House plants do more than just make your home look nice. They can also make the air better, lift your spirits, and help you feel calm and connected to nature. But some of us are gifted as others, and have seen a healthy fern, or a fiddle leaf fig that was once thriving, lose its leaves. It’s not always as easy as it seems to keep House plants happy.
Even if you have a hard time with plants, you can make your thumb surprisingly green with a few smart hacks and good habits. Here you’ll find some useful tips that will help you keep your house plants healthy, full, and growing all year long, no matter if you’re an experienced indoor gardener or just got your first pothos.
Understand Lighting and Use it Wisely
For your plans to be healthy, light is the most important thing, so know where your light is. Different plans need different kinds of light. A peace lily likes a shady spot, but a succulent likes direct sunlight. The best way to help your plants grow is to give them the right amount of light.
If you have south-facing windows, these would get what’s considered bright light, which is ideal for highlighting plants like snake plants, succulents, and rubber trees. East-facing windows provide gentle, warm light, perfect for moderate light plants like pothos and calatheas. North-facing windows tend to be dim, so put low-light champions like ZZ plants and ferns next to these windows.
If your lights aren’t quite right, you can add grow lights, which come in stylish, small sizes that are great for apartments or the winter.
Learn How to Water Well
One of the highest ranking things that kills house plants is too much water. You’ll need to learn how to tell when your plant is thirsty. It may be tempting to stick to a weekly watering schedule, but that doesn’t always work. Instead, you can try to pay attention to your plans and take the test.
Put your finger 1 inch into the ground. If it’s dry, you need to water the plant. Wait a few more days if it’s wet.
Make sure you’re using pots with holes in the bottom so that extra water doesn’t sit at the roots and cause them to rot. You can group your plants by how much water they need, keep your thirsty plants together, and drought-tolerant plants like cacti in their own area
A moisture meter is another useful and cheap tool that beginners might use to help them understand when their plants are thirsty
Get Better Pots and Soil
Mixing the right soil and pot can make a huge difference.
Many decorative pots are very pretty, but not useful. The roots of your plant can die or rot. If there isn’t enough drainage or breathable material. Try to pick pods that have.:
- Holes in the bottom for drainage
- A saucer to catch extra water
- Materials like terra-cotta that let the soil breathe
It may be tempting, but don’t go cheap on the dirt issues. Use a good potting mix that is right for your plant type.
Cacti and succulents like sandy soil that drains quickly. Tropical plants like a mix that is rich and nutrients, and holds moisture, like peat light or coco coir. Orchids and aroids grow best and soil that is made of big pieces of bark.
Put it in your calendar so you remember to repot your plants every 12 to 18 months, or sooner if the roots start to circle the pot or stick out of the drainage holes.
Clean Leaves Mean a Happy Plant
If the leaves of your plant are dusty, this blocks light and attracts pests, so try to keep them clean. Plants breathe through their leaves, so if they are dirty or dusty, they won’t be as healthy. Also, keep in mind that pests like aphids and spider mites love plants that are dirty and not taken care of.
Once every month:
- Wipe leaves gently with a damp cloth or a soft sponge
- Use a gentle spray of lukewarm water in the shower or sink for smaller plants
- Instead of water, use a soft brush or dry cloth on fuzzy leaf plants like African violets
Making this a habit will help your plants make food through photosynthesis and keep them looking their best.
Move and Rotate
And don’t let your plans lean in One Direction, help them get a full view. Plants naturally grow toward the light, so if you don’t move them around, they can get lopsided or too heavy.
You could try making it a routine every week to turn your plants a quarter. Turned to keep it growing evenly and stop it from phototropism. Which is a fancy word that refers to a plant leaning towards a sunny window.
You could also try moving your plants around every season because the angle and length of the sun change during the year.
Plant Hacks from the Kitchen
You can carefully and sparingly feed your plants food scraps. Using commercial fertilizers is great, but many common kitchen scraps can give your indoor garden a natural nutrient boost.
Banana peels have potassium in them. You can be small pieces of the ground or steep them in water to make banana tea.
Coffee grounds that have been used and dried in nitrogen by sprinkling a thin layer on the ground every so often.
Eggshells give calcium to the soil when you crush them up and mix them in.
Remember to use these sparingly, and always check for mold or bugs.
Naturally Keep Pests Away
Find problems early and act before they get worse. It’s easier to deal with pests when you find them early. Make it a habit to look at the undersides of leaves and the base of stems once a week. If you see signs of trouble, you can wipe the leaves with a mix of water and mild dish soap. You can also spray neem oil, which is a natural pesticide, every few weeks to keep pests away.
To keep the pests from spreading, make sure to keep your infested plants away from other plants. Remember to be patient, most pest problems can be fixed with regular care within a few weeks.
Humid Air
You can make your indoor plans look like a jungle from a tropical climate. Many common house plants, like the Monstera, ferns, and calatheas, do well in humid conditions. But the air inside many homes can be dry, especially in the winter.
To raise the humidity:
- Put plants in groups, they’ll make their own small microclimate.
- Use the pebble tray, put a shallow tray and water and pebbles under the pot, but don’t let the roots sit in the water
- Using a humidifier if you live in a dry place, or if your heater is on.
Try to avoid missing your plants unless they really need it. Water droplets can sometimes make fungal problems worse, so it’s better to make the air humid rather than spray the plants.
Cut When Necessary
You can cut your plans to help give them shape and promote new growth. Dad leaves look bad, but they also take energy away from your plant. Here are some steps to follow using a clean, sharp pair of scissors or pruning shears.
- Get rid of leaves that are yellow or brown
- Cut off leg growth to make the plant busier
- Pinch off spent blooms to send energy to new buds
Pruning makes your plant look neat and helps to grow bigger and healthier.
Use an App or Journal for Your Plants
Try to keep track of care, schedules, progress, and planned personalities. Each plant is different. The song plants get better by being ignored. Some plants are not happy if you change their routine. You can improve your plants by keeping track of what works and what doesn’t.
Write down the following in a notebook or a house plan to:
- Dates for water
- Dates for fertilizing
- Dates for repotting
- Notes on growth and health
Keeping a record of these details will help you learn about your plants over time and see patterns that lead to success
Conclusion
You don’t need to have a greenhouse or a degree in botany to have healthy indoor plants. All you need is some time, care, and I’m willingness to try new things. You can make your home a place full of healthy, colorful plants that make you happy and calm every day if you have the right habits and some knowledge.
Start with the basics: soil, water, and light. Then start trying more ways to care for your indoor garden. And remember that even the best plant parents lose a plant from time to time. Don’t let a yellowing stem or a wilted leaf get you down. House plants are beautiful because they are strong, and with these house plants, you are too.
