the top, what it is made of, how bright its spot is and when you last watered it. A nickname such as "Kitchen sill" keeps two of the same plant apart. 3. Read the calendar: a droplet marks a day to check the soil, a tick the last watering. Press *Watered today* whenever you water so the rhythm stays in step. ### What changes the rhythm Every plant starts from a typical rhythm for its watering style, from about 4 days for ferns that like to stay moist to about two weeks for succulents that dry right out (for a 15 cm, 6 in plastic pot in bright indirect light in spring). Smaller pots dry sooner and larger ones later. Unglazed terracotta breathes through its walls, so it dries faster than plastic or glazed ceramic. Dim spots stretch the interval, sunny ones shorten it, and winter stretches it by 40 to 100% depending on the plant. These adjustments are our own estimates, which is why each plant shows a range. ### Worked example A golden pothos in a 14 cm (5½ in) plastic pot on a bookshelf with medium light starts from the 7-day "let the top dry" rhythm. Medium light adds a fifth and autumn another fifth, so it gets a check every 10 days (expect 8 to 13). In an unglazed terracotta pot that becomes every 7 days; in winter, in plastic, about every 12. Your list is saved in this browser only. *Download .ics* adds repeating all-day reminders to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook; export again when the season changes. ## Sources - University of Illinois Extension, [Houseplants: Watering](https://extension.illinois.edu/houseplants/watering): finger test to 2 in, unglazed clay pots need watering more often than plastic, soak and drain, don't leave pots standing in water. - Iowa State University Extension, [How often should houseplants be watered during the winter months?](https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/faq/how-often-should-houseplants-be-watered-during-winter-months): less often in winter; check the soil instead of following a schedule. - Mississippi State University Extension, [Care & Selection of Indoor Plants (P1012)](https://extension.msstate.edu/publications/care-selection-indoor-plants): overwatering as the leading cause of houseplant death; light groups for many of the plants in our list. - NC State Extension, [Gardener Plant Toolbox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/): individual plant profiles (light, moisture, growth rate, toxicity) used for the plant list. - ASPCA Animal Poison Control, [Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants) for cats and dogs: the pet-safety flag on each plant. Where a plant is not on those lists, the flag says so and gives NC State's rating instead. ## More tools for your windowsill Size the next pot, read the light, plan repotting and print a care card for each plant. - [Pot size & potting mix calculator](https://sunnysill.homes/pot-size-calculator/): The next pot up (2–5 cm, 1–2 in wider) and how much mix it takes, in litres, quarts and cups. - [Houseplant light guide](https://sunnysill.homes/houseplant-light-guide/): Estimate the light at your spot from window direction and distance, or enter a light meter reading in lux or foot-candles. - [Repotting reminder](https://sunnysill.homes/repotting-reminder/): When each plant is due for a bigger pot, timed for spring growth, with calendar reminders. - [Printable plant care cards](https://sunnysill.homes/plant-care-cards/): Water, light, humidity and pet safety on one card per plant, four to eight to an A4 or Letter page. ## Recommended Two free services for the online side of keeping plants. Temporary email · no sign-up ### CleanTempMail Plant shops, seed swaps and garden-centre loyalty schemes often ask for an email address before they send a care guide or a newsletter. CleanTempMail gives you a free disposable inbox straight away, with no sign-up, a random or custom address on hundreds of domains, and messages deleted automatically after 3 days. Your own inbox stays clear of follow-up offers. [Open a temporary inbox](https://cleantempmail.com/) Disposable cloud browser · domain lookups ### WebTraceCheck Found a rare variegated plant at a bargain price on a nursery website you have never heard of? WebTraceCheck's free DNS and domain lookup shows the details behind the shop's domain, and its disposable cloud browser opens unfamiliar links on an isolated desktop that is deleted after each session. Nothing to install, with free time every day. [Try WebTraceCheck](https://webtracecheck.com/) ## Questions **How often should I water my houseplants?** There is no single answer. Most leafy houseplants want water when the top 2–5 cm (1–2 in) of mix is dry, which in a warm, bright room can be about weekly, while succulents may go two to four weeks. Check the soil rather than the date: the calendar only tells you when a check is likely to be worth it. **Why does the calendar say check instead of water?** Because how fast a pot dries changes with the weather, the heating, the plant's growth and the mix. A check day is a reminder to feel the soil; if it is still damp, skip the water and look again in two or three days. Overwatering kills far more houseplants than the odd dry spell. **Do terracotta pots need watering more often?** Yes. Unglazed terracotta is porous and loses water through its walls, so the mix dries faster than in plastic or glazed ceramic. The calendar shortens the interval for unglazed clay by a quarter. That makes terracotta a good choice for succulents and for anyone who tends to overwater. **Should I water houseplants less in winter?** Usually, yes. With less light and cooler rooms most houseplants grow slowly and use less water, so the mix stays damp for longer. The calendar stretches winter intervals by 40 to 100%, the most for succulents. Rooms next to a hot radiator can still dry quickly, so keep checking. **How do I put the schedule in my phone's calendar?** Choose how many weeks to cover and press Download .ics. Open the file on your phone or import it into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook: each plant becomes one repeating all-day reminder. When the season changes, delete the old events and export again. **Which houseplants are safe for cats and dogs?** The ASPCA lists spider plants, Boston ferns, parlour and areca palms, calatheas, prayer plants, moth orchids, African violets and Christmas cacti among plants that are non-toxic to cats and dogs. Pothos, peace lilies, snake plants, monstera and aloe are on its toxic list. If a pet eats a plant, call your vet or an animal poison line.