I love this manual!! In a no-nonsense way, Johnny Balchandani delivers a hilarious, serious, informational book on the dos and do-nots for plants.

Chapters on proper light, the best soil types, and propagation... this book has all you need to become a 'plant-whisperer.' This is full of fun photos, side notes, and colorful pages that will help you stay engaged and want to read every single word.

This is definitely a must-have plant guide for all levels of people that wish to learn how to grow and keep their plants happy and healthy. This would make an awesome git!!

But now, I am on the road to being a 'Jungle Boss!"

Thank you #NetGalley and Timber Press for #YoureOverwateringIt

It is an amazing beginner-friendly book, but I think even seasoned gardeners can learn a lot from it.
I was not familiar with the author as a big social media creator, so I can say that I enjoyed his writing without any sort of previous bias. I think the tips he gave were very good. I do urban gardening myself with vegetables, and I can say that many of the general tips in this book are useful for multiple types of plants, not just the houseplants. I am not that familiar with houseplants, so the first pages of finding your plant sections were very enjoyable for me, and I have picked one for myself, which I plan on getting and starting to take care of it soon.

I also quite enjoyed the layout of the book. It is very colorful and not boring at all. Seeing the photos of the author enjoying his time with plants was very sweet. Putting section titles on the sides of the pages was helpful to remember which section I was in and also acts as an easy guide.

Overall, I would suggest this book to anyone who is into plants or is thinking about getting a plant. As I have stated, I think many of the tips work for other types of plant lovers like me, too. This book can be an amazing gift for any plant lovers you know as well. I certainly will get a copy of it myself.

Huge thanks to Netgalley, Timber Press, and Jonny Balchandani for this advanced reader's copy.

Generally this is a great breezy beginner's houseplant book - you probably are overwatering it. My only quibble is that most people are going to be buying a commercial potting mix, one way or another, without ready access to great compost and whatnot, and the author's general customizable approach completely disappears in that section. Otherwise it's all "get the plants YOU love" and "know your own plant mom personality", which I appreciate.

This is a really fun guide to plants! It's good to have a reminder that house plants are supposed to be fun, and to buy something you're going to love and want to care for, but also something that's going to do well under the conditions you can provide and the care you can give. I know I definitely fall under the category of probably needs to be able to tolerate the occasional whoops, did I forget to water this again? There are multiple different books out there telling you how to keep your plants alive, but this one felt like listening to an enthusiastic friend. I really enjoyed it, and I am sure I'll be referencing it again and again!

Publishing date: 24.02.2026 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Timber Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

TLDR //
A must have book for any aspiring or “feeling guilty” plant-parents out there. Contains all the information you need in an easy to read format. 5 stars.

Quickfire likes and gripes //
No nonsense, direct, and to the point
Hella index
Lots of recommendations for every section and kind of person

What you get //
Entire sections dedicated to (+ more, these are just my highlights) :
Light
Watering
Soil
Nutrients
Pests
Propagation
Humidity
Plant stress
Seasonal care
Pruning
Repotting
Displaying plants
Plant sentience

Learned something new? //
I have now gotten more information on soil and water (my enemies), and will be trying it out on my plants. Also some fertilization, so we will see how that goes.

How it was to read //
Very easy and engaging. It wasn’t as formal as a lot of other nonfiction books tend to be, and so it was easier for me to actually process the information.
Each page is also incredibly colorful and covered in graphics and pictures.

Audience //
Both beginner and intermediate plant-parents will find something interesting in this book.

Final Verdict //
This was a treat and in dire need right now as one of my plants have been throwing a fit. Easy to read, and very easy to recommend. Giving this the whole 5 stars. Will be grabbing a copy after release.

This is the first time I have heard of Jonny Balchandani, but I absolutely looked him up and followed him on social media after reading this ARC! Having a slight house plant addiction, I found this book at just the right time. Balchandani is an expert at explaining how to take care of plants without shaming or blaming people for just not being able to get some plants to succeed. As he says, "not every plant belongs in your kingdom!" He works to help readers understand what their style of plant care is, what plants work for that style and how to succeed with the amount of attention and care you're willing to give. Helpful quizzes will be useful to the reader looking to understand what kinds of plants are best for them.

As I was reading this book I felt like he was watching me and was in my head because I have been wondering about watering and repotting and all plant things lately.
This book explained things so I could walk through and put the actions into caring for my plants and now I know that yes, I have been doing things wrong.
The book is a great one for beginner plant people and also people who have had plants for years.
Thank you NetGalley, Johnny Balchandani and Timber Press for the copy of the book You're Overwatering It! This is my personal review.

A Delightful Guide for Plant Lovers! I dove into "You're Overwatering It!" by Jonny Balchandani with high hopes for practical, no-nonsense advice, and I was genuinely impressed by how much it delivered. As someone who has always struggled to keep houseplants thriving, I found the tips refreshingly clear and immediately helpful—finally, advice that actually made sense and felt achievable.

Balchandani's writing style is wonderfully approachable and encouraging, making every page feel like a conversation with a knowledgeable friend. The advice is practical without ever feeling overwhelming, and I finished the book feeling empowered and far more confident in my plant care abilities.

The idea of sorting plants by personality traits was actually pretty clever and made things easier to remember. The book covers the basics—light, watering, pest control, and repotting—without getting overwhelming.

The vibrant photos and inviting layout make this book a joy to flip through. Whether you're a complete beginner or just looking for some straightforward, reliable advice, "You're Overwatering It!" is an absolute must-read for any aspiring plant parent.

Thank you to NetGalley, Timber Press, and Jonny Balchandani for the advanced reader's copy.

Love, love, love it – my poor, less plant-obsessed wife had to endure me reading out sections over the past week. “You’re Overwatering It! A Plant Guru’s Guide to Houseplants completely” won me over — and I didn’t expect it to. I’d never heard of Jonny before and honestly, I wasn’t sold on the cover. But after recently losing my beloved monstera to a well-intentioned plant sitter’s generosity with the watering can, the title hit me right in the heart. I grabbed it out of curiosity and ended up flying through it, laughing and nodding along the whole way.

Jonny’s passion for plants absolutely bursts off the page. His writing is warm, witty and grounded — like chatting with a friend who not only understands your botanical disasters but can actually help fix them. The humor lands perfectly, making even the trickiest plant advice feel fun and manageable. There’s an effortless blend of entertainment and knowledge here; you’re laughing one minute and learning something genuinely useful the next.

The design of the book is gorgeous — plenty of quirky, stylish photos that give little peeks into Jonny’s own leafy jungle. The structure feels natural and well thought out, guiding you from basic plant care through to clever ideas that even experienced houseplant lovers will appreciate. It’s as much about appreciating the personalities of plants as it is about keeping them alive.
It’s rare to find a plant-care book that feels this human, this funny and this readable. I’ll definitely be getting a copy for my lovely monstera-murdering friend.

Thank you to Timber Press, NetGalley and Jonny Balchandani for an advance reading copy of this book.

I requested this book from NetGalley because after decades of successful houseplant care, some of my plants have started to struggle. The polyscias has both yellowed and dried leaves—overwatering or underwatering? 🤷🏻‍♀️I managed to kill a gorgeous, thriving, 15-year-old, four-foot tall pothos—a plant that asks nothing of you and yet, when I tried to trimmed some leaves that had dried over the summer, I accidentally pulled the slim stem out by its root and despite my attempt to shove it back into the dirt, it drooped more each day. In desperation, I trimmed off the remaining leaves and am attempting to resurrect it by root new plants. The snake plants, another plant that asks nothing of you, has begun to put out new growth only when I completely ignore it. Oddly, the high-maintenance plants like calathea, orchids, and fittonia are thriving.
Then Jonny Balchandani, the "bearded plantaholic", and his book "You're Overwatering It" came across my radar. Despite following lots of plant folks and Balchandani's large following, I had not heard of him before receiving an ARC of his book.

Balchandani writes in a fun, entertaining, yet fully informative tone. This book offers beginning houseplant parents a fantastic overview of understanding plants and plant care. I discovered that as a plant parent, I'm a somewhere between a helicopter parent and an experimental scientist. Balchandani defines plant parents by four types and then identifies the best plants for each.

Plants need essentially three things: light, water, and soil. Balchandani begins with high-level explanations of each—the bare minimum you need to know to keep your plants alive and thriving. Then he revisits those topics again and again in subsequent chapters, going deeper each time so by the end of the book, you'll feel prepared to take on those high-maintenance plants or to diagnose the causes for your plants' struggles.

If you read a paper version of the book, don't forget to ruffle the pages to see the flip book effect in the bottom right corner.

As much as I liked and can recommend this book for new plant parents, there were a few downsides for me. Balchandani limits his plant suggestions mostly to monstera, pothos, calathea, zz and snake plants, alocasias, and peace lilies. I would have liked more variety of plant suggestions. The photos of Balchandani's space are gorgeous and for someone who wants to create a home jungle, they're inspiring. I would have liked to see other houseplant installations that reflect some of the other styles he describes. By the end of the book, I was a bit tired of seeing photos of Jonny—he pops up everywhere in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Timber Press for sharing an ARC in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

#netgalley #timberpress #youreoverwateringit

as a lifelong plant lover, with a mini jungle forming in my home, this was such a helpful(and entertaining) read. i like to think that i know a lot about plants, but this proved to me i still had a lot to learn. it also came to me at the perfect time, now that my rubber plant and fiddle leaf have been randomly dropping leaves as we transition into winter. so many amazing tips, like using mirrors to help your plants get more light. i have a strong feeling my plants will be back to thriving in no time!

thank you jonny balchandani, timber press & netgalley for this e-arc 🖤

You’re Overwatering It! A Plant Guru’s Guide to Houseplants

Author: Jonny Balchandani
Publisher: Timber Press
Publication Date: February 19, 2026

Book Rating: 5/5 ⭐️
My Recommendation Level: ESSENTIAL

This book looks quirky on the outside but it delivers serious and reliable advice on the inside. Honestly though, I love the quirkiness and humour of the author and the fun plant pictures inside. If you’re a plant parent like me, you probably already know the viral sensation @thebeardedplantaholic from social media; and if you don’t, you have to go check him out right now!

I WISH I had this book when I was first starting out as an indoor plant mom because I could have avoided so many mistakes and accidental plant deaths!!

This book will take you from plant noob to jungle guru!! What I appreciate most about this book is Jonny Balchandani walks you through your personality and lifestyles habits in order to determine what type of waterer you’ll be, what time you have, what lighting you have, and overall what type of plant parent you’ll be, in order to give you a list of properly-suited plants! I’ve never seen a plant book do this before and it is genius!

With your list of plants, you now move into what type of soil combination you will need (book gives exact ratios and measurements you can use), the type of lighting, and how to know when to water.

Don’t have enough light? Jonny will walk you through grow light options and even mirror arrangements (I never thought of this before, so thank you Jonny!!).

Once you’re established as a plant parent, you can develop your skills even further with the next chapters to learn the extremely fun and addictive practice of plant propagation, pruning, fertilizing, pest control, plant rehab, repotting, and more!

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @timberpress for the #gifted ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book honestly gives you ALL the essential information you need to know as a plant parent. If you have just this book as your guide, you’ll be all set and successful on your plant parent journey!

To describe this book in one word: FUN! The author has managed to turn his extensive knowledge of houseplants into a easy to read, yet detailed, FUN book. Seriously, I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading it. But don't take that to mean that the book is not serious or useful. Because the author manages to pack more information into a little space than almost any other gardening book I have read. This is a must have book for everyone who cares about their plants.
P.S. I have tried out the "recipes" for his soil mixes. It's been about a month now since I repotted plants using the mix instructions, and I'm happy to say that my plants are thriving!
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this wonderful little book!

I’m genuinely not the biggest plant lover; I’m also, perhaps resultingly, absolutely terrible at keeping plants alive. Even worse, I give up so easily on even bothering once something starts to go wrong with it. And I think that’s the problem with being the sort of person who a) wants plants to just survive on their own and b) also wants specific plants solely because of the food they produce or because they look a certain way.

I think what Jonny Balchandani’s You’re Overwatering It! really puts into perspective for me is the fact that people who want to grow plants should choose the ones that are going to best fit their personality and branch out only when ready to take the next step in plant care. Whether I’ll ever get there is up for debate, but there’s no questioning the fact that this book is a goldmine of information.

I chose this book more out of curiosity than a genuine desire to actually follow through on each and every bit of advice. I think, for that reason, while I truly do believe that the advice given in this book is well researched, tested, and likely very accurate, I don’t know that I’ll ever actually follow it thoroughly. I’m not a hardcore plant lover and I doubt I ever will be. But I do also think that it’s important knowledge to have on hand, just in case that ever changes.

I genuinely do adore this book. It’s without a doubt the funniest plant advice book I’ve ever come across, as evidenced by the fact that I couldn’t nail down single quotes to include in this review and instead decided to just throw a bunch of them in there. Balchandani is knowledgeable in the information he provides, but he also makes the read just an absolute blast with his various jokes embedded throughout. I even sent a few to my mom who, like me, has killed many a plant but would probably follow the advice within the book a little more than I will as she’s more dedicated to actually trying to grow them.

Now, I’ll admit that my review is a little biased—I’ve not actually read many books about how to take care of plants and I cannot really comment on whether this one is better or worse than any others. What I can say, however, is that I was impressed with the content and amused by its presentation. Even without my planning to use most of the knowledge in the book, this was an immensely entertaining and satisfying read.

As someone who has killed bamboo and pothos, I was excited to read this and gain skills to keep my newest plants alive. Gorgeous photographs, and easy to read. Will be using as a resource.

I have many, many plant books spanning decades. But do I have a chuckle out loud, effortlessly funny, weird, wacky wonderful one? Not until publication day.

I thought You're Overwatering It was a simple beginner’s guide, plant 101, but it is more comprehensive than that. I really would like to see him deep dive into any number of the chapter topics: Propagation, Pruning, Plant Displays, Cultivating the Right Environments in other books. I also love how he throws in responsible sustainability, Dr. Suzanne Simard and her work on how plants communicate, and maybe most fondly how he thanks the haters that invariably anyone bold enough to be online is going to accumulate. Most of all, I’m striding forward with my new identity from one of his many quizzes: Mad Botanist. Off to look up thebeardedplantaholic on my socials.

Absolutely wonderful. As someone guilty of overwatering ans wondering why flies appear around one of my plants, for me this book is a life saver.
Straightforward, easy to read with wonderful illustrations ans photos and quizes.
Great even for (or maybe exactly for) all attention-deficient people.
Teaches A to Z of plant care, from propagating, soil type mixes, pest control and sun ans humidity factors that influence your plant babies.

Totally recommeding :)

Your houseplant wants you to buy this book! While the title, You're Overwatering It!, is funny (and, in my case, true) this guide is full of all the information you’ll need to have a healthy houseplant or a room full of them - and everything in between. Sections are divided into your plant owner status - from Plant Noob to Leveling Up: From Jungle Boss to Plant Mystic. Chapters are full of details about light, pests, soil, seasonal care and more. In each chapter, author Jonny Balchandani includes a personality test. For example “What’s Your Plant Soulmate?” Are you a person who asks “I want a plant that refuses to die?” Maybe you “…want a big, leafy jungle”? Under each question is a list of plants that suit your style. In other words, those that you probably can’t kill. I can’t tell you how much I love this guide! My houseplants, the brave survivors, will too. You can follow Jonny Balchandani on Instagram @thebeardedplantaholic. 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Timber Press and Jonny Balchandani for this ARC.

Many thanks to netgalley for the review copy.

I’m a little conflicted about this book. It really is absolutely beautiful, and while it’s not written in a style that appeals to me, it’s certainly a consistent writing style and I think many plant people will certainly enjoy it.

I just have a couple of little gripes that bothered me quite a bit since everything else was so polished.

Some of the photo choices I think really let the book down - the big shots of the author in his plants and the plant rooms themselves were absolutely beautiful. But the photos where he was edited into them just came across as really amateur to me - I know it was done in jest but I feel like the humour comes across more than enough in the text so it just felt unnecessary. Also, some of the photos that are on the pages of text are cut out a bit jaggedly, or half of the plant is just straight up not in focus. There’s also odd composition choices, e.g page 155 - why photograph a beautiful variegated alocasia from side on where you can’t see the shape or colouration of the leaves properly? Just little things like that, that bothered me. The captioning is also a bit inconsistent - incredibly unusual plants aren’t labelled, but entry level plants like monstera deliciosa are labelled with both common and scientific names.

There are some repetitions of content, but since this is more of a reference guide I think that’s more than forgivable, given you have to discuss the same aspects in different contexts.

I will say however as someone who grows all their plants in PON, I was disappointed to see next to no discussion of hydroponic methods and substrates. I know a lot of people grow their plants in water indefinitely, as well as moss, LECA, PON, (and even orbeez!!). Even if the author thinks this is bad practice I would have liked to have read his opinion on the matter, or had a more comparative nature to the soil chapter, and had it be about substrates more generally.

With all that said, it’s a fantastic looking book, and it has some really fantastic and insightful advice. His explanation of how to understand different light levels in your house was genuinely the best explanation I’ve ever read, and it’s super easy to understand.

I also especially loved the last third or so of this book. The rare plants chapter was really great and (as the whole book has done a very good job with explaining), didn’t sugarcoat the fact that keeping plants is a skill that has many different levels. I also ADORED the chapters on plant science all the way up to the discussions on plant communication and consciousness, and it was great that references etc were supplied.

If you can look past some slightly irritating and cringe-inducing photographic choices this book is a wonderful staple for any plant parent to have. In fact as i’ve been writing this review i’ve decided it actually deserves 4 stars and not the 3 I was originally intending to give. Super solid advice and genuinely so nice to read something houseplant related from a brit who understands how bloody annoying it is to try and grow houseplants in this country!!

This was a super fun, lighthearted book! It's perfect for plant parent newbies like myself. I enjoyed the way the information was presented. The quizzes in each chapter were a great touch! The chapter names were extremely intuitive and captured relevant topics and ideas that a newbie would be interested in. The images were beautiful.

I would heartily recommend this to every plant parent I know, from those just starting out to those who have full humidity and grow light setups. Presented in a clear, knowledgeable, humorous fashion, this is a wealth of information on how not to just to grow plants, but to help them thrive, no matter where you are. As someone who has quite a few plants that were never meant to survive in an apartment, much less one in a city that doesn't get a whole lot of direct sunlight, I'm good at keeping my plants alive, but not so much at keeping them /happy/. I feel much more confident in reading the signs and starting to experiment with things that will hopefully help my plants grow to their best, even if they've been doing "good" for the past few years. I went and pre-ordered a hard copy as soon as I was done, that's how much I knew I wanted this on my shelves and would go back and use this plethora of information.

Get ready. This plant book is unlike anything I have ever read before. In all the time I’ve been caring for houseplants, I have never been honestly and directly told that I was doing pretty much everything wrong. It has forced me to be more serious about my plants and not take them for granted. If I want my plants to thrive not just survive I have to change my approach. Author’s advice really hits you in the face but in a good way. Makes you think about why you have plants in the first place. Truly time for me to reassess the whole process of what plants to own, the right soil, watering, light, and just about everything else.
I received a free copy of this ebook from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I had a singular plant foisted upon me. Definitely under protest. And now I somehow have three plants and am looking to expand the collection. (The author's opening page really spoke to my soul, 'You weren't always a plant person and neither was I'). And like any good plant mom I'm now looking for guidance on how to best take care of them. And this author knows his stuff. I trusted him as soon as he said "Water once a week is a lie". Every plant has it's own individual needs that can't be summarized so easily.

I like how the author goes over all the different factors of plant care while framing it as a plant personality test. It definitely allows you to figure out what type of plant parent you want to be while also learning how to take care of your plant of choice. He gives a lot of information without being overwhelming with it. I myself might have figured out how to deal with the gnats I have. He also writes about propagating and troubleshooting common problems with plants.

I think this is a great plant book for a beginner. It's informational while still being entertaining.

Hello tiny book people (okay, so I'm a little bummed that the book didn't start something like that). I have seen so many of his videos that when I was reading this book, I heard it in his voice (and I have zero regrets).

If you need an easy to understand book about houseplants, this is the book for you. Jonny is not patronizing or expecting you to know everything, gives easy to follow advice, and even offers suggestions of what might be a good plant for you to start with.

This book was really informative and helpful, but more than that, it was also just an enjoyable read. This is going to be a go to suggestion for people who need gift ideas and aren't sure what to get.

Thanks to Netgalley and Timber Press for the opportunity to read this book.