How to Revive Houseplants After Forgetting to Water Them, According to Experts

For many gardeners, forgetting to water their houseplants from time to time is inevitable. Some varieties can recover from slight neglect, but extended dry periods will nevertheless stress their roots, stunt growth, and cause leaves to wilt or drop. Still, a drooping plant doesn’t always mean it’s beyond repair—with proper care, even seriously thirsty houseplants can sometimes recover.

Ahead, plant experts explain what underwatering really means, how to spot the warning signs, and how to help stressed houseplants recover—plus, how to establish a watering routine that will keep your plants healthy going forward.

What Is Underwatering?

If you forget to water your houseplants for days or weeks at a time, you could be underwatering them. Underwatering isn't so much about the amount of water you give your plants as it is about the frequency of your watering schedule—it’s a prolonged lack of moisture that stresses a plant’s entire system, from roots to leaves. 

“Underwatering can compromise the roots and may even kill them,” says Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, founder of the Houseplant Guru and author of Houseplants. “[This] interrupts the intake of water and prevents it from reaching the leaves. Therefore, if you have a wilted plant and you water it, but the roots aren’t working, it will never recover.” 

When plants go too long without water, they enter survival mode. Growth slows down, leaves may fall off, and energy is redirected toward staying alive. Repeat underwatering can also lead to pests and disease.

Houseplants You Should Avoid Underwatering

Thin-leaved, moisture-loving, or humidity-adapted houseplants tend to need consistently moist soil to stay healthy. “Many ferns aren’t good at coming back from being completely dried out. Calatheas and prayer plants don’t like it. African violets also often don’t come back,” Steinkopf says.

Ferns, in particular, should never dry out completely. “I use wick watering for a few of my ferns to give them extra water and me extra time to water,” she adds.

Signs of Underwatering

The most obvious sign of underwatering is wilting or drooping. “You’ll notice that the leaves themselves become dry and crispy, plant growth slows down, and they might drop some of their leaves," says Samantha Adler, owner of Houseplant Concierge.

Some plants even change color when they're dehydrated—certain ferns, for example, turn translucent green when they’re very dry.

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How to Revive Your Plants

The instinct to soak a neglected plant is understandable—but it can do more harm than good. Drenching a plant in water can cause it to be overwhelmed and unable to process all that moisture, which can then lead to root rot, fungal infections, and ultimately the plant's death.

Instead, Adler recommends a more careful approach. “When you realize it's been a while since you have watered your plants, reintroduce water slowly,” she says. “Water them only as much as you have watered them in the past, and then set yourself a reminder to do it again in another week or 10 days.”

If the soil has pulled away from the sides of the pot or won’t absorb water, bottom watering can help. Steinkopf recommends allowing the soil to absorb water from the bottom until it's fully saturated, and the pot is refilled.

If water continues to pool on top of bone-dry soil, then change the potting mix. “Soil that has truly dried out might have a really hard time absorbing water,” says Adler. “You might need to do a quick change."

How to Water Them the Right Way

For many houseplants, consistency matters more than strict schedules. Both experts recommend checking the soil regularly and adjusting based on how quickly it dries.

“I don’t set a schedule, but check your plants at the very least once a week,” Steinkopf says. “If you have a plant that's rootbound or needs a bigger pot, you may need to check it more often.”

Adler relies on routine cues and reminders: “Every few days I stick a finger in the dirt to see when the top layer of soil starts to dry out… Once you figure out how long it takes your plants to start to dry out and need more water, set yourself a calendar reminder every 10 days."

Self-watering tools like terracotta spikes or wick systems can keep soil moist between waterings, and are great for plants that prefer consistent moisture.