Welcome to Plantcare 101
Inspiration and plantcare tips for beginners
🌱 Choosing the right plant for your home 🌱
I am happy to see that you are interested in houseplants!
Basic rules for easy plantcare is light and water, but there are a few tips you can use in order to step up your plantcare. Good soil and a well chosen pot for your plants will make a big difference. The next level of plantcare is fertilizing and learn about pest control.
You need to take in consideration what kind of light your house will be able to provide but also how much time you will have to invest in plantcare. To get more information about what your plant needs, google is your friend or ask someone that works in a plant shop.
⛅ Where to place your plant ⛅
Most houseplants cannot tolerate direct light as they will burn. If this is what you have, consider pulling them back from the window.
Bright indirect light: When the light is very bright but doesnt actually touch your plant. As noted, this is the preferred situation for most plants.
Moderate indirect light: Most likely a table or corner a little farther into the center of a room with a good, bright window. North facing windows also often yield this type of light.
Low light: This would be a wall or a corner farthest from any window or a room where the shades are never opened. No plant will love this kind of light, but there are some plants like Sanseveria (mother-in-laws tongue), ZZ-plants, bromeliads and orchids which can tolerate low light.
💧 Watering 💧
Learn about what type of plant you have. Some plants want to remain evenly moist all the time. Some plants (the majority) like to dry out a bit on the top before they need another drink but will suffer if you let them dry out all the way. Some plants need to completely dry out before they need more water.
Ask someone that works in a plantshop or google your plant to find out what its preferred watering is. Pay attention to how your plant is responding to your watering schedule. In the winter you may need to water less but in the summer the same plant may want to be watered more often. The amount of light your plant receives will impact its watering needs.
👉 Soil, drainage and fertilizing 👈
Use the appropriate soil for your plant. Generally, most houseplants prefer potting soil and most cactus and succulents prefer cactus soil. The difference is in how quickly the soil will drain. Potting soils tend to be “heavier” (ie they retain water) while cactus mixes are “lighter” (they don’t hold water).
Think of fertilizer as vitamins for your plant, not food. Plants make their own food but occasionally the soil they are drawing from could stand some “re-energizing.” This is where fertilizer can be beneficial. When choosing a fertilizer, time release varieties are the best as they release slowly into the soil and won’t burn the plant. But only use them during the growing season and make sure to follow the directions on the packaging.
Plants need drainage. Always make sure that whatever container you decide to use has drainage. It is best to use a pot with no drainage as a cachepot so it acts like a saucer for the nursery pot.
🐛 Pest control 🐛
Types of pests. Scale (hard bodied), mealy bug (soft scale), aphids, spider mites and fungus gnats are the most common. Most often these pests can be found on the underside of leaves, at stem and leaf joints and on new growth. Scale, mites and aphids suck the plants sap causing the plant to lose its nutrients. This causes leaves to discolor, curl, dry and shrivel…eventually falling off. And while fungus gnats are generally not harmful to the plant, they can be annoying to have in your home.
The best cure for all pests is early detection and quick treatment. If the plant can take a jet stream of water, this will knock most pests off. Dabbing rubbing alcohol on an infected area is also quite effective. Neem Oil Spray is another good treatment method but make sure to do your research beforehand.
💚 I wish you the best of luck with your indoor jungle! 💚
