A watering chart for 24 plants

Use this chart to know when to check each plant, not to water on autopilot. In a 6-inch plastic pot in a bright room, most leafy houseplants need water every 5–8 days in summer, succulents and snake plants every 10–15 days, and ferns and peace lilies every 3–4 days.

Print it (Ctrl/Cmd + P), stick it inside a kitchen cabinet, and use the “dry when” column as the real trigger.

How to read the chart

• Dry when: how dry the soil should be before you water. “Top 1–2 in. dry” means push a finger in to the second knuckle — if it’s dry there, water. The finger test in detail →
• Summer / winter: typical days between waterings for a 6-inch plastic pot in medium light. Winter means the short-day months (roughly November–February in most of the US).
• Pets: toxic or non-toxic to cats and dogs according to the ASPCA plant list.

The chart

Plant	Dry when	Summer	Winter	Pets
Aloe Vera	Completely dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Toxic
Bird’s Nest Fern	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Safe
Boston Fern	Surface just dry	3–4 days	4–6 days	Safe
Calathea	Surface just dry	3–4 days	4–6 days	Safe
Cast Iron Plant	Completely dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Safe
Chinese Evergreen	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Toxic
Dracaena (Corn Plant)	Completely dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Toxic
English Ivy	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Toxic
Fiddle Leaf Fig	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Toxic
Haworthia	Completely dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Safe
Heartleaf Philodendron	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Toxic
Hoya	Almost dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Safe
Jade Plant	Completely dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Toxic
Money Tree	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Safe
Monstera	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Toxic
Parlor Palm	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Safe
Peace Lily	Surface just dry	3–4 days	4–6 days	Toxic
Peperomia	Top half dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Safe
Ponytail Palm	Completely dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Safe
Pothos	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Toxic
Rubber Plant	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Toxic
Snake Plant	Completely dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Toxic
Spider Plant	Top 1–2 in. dry	5–8 days	8–11 days	Safe
ZZ Plant	Completely dry	10–15 days	15–23 days	Toxic

Adjust the numbers for your home

The chart assumes a 6-inch plastic pot in a bright room without direct sun. Change the numbers like this:

Your situation	Change
Sunny window	Water about 20% sooner
Dim room, far from a window	Wait about 40% longer
Terracotta pot	Water about 20% sooner
4-inch pot or smaller	Water about 25% sooner
10-inch pot or bigger	Wait 15–45% longer
Self-watering pot	Refill the reservoir instead; roughly twice as long between refills
Heating running all day	Check a couple of days sooner — dry air dries soil too

Want the math done for you, with dates? The watering calculator does it for any plant, pot size and light, and gives a printable schedule.

Three rules the chart can’t show

1. The soil decides, not the calendar. If the chart says “water” but the soil is still damp, wait. Root rot from overwatering kills far more houseplants than thirst. How to tell the two apart →
2. Water deeply. Pour until water runs out of the drainage hole, then empty the saucer after 15 minutes.
3. Recheck after any change. A new pot, a new room or the heating turning on resets the rhythm.

Not sure your soil test is reliable in a big pot? The lift test uses the pot’s weight instead.