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It doesn't say that the shower should be cold, but it probably should be right?

Mother-in-laws tongue and Aloe Vera... are they succulents? Or do they like to have a shower?

I would think that room temperature water would be best, as this is the temperature that wouldn't shock the plants.

Make sure your shower is cool-- not freezing, not warm! Super cold water will shock your plants. Also, less than full force is a good idea, otherwise it will be way too much for delicate plants and also may wash soil out of the pots. You may also need to drain excess water/set your plants outside for a bit to dry out afterward if they normally occupy a shady spot inside. This sort of thing is better for a shiny-leaved, strong plant like ivy or a spider plant... please don't do this to a maidenhair fern or an African violet!

Overall, although I do this occasionally with some of my (many) plants, it really isn't a quick, "easy" way to refresh most of your plants. With some of my sturdier plants I like to do this for a bit and then set them in the sun for an afternoon, but you have to be careful of that too as strong sun can burn the leaves of plants that aren't used to it/suited to it.

I also feel compelled to point out that while a good rinse can help with something like an aphid infestation, wet leaves generally are MORE prone to bacterial and fungal infections (which is why you should always try not to splash plants like tomatoes and roses when you water). Please make sure the leaves are dry before you put the plant back or it is likely to rot.

Sigh. Houseplants... not at ALL a low effort proposition, at least not if you have as many and as great a variety as I do.

I do this every couple of months for my ferns, more for the deep watering than the cleanliness - I use cool-ish water and leave the plants in the shower for 10 or 15 minutes, then in the tub until they are dry enough to move - it really does seem to help keep them nice and green and happy. You wouldn't want to do that method with plants where there was a lot of exposed soil in the pot, though.

Suewanda, I would recommend against showering your mother-in-law's tongue and your aloe, since they really don't like to have soggy roots.

Marie516, thanks for all your helpful added tips! You are so right to point out the importance of drying off the plants afterwards, and keeping the water pressure low is also a good idea. It's true, when you have many plants with varying needs, they do require more work, but they're worth it, aren't they? Most of my plants are fairly hardy low-water specimens, so they're a bit less prone to bugs and other nuisances.

Thanks again!

- Susie

Also - be super careful if your plants are potted in pots with no drain hole - excess water soaking into the soil will have no where to go, and the resultant mud will rot the roots.

You can give aloe and sanses a shower *if* they have good drainage. They don't really need it as much, though... if in doubt, just dust them instead.

I have a gross story for everybody. I started doing a mineral flush on my satsuma tree out on the balcony. And as I soaked it through, cockroaches started coming out of the soil. The first two, I was like, oh, weird fluke, squashed them and kept pouring water. Well, they just didn't stop. Before i knew it I had about a dozen surfacing! And I didn't know what to do so I called my cats! The big one caught and ate three, and the little one ate about fifteen and meowed for more. Guess she's a locavore/live food advocate. Nice to know if the recession gets so bad we can't afford cat food.

Weirdly this only happened with one plant of dozens. But I'm going to give them a thorough pot-soak before taking them inside to shower...

If you want to keep too much water from soaking the soil, wrap aluminum foil or plastic wrap around the top of the pot and cinch or tie around the base of the plant. It doesn't have to be tight ... just enough to prevent full absorption into the entire pot.

I use the sprayer in my kitchen sink to regularly water my plants. I try to get the leaves too so that they don't get dusty to begin with.

If you have rosemary and thyme, leave them out of the shower as well. They're highly prone to rot as houseplants.