Taking care of an indoor plant can be tricky. Especially, if you have never owned one before. Over the years, in the interior plantscape business, we have learned that the secret to plant care and maintenance is understanding each plant in depth.
Each plant has different needs. But if you’re handling a large space with many plants, it’s not possible to have such varied information at the tip of your fingers. We have answered the most common questions that almost all plant owners have.
How to water my plants?
As a general rule of thumb, your plants would rather be too dry than too wet. So, never overwater. Water your plant and then wait for the soil to absorb all the water before you water again. Pour out any standing water left in the pot.
It’s easy to know if you’re overwatering your plant. Leaves are the tell. In most cases, the leaves will start changing color or falling.
How do I know if my plant needs water?
Different plants have different watering needs. To simplify the process, you can put your finger on the soil and check if the plant needs water. If the soil feels moist, your plant does not need water.
Alternatively, you can also tip the pot. If the pot feels lighter than usual, it means you need to water the plant.
Where to put my plant?
Each plant has a different ideal condition conducive to its growth. Generally, they all need good, indirect sunlight.
A north-facing window should do the trick. Alternatively, use fluorescent lights. Glow lights are also convenient and readily available.
Foliage plants need more sunlight than flowering plants. So, it is a good idea to keep the flowering and foliage plants in separate places.
Plants aren’t fans of the move. So, before you place your pot, spend some time planning a layout to give your plants permanent spots.
How do I make a choice for an indoor plant?
Choose your indoor plants as per your needs. Are your plants for aesthetic reasons only? Then we suggest getting the same variety of foliage plants for your indoor landscape. This way they'll be easy to care for.
If you want specific benefits, like removal of specific toxins like toluene and xylene from the air, go for Areca Palm. Each plant offers a different benefit.
In general, you can look for three things while buying any indoor plant: a good root system (thick and light), thick foliage that you can’t see through, no disease.
What are the necessary supplies for plant care and maintenance?
The two main things you want to pick up from the store are fertilizer and a pot with drainage holes.
An all-purpose liquid fertilizer is our recommendation. But any brand or kind should do as long as you follow the instructions.
A pot with drainage holes makes watering so much easier. It reduces the risk of overwatering and you don’t need another utensil for water runoff.
Do I need to re-pot my plant?
Yes. We cannot emphasize this enough. Pick a pot that is at least an inch larger than the original plastic pot of your plant.
Make sure that you give your plant room to grow. A 7-inch plant should go in an 8 or 9-inch plant. Once your plant has grown in the pot, you can re-pot it as per your requirements.
The leaves of my plant don’t look healthy. What does this mean?
You can pretty much tell what is wrong with the plant by looking at its leaves.
Are they yellow? One yellow leaf is nothing to worry about. But a few and you know it’s a cry for help. Check for secondary symptoms. It just means that the plant’s environment is not ideal.
Wrinkled leaves mean that your plant is dehydrated. If the leaves are dropping off, it could be because of overwatering or lack of sunlight.
How to prevent diseases?
Your indoor plant is just as prone to disease as you. However, you can prevent it through adequate care.
If there are any affected indoor plants, get rid of them immediately. This will prevent the diseases from spreading to other plants. If a plant has a few affected leaves, remove the leaves.
Don’t let insects come near the plant. They may carry diseases. Apart from this, check your plant for pests and diseases frequently.
Taking care of indoor plants can be a lot of work. You can look up ‘Indoor plant care services near me’ and hire someone to make plant care and maintenance easy.
