Keep Your Indoor Plants Alive With These Expert Tips
If you’re someone who tends to have a somewhat morbid array of dead plants scattered around the house, this article is for you. It seems to be a trend nowadays to have lots of plants in the house. Aside from adding to the decor, having live plants in a home does benefit you since they help clear the air. It’s one thing to have these plants, but it’s a whole other matter to keep them alive and healthy. People online make it look so easy and simple, but at times, it’s quite the opposite. To really succeed in keeping your plants alive, we’ve gathered some expert tips to get you going. Soon enough, you’ll be a pro!
The Pot Matters
Choosing the correct pot for a plant is rather crucial. Drainage is extremely important for the plant, so ideally, a pot should have a hole in the bottom for excess water to drain out of. Then, you’d need a tray beneath it – just to avoid a mess. If there is no hole in the pot, all that extra water will be trapped in the soil. Oftentimes, this will result in the plant “drowning”. If you see that your plant is looking wilted and droopy and its soil is still damp, it’s likely that you have a drainage problem and that the plant is too wet. Additionally, plants need room to grow. If the roots don’t have any more room to stretch out, the plant will become top-heavy and the roots won’t have the ability to support the amount of foliage on the plant. This will lead to the plant withering and dying.
Soil Type Matters
If you’re repotting a houseplant from the container it came in and putting it into a better pot, you’ll have to think about the type of soil you’re using as well. It’s not enough to scoop some dirt out of the backyard. Instead, buy some proper potting soil. These mixes tend to contain extra nutrients or fertilizers that help your plant stay strong and healthy.
Be Careful With Watering
Watering indoor plants is a delicate and rather complicated thing. When you water a plant too much, it will drown. When you water a plant too little, it will shrivel up and die. For happy and healthy plants, you need to find that balance between these two options. Some plants prefer to live in moist soil, while others do best when you allow the soil to dry in between each watering. To tell when your plant needs water, check the soil and feel it – preferably near the edge of the pot. If it’s dry and crumbly, it’s time to water. If it’s still damp, it probably doesn’t need more water yet. After doing this for a few weeks, you’ll start getting the hang of your plants’ needs. You’ll also know if your plants are dying of thirst. If you see the leaves are becoming dry and brown, your plant desperately needs water. When watering your plant, water it until the water starts running out of the hole at the bottom or until the soil isn’t absorbing any more water.
Give Them Light
Every plant may be different, but no plant will grow without any light at all. If you put a plant in the closet, it won’t do well. Your plant needs at least a little sun to do well. Because of this, windowsills are a great spot for plants. If you don’t have a windowsill, place your plant on a table or counter that gets some sunlight.