6 Tips for Looking After Your Indoor Plants Well
Every plant deserves proper care and love to survive in the long run. Are you taking good care of your houseplants or just sitting in your living room waiting for them to shed their last leaf? Plants love to stay indoors if you provide them the right environment and perfect growing conditions. The following tips can help you provide your plants a happy, healthy life!
The right amount of light
Place your houseplants in a well-lit area, away from direct light. Your plant will wilt if exposed to constant direct afternoon sunlight. Every plant has specific light demands. Some can tolerate indirect light while others can only survive in low-light rooms.
Provide an excellent atmosphere
Indoor atmospheres have a profound impact on houseplants and you need to maintain them accordingly. Plants like ferns and calatheas belong to humid areas and need a moist environment to grow well. You can mist their leaves with water regularly or place them in the bathroom to make them feel at home.
Potting mix
While repotting your houseplant, make sure you use a potting mix of excellent quality. Every indoor plant demands a specific potting mix to thrive perfectly. Keep noticing if your plant is overgrowing its pot and find the best potting mix to repot it.
Water when required
Most of the time, over or under-watering shows similar effects on plants so, you can’t rely on them to decide whether they need watering or not. However, no fancy gadgets are required to find out when to water your houseplant. You can insert your finger about a knuckle down the potting mix and if it seems dry, water your plant, but if not, avoid watering for a couple of days. Generally in warmer months, water your plants once a week, ensuring the water seeps out of the drainage holes perfectly. This extends to around 7-10 days in the cooler months.
Feed your houseplants
Mostly plants experience active growth in warmer months so it's the best time to feed them. Liquid plant food is a fantastic source of nourishment for indoor plants and promotes their beautiful blooms. To make your plant healthy and flourish differently, feed them regularly and in the right quantity. You can also use plant food spikes to feed your houseplants, whether it’s succulents, cacti and orchids, among others. In each spike there’s enough nutrients to feed your houseplant for around two months.
Save them from Pests
Pests are not a big problem for most indoor houseplants and they don't contract them often. However, sometimes you may notice sap-feeding insects such as spider mites, mealybugs or thrips on your plant's foliage. You can easily remove them with a proper cleaning by using a paper towel or using a neem oil spray. Fungus gnats can infect your houseplant and cause serious damage. These irritating small flying insects hovering around your home can lay eggs in the plant's potting mix. These eggs will hatch and eventually become baby larvae damaging the roots of your precious houseplant. You can create a 3cm layered gnat barrier made with specialized abrasive granules to prevent these black-winged insects from infecting the potting mix.