Table of Contents
Take Care of your Indoor Plants (Houseplants)
Houseplants are dynamic beauties. They bring happy and healthy vibes indoors in a plethora of ways – they help you breathe better, prettify your home, reduce your stress, give you healthy produce, and improve your overall well-being. In case, if you are not an indoor gardening guru or just developing a budding love for lush green indoor plants, you may be hunting for plant care tips to make your green friends thrive. To help you with this, this blog will go over the basics of indoor plant care and maintenance. So, read on, execute and keep your green companions happy!
The Top Indoor Plant Care Tips
Unlike garden plants, your indoor plants are neither under the sky nor out in the sun. So, taking care of them can be a little tricky and requires consideration of multiple variables like watering, lighting, trimming, etc. To have a clear understanding, let’s have a look at each in detail.
1. Watering
A little cup of water every day – the fixed watering volume and watering schedule followed by most of us. And we always prefer our plants to have “wet feet”. But the fact is that not every plant needs watering every day. A watering schedule of once or twice a week, where you water the plant thoroughly, is suitable for most plants. And this can again vary based on multiple factors like the plant’s water requirements, the climate, size of the pot, and even where the pot is placed.
2. Lighting
Some indoor plants can survive in low light, some in artificial light, some in indirect sunlight, some in natural sunlight and some even without sunlight. So, the amount of lighting needed depends on the type of plant you pick. However, for most plants, it is generally good to take them on a weekly trip to your balcony or any area that sees the smiling sun and leave them to have a sunbath at least for a couple of hours. If you have more dark corners or your apartment does not get enough natural light, it’s better to pre-plan and pick species that can survive in low-light conditions.
3. Trimming
Trimming and pruning sessions for your green friends keep them neat and attractive. On a regular basis, remove the dead leaves, gone limbs and dried flowers with plant scissors and shears. To keep your houseplants looking their best, cut back their overgrown branches and stems as well. You can also make sensible cuts at the end of dominant branches or stems to encourage new growth.
4. Fertilising
As the nutrients available to the houseplants are limited (generally depends on the type of soil used), supplemental feeding with quality fertilizer can make the houseplants grow healthy and happy. It is generally good to use mild and organic fertilizers that feed both plants and soil and create a sustainable environment. And the frequency of application largely depends on the type of plant and their specific nutritional needs. For eg: High blooming plants may require more frequent feeding than non-blooming pants.
Most common houseplant maintenance mistakes to avoid
If your green friend looks sad or droopy, it is clear that you have either under-looked or overlooked certain basic things in plant care. So, here we list a few mistakes to avoid.
- Don’t overwater or underwater them. A classic sign of these conditions is the leaves of your plants turning brown.
- Don’t hurt their roots while watering or fertilizing. Too much moisture can also spoil the roots and so it is better to opt for terracotta or mud pots which are porous and have plenty of drainage holes at the bottom.
- Don’t pay too much attention. It is as miserable as paying no attention. So, just take care of their basic needs, they will survive.
- Don’t over-decorate the pots with too many pebbles or anything that will prevent the healthy growth of the plant.
Finally, don’t ignore anomalies. If you notice something strange like leaves discolouring or limbs dying, make sure to check it out.
Share this Image On Your Site
Simply copy paste the below code to your preferred webpage to embed this image
Some sturdy beauties that require low maintenance
If you don’t have a green thumb or if you have a bustling life that makes looking after your houseplants quite a task, then turn to the below listed low-maintenance houseplants. They can easily handle a little neglect of yours.
- Money Plant
- Bamboo Plant
- Aloe Vera
- Anthurium
- Peace Lily
- Jade plant
- Snake Plant
- Indian Basil
- Spider Plant
- Ferns
Final Words
It’s actually not that difficult to keep your green friends happy. Just show some love and care and you both will have a healthy relationship for years.
What’s your favourite indoor plant and how do you care for it? Share in the comments below.
