How to Look After Houseplants in 3 Steps
Houseplants have numerous benefits, not just for their visual beauty but, the benefits houseplants have on our health such as improving mental health and productivity. Adding elements of nature in our homes is an important component of brightening up spaces.
The unfortunate reality is many of us purchase beautiful houseplants and after some time, your indoor plant may not be as vibrant as when you first bought it, possibly withered, and wilted. Causes of these issues tend to occur due to difficulties in achieving optimum watering levels and ensuring your plant is getting the right amount of light. If you believe you do not have a green thumb or houseplants are not for you, Happy Houseplants encourages those to not give up and promises this article will help you keep your beloved houseplants healthy and thriving!
Remember, we always add the caring difficulty on each of our amazing Houseplants and have an ‘Unkillable Houseplants’ page. If you are interested in starting your indoor plant sanctuary, Happy Houseplants has an indoor plant for you! Let’s now investigate some essential steps to look after your houseplant.
1. Ensure the Soil is Moist – One of the main causes for plants to become withered and wilted is the struggle to achieve optimum soil moisture levels. It is super important to make sure that your houseplant soil is not too moist or too dry. When your houseplants soil is over or underwatered, it often damages its roots, stunting its growth and possibly resulting in killing the plant.
Use the finger method
To identify when your indoor plant needs watering, stick one of your fingers in the soil to determine the soil’s moisture. If the soil is damp and leaves soil residue on your finger, you do not need to water it. If the soil is dry, your plant needs watering. Watering will vary between plants, but it is a good idea to begin a watering schedule when you identify the best time to water your houseplant.
Use a pot with good drainage
You should also ensure that the plant pot you have chosen for your houseplant has adequate drainage. The reason for this is to allow the excess water to escape the pot. If the water builds up at the bottom, it will damage the roots and potentially kill your houseplant. Tip – materials such as plastic and glass absorb water far less than clay or ceramic.
Look out for signs
Your houseplant will also give you signs. If it is overwatered, the leaves will be discoloured, maybe even a loss of leaves and mould begins to form on the surface. Dehydration signs can include slow or no growth, dried leaf edges and yellowing. We also have a guide on bringing a houseplant back to life.
2. Finding your houseplants happy place for sunlight – Houseplants all require sunlight, and the duration and intensity will affect houseplants overall health. Majority of houseplants do not like having direct sun light, they prefer to be put in a well-lit area that offers them up to 16 hours of indirect sunlight.
Avoid moving your houseplant
We can often feel tempted to move our indoor plants around our homes to find a more suitable spot that both gives the plant adequate sunlight and brightens up the room with its blooming flowers or beautiful foliage. Happy Houseplants recommend you avoid this common mistake as plants adapt to their surroundings. We recommend if you would like to move your plant to a new environment, do it in small increments each day. For example, move it to the new area for 1-2 hours a day, allowing the plant to acclimate.
Happy Houseplants in humidity
When deciding the best location for your wonderful indoor plant, it is important to understand the type of environment your plant likes to be in. Majority of house plants require humidity to thrive, especially tropical ones. If you want your plant to be in an environment that is mostly dry with little humidity, we recommend choosing a succulent such as Aloe Vera or Cacti. We have guides on Best Kitchen Window Plants and Best Bathroom Plants to help you choose plants that enjoy humid environments.
3. Know your plant – There are thousands of different types of houseplants, each with different care types and needs. At Happy Houseplants, we aim to add as much essential information as possible, so you are well-informed, and educated before purchase. Each houseplant will have a different care routine, so it is important to learn and build relationships with each plant you own. If it is your first houseplant, we recommend going for Unkillable Plants such as our amazing Cast-Iron Plant. If you have any questions about your houseplant and/or it care, please feel free to contact us.
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