There are several ways to determine whether your plant needs water, but today I want to talk about one particular way you could use. (Though I am showing a plant on a scale, it is for demonstration purposes only.)

This particular process starts with a well-watered plant.

Make sure the water has hydrated the entire root ball and any excess has run out of the drainage hole. At that time lift your pot and feel the weight of it. Lift it again the next week and see if it feels the same or is lighter. If it feels about the same do not water it. If it seems much lighter in weight, water it. It is as simple as that.

The picture of the plant below is a holly fern that is very dry and is in fact wilting. (I don’t recommend letting your fern get to this point of dryness….) As you can see it weighs 4lbs.

Weighing a dry fern

I watered it thoroughly and then let the water re-hydrate the plant until it stood back up. It took up almost 1 1/2 lbs. of water into the soil and the plant. I am assuming that no water soaked into the container as it is glazed inside. It may or may not be completely glazed and some may have soaked into the container. I’m not that scientific and It really doesn’t matter. The point is, the weight of the plant when it is well hydrated is significantly higher than when it is dry.

After watering

So next time you are wondering if your plant is dry, lift it and feel the weight of it. Remember, this method will really only work after watering it well, lifting it and then judging the dryness of it after some time has passed.

Have you ever used this way of determining whether your plant needs water?

Pin this picture below.