Sharing tips about the best way to not kill your houseplant and maintain indoor vegetation alive and thriving!
The Pilot says I used to have a gangrene thumb. I used to be the one who’d stroll by way of the plant store and vegetation would immediately recoil in worry that I might deliver them house. The unfortunate chosen ones had been introduced into our home, uncared for, and lived a tragic, but fast, loss of life.
With an enormous studying curve, over previous handful of years, I’ve actually turned issues round! We now have a full backyard with a number of herbs and veggies, a number of thriving indoor houseplants, and the legendary Frida, our 10 ft-ish fiddle leaf fig.
Houseplants could make such a distinction in house decor and the general vibe of the home! They may also help purify air and also can add extra type and character to your house. Plants naturally develop within the wild however you possibly can recreate a plant’s pure habitat indoors. Today, I’m sharing some suggestions that may assist my horticulturally challenged associates on the market kiss their black thumb goodbye and maintain your vegetation alive thriving inside your properties.
How Not to Kill Your Houseplant
Choosing vegetation properly
Don’t be afraid to begin with an “easier” plant, like a succulent, lavender, aloe, cacti, spider plant, or my fave straightforward plant, the Heart leaf Philodendron. This publish has a listing of standard houseplants. Check out the tag to see how a lot daylight and water they want and plan accordingly for the kind of care that’s required. Succulents and cacti want little or no water (an excessive amount of may give them moist ft and soggy roots), whereas aloe wants a bit extra, and the Heart leaf Philodendron likes to dry out just a little after which be fully drenched.
Put vegetation in the appropriate spot
Sunlight is a essential issue, as some vegetation want quite a lot of solar and others don’t want a lot in any respect. Before making your buy, take a look at the tag of the plant or do a fast google search to see how a lot mild they like. Our fiddle leaf fig loves being in a big south-facing window, which receives hours of oblique solar. Other vegetation in the home do properly with oblique solar from varied home windows. When you deliver your plant house, place it into its spot in the identical pot you introduced house from the nursery. This means it will probably get used to its new surroundings earlier than experiencing the stress of repotting.
Choose the appropriate pot
Check the underside the pot and guarantee that it has a drainage gap. You need to be certain the soil can drain, in any other case chances are you’ll expertise root rot. If you actually love the pot you need to use but it surely doesn’t have a drainage gap, you possibly can place the plant in its plastic pot within the bigger pot. This means, you possibly can take away the plant to water and drain, then put it again into its ornamental pot.
Keep vegetation nourished
Seek out a great fertilizer on your plant and use this twice a yr. I like to do that within the spring and fall. I’ll sometimes lurk Amazon evaluations or ask somebody on the plant store what they suggest. Many vegetation don’t find yourself needing fertilizer, however it will probably make a distinction within the general well being and development of the plant.
Avoid overwatering and underwatering
Probably my #1 tip for vegetation is to make use of a water meter. This is one of the best ways to inform in case your vegetation want water! Many individuals consider in giving their vegetation a little bit of water every single day, however the methodology that’s labored greatest for me is to attend for them to dry out just a little (a 2-3 on the water meter) after which a drench the heck out of them. Here is the water meter that I take advantage of! Also, vegetation love showers if you wish to water them within the bathe!
Cleaning dusty leaves
When the leaves are dusty, it makes it more difficult to soak up daylight and for photosynthesis to happen. Use a mister and a paper towel or gentle material to softly clear the leaves. I’ve heard of individuals utilizing neem oil (and even mayonnaise!) to scrub their plant’s leaves, however I discover that good ol’ filtered water works the most effective.
Use sharp scissors for reducing lifeless leaves / branches
Don’t be afraid to chop off lifeless leaves or branches. Also in case your plant has any brown spots on the leaves, you possibly can gently trim this utilizing a pair of scissors. When I used to be first getting used to caring for our fiddle leaf fig, I had some brown spots that the plant was always utilizing its vitality to attempt to restore. My nana advised me to chop off the brown spots on the edges of the leaves, and it made an enormous distinction.
Use synthetic lights as wanted
If you discover that your plant isn’t getting sufficient daylight or may have an additional enhance, you should use a develop mild at house. Amazon has so many of those!
Rotate vegetation commonly
This means your plant received’t have an apparent back and front, however as an alternative will keep rising upright and can look good on all sides. I prefer to rotate my bigger vegetation each three months.
Groom your vegetation
Take a have a look at your vegetation and ensure to trim off any lifeless leaves, take away any mushrooms (an indication of wholesome soil), and trim them as wanted in the event that they begin to get out of hand. 
Address root rot as wanted
If you discover that your plant is wanting soggy, dropping leaves, yellowing or brown leaves regardless of common watering, it could have root rot. This is a useful publish with indicators that your plant could have root rot and what you are able to do about it. In could circumstances, you possibly can completely rescue your plant from root rot.
Check for pests
Check your vegetation from pests (listed here are some frequent ones!) and handle accordingly by eradicating the pests and cleansing the leaves.
Filter your water
This looks as if it wouldn’t make a distinction, but it surely has completely helped with the leaves of a few of our vegetation. Even when you don’t filter for normal watering, strive utilizing filtered water to scrub the leaves. Our water in Tucson is extraordinarily arduous, so after I switched to Berkey filtered water for the leaves, the vegetation began to look a lot more healthy.
Give them consideration… however not an excessive amount of consideration.
This is a large one. At first I wished to present my vegetation ALL the eye. I watered them every day, performed Michael Bublé, and seems that’s a good way to assassinate your houseplant. So, I water once they dry out, clear the leaves, after which in any other case, play it cool. 😉 I like having an oasis of of glad flourishing vegetation.
What plant suggestions am I lacking? Are you a inexperienced thumb or a plant killer?
Have a beautiful day and I’ll see ya tomorrow with a vogue publish 🙂
xoxo
Gina
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How to handle your fiddle leaf fig