Watering of course is essential for your indoor plants to thrive. Over and under watering your plant can be very harmful so you need to learn first when to water and second how to water.
As a general rule plants with very thin leaves or very large leaves are going to require more frequent watering. The best way to determine whether your plant needs water is to feel the soil. Do not go by looks or by how dry the surface soil feels. You will need to get your hands dirty. Since indoor plant roots cover the bottom two thirds of the pot, put your finger into the soil approximately one third into the pot. For example for a standard 6 inch pot you need to feel the soil about 2 inches down. When this part of the soil feels almost dry it is time to water. If you have to struggle to push your finger into the soil it means that the soil mixture is not porous enough or the plant has become root bound. To solve this problem you will need to re-pot the plant.
Ideally if you could collect some rain water to use for your indoor plants they will definitely thank you. This can be done very easily by placing a large bucket on your patio or roof. If that is not possible, try to use room temperature water only. Cold water can stunt the growth of your plant. Pour the water slowly on the surface until it drains out of the bottom of the pot. Remember the bottom two thirds contains the roots so you want to ensure they get sufficient saturation. The draining also helps wash out excess salts and fertilizer residue. You do not want the plant to sit in this water as this can cause root rot and kill the plant. After this thorough watering wait for the soil to dry out as explained above. Most plants will require watering about once a week only.
If during watering you notice that the soil is pulling away from the sides of the pot, it is an indication that you have allowed the plant to dry out too much between waterings. You can place the plant in a shallow water container so the plant can absorb enough water to fully saturate the roots. You can even re-pot it at this time. Do not allow this extremely dry condition to re-occur though.
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