I have a variety of indoor house plants, 7 pots plus a container of moss

I have one of these...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09W59F6HF/

I wait 'till its down to 2 or less before I water my plants. This is usually 8-9 days. I've read somewhere that for Winter, you are supposed to water once a month. Seriously? I still have stems growing now. They will actually survive if I water them once a month?

P.S. Should I fertilize before Winter also? Plant Spikes?

Thanks for any help.

I water on a schedule. Once a week. Year round. And I fertilize with every watering. I use Dyna Gro foliage pro..I've never had any negative consequences

I would not encourage anyone to use those fertilizer spikes. Without knowing what kind of plants you have, it's not possible to specifically advise about watering. Don't know if you have leafy tropical plants, succulents, woody bonsai trees, what sizes they are, how much light, if the air in your home is very dry, if the pots are plastic or clay, the temp. All of these can affect the rate at which the soil in any particular pot would dry. Most plants prefer consistency, not periods of drought, so water often enough so that the soil is never completely dry. If I waited a month to water, a lot of my plants would be dead, but some would be fine. It's not a 1-size-fits-all thing. There is a houseplant forum here where this kind of thing is discussed often.

What does it mean when the moisture meter says 2? I've never used one.

purpleinopp said:
What does it mean when the moisture meter says 2? I've never used one.

Meter goes from 1 to 10. "1" means the soil is dry. "10" means the soil is very wet.

If you don't have the most fastidious houseplants, you can stick to your usual watering routine.

It may be best to do 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I try and stick to weekly, but it depends. I use my vast haha experience to make judgements.

I fertliize to a minimum and use rainwater when possible year round.

When people post here asking for help, it seems like watering too often/ keeping plants too wet is a common and easy mistake to make.

It all depends on which discussions one reads but I feel like underwatering is the #1 killer of plants more recently. There seems to be such a focus that every plant should dry out before being watered again. If all other variables are within acceptable range but drying out is the only thing saving a plant from root rot (overwatering), that's a soil problem, or from using a pot w/o a drain hole and adding too much water. Root rot occurs if the soil has moisture but not oxygen. Without the presence of both at the same time, roots can rot. Any plant that I'm mildly concerned could get root rot is in a clay pot, but I don't worry about it much because I quit using peaty potting soil in any pot. I have hundreds of pots with close to 200 different kinds of plants in them, but never let any of them literally dry out except one that has an actual cactus in it. If I had a moisture meter, I suspect it would never go below 3 or 4 for most pots unless I just forget one during a watering session. Except for that cactus pot, my plan for all of my pots is the same - add more water before it gets too dry.

Whatever your style, the thing to know is why roots can rot, and that either rotting roots, or roots that shriveled because there was no moisture in the soil, will kill plants. It doesn't matter which is more common if one of these occurs, dead is dead.

I don't know what you were reading, @Milford69 but so much depends on the ambient conditions of your home. Does your heating source make the air dry? That will cause soil to dry quickly. Are you warm blooded and it's chilly in there? That will cause soil to dry more slowly. Do you have small clay pots? They dry very quickly. Large plastic pots? They dry much more slowly. It's not possible for anybody else to prescribe a schedule for you because there are too many variables.

Then there are tons of non-traditional houseplants that people bring inside for winter and have about as many different methods for that as they are plants to move around. There are dormancies, things being manipulated to bloom, or to grow at a time when they would normally be dormant, those who have odd notions that plants will just go "on hold" if no care is given, trying to replicate natural habitat, all kinds of things that can lead to a huge array of various advice for a myriad of reasons/goals.

So far, this has been a theoretical discussion. If you want to discuss the actual plants that you have, that could be more specific, especially if you feel like adding some pics.

Milford,

Watering depends on what sort of plants you have, what kind of pots they're in, what kind of soil they're in, and your indoor environment. There is not a rule that replaces these considerations.
I'd just like to add a little bit to what Tiffany said.
re your original questions:
I'd give a hard "no" to fertilizer spikes.
Don't depend on your moisture meter. They aren't that accurate, especially in very open potting media such as bark or leca, and in very gritty mix such as proper cactus and succulent soil. The probe end of the meter needs to be in close contact with the potting medium. You then are poking this sharp object down through some very valuable roots.
They can give you a ballpark picture in houseplant soil. Learn to evaluate each plant on its appearance and needs, and wean yourself off the meter.
Some plants are fine with monthly watering, some need twice a week or more.
Part of the fun is fine-tuning your care for each plant, not in making rules!
Please post some pictures if you'd like advice about specific plants.
Happy Gardening!

I would not depend on a moisture meter, they famously inaccurate!
It is much better to rely on your eyes. Experience comes with the passage of time. With experience that you will gain over time, you'll know more about when to water.
Plants slow down growth rates with cooler temperatures and shorter day length in winter. One would water normally less under those conditions, not more. It would take a bit longer for plants to dry out. Humidity might become more of an issue because of the nature of indoor heating systems reducing humidity levels.
I am of the opinion that you can get into a lot more trouble by overwatering then underwatering. A whole lot more!!

As plants slow down their growth rate as we approach winter, there really is no need to fertilize at all!! I feel that fertilizers are meant to support good growth, they do not create it. You will only cause problems by feeding a plant that does not need to be fed.

Not to be argumentative, but because I think they are good examples of how blanket statements may or may not apply, some plants @ my house excel over winter and that is when they bloom.

Our heat is gas and it doesn't dry the air. But plants @ my office dry as quickly as if they were outside mid-summer because the dry air and air movement from a heat pump have the same effect as 95° but with high humidity.

Thanks for all the help. I'm in an apartment with electric heat. Wife has 2 large pots next to the plants trying to boost the Humidity. I guess I'll stick to my normal watering over the Winter months.