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I think it depends on the plant. I haven’t come up with a good rule of thumb. Some people have a routine and they water the plants according to the routine. Some people just evaluate the soil by sticking their finger in the pot and then deciding if it needs more water.

I think one of the most important things is drainage. The pots where my plants do the best are pots that have holes in the bottom to allow the excess water to run out. That seems to make them happy.

I have 2 rules based on the type of plant.

Succulents (jade, aloe, chickens-n-hens) – squeeze the leaves. When they’re turgid, it’s good, when they start feeling limp – give it a cup of water.

Everything else: stick your finger in the soil up to the knuckle, it’s it’s moist, it’s good, if it’s dry, give it some water. With my home plants, I’m very careful to make sure the plants aren’t sitting in water either – that is what causes root rot.

There are a number of characteristics about your individual plant that change dramatically based on the amount of water it is provided. First and foremost is the root system. If you are trying to give a plant a chance to grow to the suggested potential in height and density then you must water the plant infrequently. The basis behind this is that if you water it more frequently the roots will not have to dive deeply into the pot or soil base because water is readily available at the surface. It is important for a plant to root deeply so that it can weather well, and is not prone to as many diseases, rot or decay. A shallow rooting plant can also choke itself in a myriad of roots causing some portions of your plant to die slowly or sometimes suddenly.

Also take into account that many plants are meant for more arid climates and need less water. Please research your plant, so that you know if you can water the flower, the stem and the base, or just the surrounding soil. This is key for alot of the more main stream flowers, like roses.

As Anteaya says drainage is also very important. When your pot has drainage beneath it excess water leaks out the bottom. This mimics the water table, as you can always re-use that water again and again. A plant that has good drainage will not suffer root rot as the water becomes turgid, nor will it choke itself easily as the roots can explore the entire pot rather than just the surface as mentioned above. You can also water it less in terms of frequency but the same in terms of actually water given to the plant.

My “rule of thumb” is to scrape the surface of the soil and look to see if just below the surface there is moist but not soaked soil. You are looking for the consistency of a damp sponge as the soil should always able to take much more moisture than is generally necessary for indoor plants to thrive.

@Heppler: Thank you, this really clears up a lot of things.

Heppler: Thanks for the tip about watering infrequently to promote root growth! I had been thinking lots of watering would help my new plants grow.

Whoops.