Plants have several benefits. They are wonderful home decor as they bring a sense of liveliness and colors to your home. Some plants can remove help eliminate the toxic pollutants in the air. Having plants in your home also relieves you of stress and improves your well-being. Placing plants in any corner of the home promotes fresh air flow and brings positive energy. These days, indoor plants, such as lucky bamboo plants, jade, snake plants, etc., have also become trending gift items for loved ones.
Do you sometimes notice that cheery and green house plants look droopy and dull after a few days? Have no worries as there are plenty of reasons which can cause that. Following some simple indoor plant-caring tips which are given below can help revive and make them look fresh and new.
1. Choose an Area that Receives Ample Sunlight
First, how to care for plants at home tips is making sure that your indoor plants get enough sunlight. Plants need enough sunlight daily for their growth. Don’t keep the indoor plants under direct sunlight; keep them in a well-lit room. You must note that foliage plants need around 14 to 16 hours of light daily, and flowering ones need 12 to 16 hours. Access to enough amount of sunlight daily will help your plants grow healthy.
2. Water Your Indoor Plants
Different house plants have different water requirements. Instead of watering them daily, you can water your houseplants when needed. Check the soil two inches deep; if the color of the soil is dark and sticks to your finger, it means there’s enough water for the time. Remember not to overwater your plants. Overwatering is one of the main reasons of dead house plants. It is better to under-water the plants if you are unsure how much watering they need.
3. Increase the Humidity
Next essential indoor plant care tips include increasing the humidity. Most tropic houseplants thrive well in humidity with indirect sunlight. Dry air can harm your plants such as causing brown leaves. So it is best to place a humidifier for the plants to increase moisture. But ensure that the humidity doesn’t make the flowers or foliage wet. You can even group the plants, which will also increase humidity. Plants like cacti and succulents don’t need humidity and will thrive well in dry air with direct sunlight.
4. Repot Plants that are overgrown
Repotting is one of the essential tips for caring for indoor plants. Spring and summers are the ideal time for repotting your plants. Plants can be repotted every 12 to 18 months or if they outgrow their containers. Roots encircling the container are another sign of repotting. Choose a container or a pot a few inches larger than the current one, and add new soil that will provide fresh nutrients to the house plant. Don’t choose a larger pot as that will lead you to over-watering the indoor plant.
5. Pruning of Plants
Pruning is an essential step in taking care of your plants. And the ideal time for this step is during fall. Pruning is needed because it can help your indoor plants grow and look better. You can cut 3 to 5 inches of the plant from overgrowing and keep it healthy. Also, when pruning, remember to remove the dead and diseased stems or leaves, which can spread to healthy parts of the plant and also attract bugs.
6. Avoid Pests
Pests are a common problem that you can face when keeping houseplants. Pesky pests can harm your plant by laying eggs and spreading to other plants kept indoors. You can remove the bugs by spraying water on the plant leaves or neem oil. Baking soda is also useful in getting rid of pests and also to prevent the fungal disease in plants.
7. Don’t Over Fertilize
If you choose to fertilize your indoor plants, remember that, like water, over-fertilizing can cause damage to plants. Using fertilizers in large quantities can cause a stunt in growth and also lead to root burn. Compared to outdoor ones, plants kept indoors don’t require much fertilizer. Using a little fertilizer for the plant during the growing season, which is during early spring and summer, is ideal. If you have recently changed the soil of your plant, then you can skip fertilizer as the fresh soil has all the nutrients your house plant needs.
8. Remove Dust from House Plants
Removing dust is also one of the useful indoor plant caring tips. Over time, dust collects on leaves which can attract bugs. So, it is best to wash the plant leaves from time to time. For smooth leaves, you can use a clean cloth to wipe off the dust or room-temperature water with a towel or soft brush, especially for hairy leaves. Regular plant cleaning and dust removal will give your plant a fresh look and help it absorb more sunlight.
No one wants to see their plants get all droopy and dull. But, if you follow the tips mentioned above on how to care for houseplants, your plants will always be healthy and happy. If you wish to buy or send plants as gifts to your loved ones, you can choose Giftalove.com. This gift portal offers a vast range of lush plants with quick delivery across India.
Pratiksha is our in-house content writer who aims to provide quality content to her readers. In her free time, she enjoys reading and writing, and learning about new things.
