Avoid “Ferberizing” Your Houseplants

Well-meaning houseplant parents often tell me that they are “training” their houseplants when it comes to watering. Because they prefer to water their houseplants on a specific day—say Thursday—they want the houseplants to be ready and waiting for watering at that point.

 This reminds me of “The Ferber Method.” This method of training children to “cry it out” in order to fall asleep was developed in the mid-1980s by a pediatrician. If you’re a parent and you had a baby that would obediently fall asleep each night without trouble, you wouldn’t have to worry about this. But for those of us who had/have children who refuse to cooperate at bedtime, you may have heard of the “crying it out” method. You may also have found out like I did that if you have particularly stubborn children, this method does not work.

“Ferberizing” your houseplants to only need water when you want them to doesn’t work, either.  Most houseplants need water when they are approaching dryness. By this I mean that they should be watered when the soil is nearing dryness, but not completely dry. If you use a moisture meter, this means that it will read between 3 and 4. If you stick your finger in the soil, this means that it is dry in the first 2 inches or so.

If you want to tend to your houseplants on Thursday or whatever day you choose, that’s perfectly acceptable. Use this time to check your houseplants for water readiness; inspect for pests and diseases, pinch and prune out excessive growth, and turn houseplants that are near a light source so that they grow erect and tall. You may also want to use this time to repot houseplants or take pictures of them, or make plans for your indoor garden. 

Do you have anything to share about your houseplant care schedule?