Showing posts with label house plants care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house plants care. Show all posts

Indoor Plants Maintenance Tips - What You've Been Doing Wrong

    

My local community center recently hosted a plant workshop for active older adults.  Boy, did I learn a lot about what I was doing wrong with my plants. Too much water. Not enough water. Fertilizer. The wrong pots. It's no wonder so many of my plants died! 

The workshop was so informative!  The presenter works full-time at Plants a la Carte, a company that provides plants and plant maintenance for corporate clients. If you work in an office environment, you've probably seen someone like her come around to service your plants. I've even gone in the trash can and taken plant clippings after our plant lady had done her thing. That's how I started a Pothos plant years ago. 

As I was saying, the presenter seemed very knowledgeable. She brought a variety of plants with her.  Class size was limited to about 12 people, so we each received a lot of personal attention. Registration for the class was only $10. I learned so much!


We were shown plants that were in bad shape. Some needed pruning, re-potting, and some were on their last legs due to overwatering or neglect.

Some of the major takeaways included:

  • Plants need light. Different plants need different amounts of light. Know your plant
  • Plants need water
  • The #1 killer of plants is OVERWATERING.  Water your plant when it needs it. If you water your plant on Wednesdays just because that's your usual housekeeping day, then you're doing it all wrong. Plants should be watered on THEIR schedule, not yours.

                                            

  • Don't overdo it on fertilizer. Pay attention to your plant's instructions. Fertilizer should be kept to minimum, like once a year (I definitely have been a little heavy-handed with the MiracleGro)

                                                
  • Too much sunlight can be a bad thing.  Plants that get too much direct sunlight are subject to sun burn. They will not recover from this

  • Rotate your plant. If you decide to place a plant in a corner, remember to rotate it from time to time so that it grows straight
  • Bottom-watering. To ensure that the roots are being fed, set the potted plant in a container of water. The plant will slowly soak up the water

                                                


The best thing about this workshop was that we were got to take home a beautiful plant along with a few plant clippings. I chose another Pothos plant and clippings from a Ficus. Both are on the low-maintenance squad.  Thank goodness!


What are some of your plant maintenance challenges?

Watch my video here  and see more highlights of the plant workshop. Drop me a line if this was helpful.


Disclosure: Links may contain affiliates. When you buy through one of our links we will receive a commission. This is at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Life on Greenwood and allowing me to continue to bring you valuable content.

How To Overcome Your Struggle With House Plants



I’ll be the first to tell you that I do not have a green thumb. Over the years, I’ve killed my share of houseplants; mostly due to neglect. 

I recall bringing home clippings thrown away by the landscapers at work and rooting them in water and later planting them in soil. I would nurse those babies until they grew nice and strong!  

And then, I would forget to water them! And I’d forget for a week or two until there was no coming back for them. 

I was bad!

I am getting much better.  Currently, I have four Spider Plants.   Actually, there’s one mother and three offspring.  

Spider Plants are supposed to be some of the easiest plants to maintain. My biggest challenge with the mother Spider Plant was figuring how much water was needed and how much sunlight to provide. 

What Worked For My Plants

Research states that Spider plants should not receive direct sunlight.  So, I relocated the plants near a window in the living room where they would get low to medium sunlight. 

To help with the watering situation, we purchased Self-Watering Globes. These glass globes can be filled with water and stuck into potted plants to provide water as needed for up to two weeks. 

After trial and error, I am happy to say that I am seeing new growth and my Spider Plants look much healthier.



Conclusion

In the end, I read a ton of articles on how to care for houseplants. Here’s what I learned:

1)      Do research before buying house plants.  Understand if your lifestyle and home environment is compatible with successfully caring for a house plant

2)      Determine the plant’s need for water, sunlight and fertilization

3)      Be prepared to groom, re-pot and control plant pests

Finally, enjoy the beauty that healthy houseplants will add to your home!


 



Disclosure: Links may contain affiliates. When you buy through one of our links we will receive a commission. This is at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Life on Greenwood and allowing me to continue to bring you valuable content.


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