The problem
Cutting back on watering for winter has become so ingrained that people start rationing by the calendar, giving plants just a fraction of the water they had in summer, because the season changed.

The hack
The advice to reduce is because, as light levels drop, most houseplants slow their growth, use less water and dry out more slowly, so watering as you did in summer risks waterlogging the roots and causing rot.

The method
When we get to October, reduce watering to half or a quarter of what you gave plants in the summer.

The test
I reduced watering in two of my own plants last winter. A calathea in a cooler, dimmer room dried out more slowly and needed less watering, exactly as the hack predicts. But a pothos sitting under a grow light in a warm room kept growing and started crisping at the edges and dropping yellow leaves.

The verdict
The winter watering rule is not a myth, but it is badly misunderstood. The key is to water according to what the plant is doing, not what the calendar says. Research your plant to see if it has a dormant season and check each plant before you water. Push a finger a couple of inches into the compost, or lift the pot to feel its weight – a bone-dry pot is light, a wet one is heavy.