The Ultimate Guide To Caring For Your Houseplants

Learn about the basic ways of caring for your houseplants. This article would tell you what it needs to survive in your home. Without proper care and maintenance, the houseplants are bound to wither and even die. 

Recall that Propertydome had previously published an article on types of houseplants and the benefits it brings. Houseplants are basically kept for either decorative purposes or health reasons such as air purification. The benefits include; they brighten up your space, improves your mood, purifies the air and reduces anxiety levels. 

According to research conducted, houseplants improve memory performance by 20%. It is also said to lower stress levels. Without further ado, the following tips will give you the knowledge you need to care for your plants with confidence. The following are tips to caring for your houseplants.

Watering Your Houseplants

This is obviously a major requirement in caring for your houseplants. It is pertinent to note that watering requirements for houseplants vary as it depends on how they’re grown among other factors. It is best not to water routinely instead, water the plant only when it is needed. To confirm when a houseplant needs water, check if 1 inch of the soil feels dry, if it does then you can go ahead. Note that overwatering and underwatering can cause a houseplant death especially overwatering.

Control Insect Pests

It is common for insects to attack houseplants which is why you have to take precautions against them. A forceful spray of water from the hose helps knock down the population of these pests and so this would help in caring for your houseplants. You can also use insecticidal soap or alcohol. When using alcohol to control insect pests note that it is effective on insects with waxy coatings such as scale and mealy bugs. 

Sufficient Light

As you know all plants need sunlight to carry out their necessary biological processes. Light is a must for all houseplants but some houseplants need only a little to survive. So the light you would expose your houseplants to depends on the type of houseplants you have. If plants don’t get the light they need, they won’t necessarily die, but they will stop producing new growth.

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Fertilizer

Providing fertilizers to your houseplants once in a while helps ensure they will remain happy and healthy. This is a more direct form of food given to plants to carry out growth processes. 

However, it should be applied only during the growing season. Houseplants don’t necessarily require fertilization unless they are struggling to grow. 

Prune your plants

Pruning your plants is basically the trimming of old-growth on your plants so as to help them grow again. After winter is usually when you’ll see some of the tips or leaves of your plant dying, so a simple plant trimming will do. This is another means of maintenance. 

Dust your plants 

Plants that collect too much dust on their leaves can’t get the sunlight they may need to survive, especially green plants and plants with big leaves. A few times per year, use a wet cloth and lightly wipe down the leaves of your plants on both sides. Cleaning the dust on your houseplants would help preserve them much longer. 

Water Deeply

Still on watering your houseplants, rather than watering lightly and frequently it is best to water deeply. This is because when you water lightly and frequently, only the top roots are able to get the water, and your plant may not receive the fuel it needs to survive. 

Watering deeply is when you put enough water so that your entire plant including the roots absorb as much as it can take. To avoid overwatering, slowly water your plant and watch for when the water is not draining through the soil anymore. Once you notice this, stop there.