That $40 philodendron I bought last spring got root rot from my overwatering habit

I kept watering my philodendron every 3 days like clockwork because I thought consistency was key, but after 2 months the leaves turned yellow and the stems got mushy. Turns out the soil stayed wet way too long and I basically drowned the roots, even though I used a pot with drainage holes. Does anyone else struggle with figuring out the right watering schedule for houseplants without sticking a finger in the dirt every time?

3 comments

3 Comments

bens8112d agoMost Upvoted

Piper nailed it with the finger test, and @tarar27 already learned that lesson the hard way too.

tarar271mo ago

Oh man that's such a bummer... I killed a pothos once by loving it to death with too much water too.

-1

piper_reed1mo ago

Oh gosh I did that same thing with my first pothos! I thought I was being such a good plant parent but turns out they like to dry out completely between waterings. What finally worked for me was sticking my finger in the soil about two knuckles deep and only watering when it felt bone dry. I also switched to a terracotta pot which helps pull extra moisture away from the roots, that made a huge difference. Now my pothos is trailing all over my bookshelf and I barely touch it except when the leaves go a little droopy.