How To Create The Best Environment For Your Plants.
How To Create The Best Environment For Your Plants.
The pandemic created a boost in the number of people that bought plants. Whether you consider yourself a plant parent or you're still wrapping your head around the full name of the ZZ plant, let's go over some tips to help your plants thrive.
Choose the right plants for your environment.
Unless you plan on investing in a fully functional, zoo-grade greenhouse, it's best to pick plants that live in a natural environment you can easily re-create.
This is especially important if you're a beginner that thought a peace lily could last a few months outside in our brutal winter months. Everyone starts somewhere though and the best place to do so is your local plant shop.
Employees at your nearby garden centre can point you to the many plants that can grow in your local climate.
As resilient as some plants are, many can only thrive in the right condition. A prayer plant, for example, is relatively easy to take care of but if you enjoy the cold then any tropical plants in your home will have to be kept somewhere warm in the winter. Or you could turn up the heat to have healthy houseplants.
Start with something easy like a snake plant or a spider plant - don't worry they don't grow the critters they're named after.
Think of where you will place the plants as well. If you can place a plant pot by a window then get a plant appropriate for that. Some plants, called trailing plants, grow long strands that look beautiful when their pots are hung near a sunny window.
Find a place in your home with plenty of sunlight.
There is such a thing as too much light. This is something that will play a crucial part in the placement of your new plants. You don't just stick all your plants in direct sunlight: some plants need just enough light, others will need indirect sunlight while some will even require low light exposure.
The question isn't about how to fit all your plants into a spot of bright light but rather how much light each one of them needs. Plants grown with the right amount of light will thrive because light, even indirect light, stimulates their growth and health.
Water properly.
Most plants like water, you might think, so more water means happier plants you might assume. And that would be how you kill extremely easy to care for plants like prayer-plants.
Beginners often commit the sin of over-watering their new plants. This causes a plant's roots to rot. Commonly called root rot, the condition plagues plants in waterlogged soil.
To water plants is a relatively simple exercise though and with some precautions, you can avoid root rot. Small plants will usually come with their own pots, these should have drainage holes at the bottom that let water leave the potting soil after watering.
The holes allow excess water to leave the roots' area and keep the soil moist and not drenched. Now, even with drainage holes and proper potting soil, you can still overwater your plants.
Root rot is the plant equivalent of a heart attack and using too much water is a triple cheeseburger with onion rings, bacon, and a side of loaded poutine. A slight exaggeration.
What you want is to make sure the soil surface is moist but not wet.
The amount of water for large plants can be difficult to gauge but it's better to go for a little less than to risk destroying the roots outright.
With the right amount of sunlight, water, and soil nutrients your plants will grow strong.
Even with these basics in mind your little green friends still need fertilizing if you want them to blossom. Fertilizer can be bought at any local plant store but you don't have to pay for something good. With some simple ingredients like coffee grounds or banana peels, you can make your own fertilizer.
You save money and you know what's going into your plants; we've all seen those horror stories of what passes for soil in big box stores.
Yellow leaves or brown leaf tips are a surefire sign that you are using too much fertilizer. Even with an organic fertilizer like we mentioned above, it's important to keep things in balance.
A plant dying because of too much of a good thing happens with everything, it's all about balance even with easy-to-care-for plants.
Plant care.
Whether you're taking care of a bunch of garden plants, a solitary indoor plant, or a combination of other plants; taking care of them involves a little more than what we talked about above.
A plant thrives when its needs are met and that means pruning dead leaves and branches. It's not just to keep them looking neat but it will help you get rid of parasites like spider mites.
Cold drafts can also have a great effect on your plant's health. If you can find ways to improve air quality in your home around your plants then it could show itself as more plants start growing signs of increased growth.
Is there something special to keep in mind about flowering plants?
Most houseplants are easy to take care of, that includes flowers. Just like for other plants, it's best to start with easy flowers in the beginning.
Peace lilies and African violets are very easy to take care of, some would say they are impossible to kill. Still, your goal should be plant growth. Flowering plants like the peace lily don't require a lot of bright light or direct sunlight and can survive when you accidentally use more fertilizer than you should have.
Don't be too intimidated, and keep an eye out for yellow leaves, take care to not water them too much, and prune their dead leaves. Some experimentation will go a long way to figure out the best thing for every flower.
What about air plants?
Sproutling indoor gardeners may wonder about those small peculiar plants that don't need soil to grow. These little plants still need care, but thankfully you don't need to worry about fresh soil for them.
They need water every fortnight, but instead of letting water flow over them or directly spraying their roots (don't do that), you can take a bowl and fill it with enough water to submerge the plants. Don't push them in, gently place them on the water's surface and leave them for about half an hour.
Benefits of house plants.
Plants in homes and offices provide a range of benefits and scientists continue to discover new ones. If you improve your indoor air quality with plants in your home, research shows that you will significantly reduce the risk of several respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and even flu.
Houseplants also add oxygen to the air, which is especially beneficial for those who are feeling low or agitated.
Plants are also great for stress relief. The sound of water trickling in a fountain, the rustle of leaves, even the sight of flowering plants can have a calming influence on our bodies and minds. You will sleep better at night once you understand that plants can purify and keep your air clean.
To sum things up!
Most plants need balance. A few plants can survive if you routinely mistreat them but at a certain point, you should be a little worried about what you let into your home if it refuses to die.
When it comes to watering plants: make sure the pot's drainage holes are unobstructed and that when you water plants you are using the right amount of water for each pot. If you use too much water you run the risk of killing the plant's roots.
Give your plants adequate light. Think of the light source and how much light the plants prefer, arrange your plants according to the light that's best for them. A south-facing window will give you and your plants plenty of light to play around with. Indoor plants and air plants will generally prefer shade but not complete darkness.
Examine plant leaves for early signs of disease or imbalance. Most houseplants can recover if you find the source of the problem but it's best not to get to that point.
Before long you will be a master of garden and indoor plants alike and will be looking into how to care for transplanted plants and where to cut the plant's stem to ensure a viable new growth.
Start easy with a snake plant or a peace lily, be wary of the winter months, and soon enough you will have your own little thriving ecosystem.
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