Try GOLD - Free
Drown and out
The Chronicle
|February 26, 2026
OVERWATERING YOUR PLANTS? AN EXPERT EXPLAINS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW. BY HANNAH STEPHENSON
HOUSEPLANT enthusiast Jonny Balchandani, better known as the @thebeardedplantaholic, is determined to bust myths about how to best look after houseplants.
The self-taught 'plant whisperer' and digital marketing director has cultivated a leafy indoor jungle of between 5,000 and 6,000 plants at his family home and in his debut book You're Overwatering It!, Jonny dismisses some age-old advice. Here are his top tips...
Don't follow a 'once a week' watering regime, he advises. All you need is your finger, or a chopstick will do, to tell if your plant needs water.
"Stick your finger into the soil. If you pull your finger out and there is soil stuck to your finger, leave the plant alone. Same principle with the chopstick. If you pull your finger out and there's hardly any dirt or no dirt, it's bone dry, then give it a good soaking, let it drip dry and put it back where it was."
This story is from the February 26, 2026 edition of The Chronicle.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Chronicle
The Chronicle
Magpies boss will wield axe if needs be
EDDIE Howe has suggested he is not afraid to wield the axe ahead of Newcastle United's crucial home game with Manchester United tonight.
1 mins
March 04, 2026
The Chronicle
Not impossible but difficult - Howe
UNITED BOSS NOT MAKING EXCUSES FOR BLIP BUT ADMITS IT IS HURTING AND THAT TEAM NEED TO STAY POSITIVE
1 mins
March 04, 2026
The Chronicle
Ramsey's rise in form shows why patience needed
NEWCASTLE
2 mins
March 04, 2026
The Chronicle
Close up on the horror of war
IN HOMELAND, Damian Lewis's Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody is radicalised in Afghanistan then returns to the US to operate as an undercover turncoat.
1 mins
March 04, 2026
The Chronicle
IT'S SHOWTIME
THE WORLD'S GREATEST CELEBRATION OF DOGS AND DOG LOVERS IS BACK
3 mins
March 04, 2026
The Chronicle
SUSPECT IN COURT AFTER THE DEATH OF BMW PASSENGER
A spokesperson for the IOPC said: \"We are independently investigating Northumbria Police involvement prior to a road traffic collision on the A19 in Sunderland, in which a woman has sadly died.
1 min
March 04, 2026
The Chronicle
Mags must find bravery and defiance to face Geordie great
A GEORDIE has turned Manchester United from a team only too ready to roll over and expose a soft underbelly into a tough nut chasing Champions League qualification.
3 mins
March 04, 2026
The Chronicle
Police actions to be investigated after fatal crash
THE Independent Office for Police Conduct says that it will \"look at police actions prior to the fatal collision\" after a woman died following a police pursuit that began in Gateshead.
1 mins
March 04, 2026
The Chronicle
Hundreds of jobs at risk at caravan making firm
COMPANY SAYS IT PLANS TO PRODUCE MOTORHOMES
2 mins
March 04, 2026
The Chronicle
I wanted to write the book I wished I had when I was a child
Deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis talks about the book she's written for World Book Day, as the day's director suggests how to make reading fun for children. By LISA SALMON
4 mins
March 04, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size