Once upon a time, human beings were surrounded by plants for the vast majority of their day. Now, we live in cities and towns and well-constructed homes that offer us innumerable comforts. But it’s not as if we have to choose between a life surrounded by nature and the comforts of modernity. There’s a reason growing indoor plants has become so popular as of late—it lets you have the best of both worlds.
Having plants indoors has been shown to have numerous health and lifestyle benefits. House plants reduce stress and anxiety, boost mood, soften depression, increase creativity, improve productivity, reduce allergies, increase oxygen levels, and clear toxins from the air. That’s a lot of benefits.
Beyond these, specific plants offer different additional benefits. Healing herbs can be grown indoors and cooked with, aloe plants can be used for medicinal and beauty purposes, marijuana can be grown for medicinal or recreational purposes, and plants with specific aromatic properties (like lavender) can promote different mental states.
This being said, not everyone was born with a green thumb. Sometimes people struggle to keep indoor plants thriving. The following will break down some tips and tricks you can keep in mind while tending to your houseplants to keep them lush and healthy. Of course, these tricks are guidelines only. Every species of plant is different and is going to prefer a specific range of conditions.
1. Water Is Important
Hopefully, you knew this already, but just in case you didn’t: plants need to be given water to live. They’re very much like humans in this respect. This being said, not all plants require the same amount of watering. Each type of flora and fauna has its preferred amount of water. It’s worth taking a moment to research the specific type of plant you’re caring for to find the ideal amount of water needed. One of the best ways to gain a sense of how quickly your plant is drinking up the water you give it is to stick your finger in the soil every so often. You’ll learn to discern the feeling of wetter soil and dryer soil and will be able to judge by the visible health of your plant what the ideal dampness is.
2. Light Is Also Crucial
Depending on how close you are to the equator and how many windows you have and which direction your windows face will have a big impact on the amount and quality of light that your plants are getting. Sometimes it’s something as easy as switching the windowsill your plant is sitting on (some plants like the morning light, some like afternoon light, some like a little shade.) Again, take the time to learn about the specific sunlight requirements of your particular plant. If your space does not provide enough natural light, experts at https://growlightinfo.com/ suggest seeking out LED lighting options. Believe it or not, there are specific lighting systems designed to help care for your plants in this specific situation.
3. Don’t Forget About Temperature
Most plants also have an ideal temperature range. Yes, grass grows everywhere in the world (even in Antarctica), but not all plants are as hardy as grass. Especially if you are tending to a plant that is not native to the area in which you live, the temperature of the room you keep is the culprit behind your plant’s struggles. Some plants might need to be moved when the seasons shift because of this. For example, you might keep a plant in your front hall in the summer, but come winter the room is too cold for your plant baby.
4. Plants Need Food Too
Believe it or not, plants also need to eat. They need nutrients in their soil and if your plant is inside a house and the soil isn’t full of insects, manure, the dead bodies of other plants and animals, dander, natural mulch, and all the other wondrous parts of the cycle of life, you might need to top up its nutritional content every so often. There are a wide variety of plant foods available to buy that provide the right balance of precious minerals and vitamins.
5. Plants Need Space To Grow
Just like humans and goldfish, plants are limited by the containers they are kept in. A bigger pot will have lots of room for root systems to develop making it possible for your plant to get much bigger than if it was kept in a smaller potting container. Some plants need lots of space and should be planted alone in a big pot, while others are happy to be crowded together with other types of plants. Take a moment to learn about the best growing conditions for the specific species you are caring for.
6. Plants Like Coffee And Tea Too
Instead of tossing out your used tea leaves and coffee grinds you can sprinkle them into the soil of your indoor plants. Both of these substances work as excellent fertilizers by helping to balance out the pH levels of your plant’s soil. This is ideally done not more than once or twice a month, however, as there can be too much of a good thing).
7. Keep Away From Electronics
It doesn’t matter if you plan to talk to your plants or play some nice music for them, but it is always good advice to try and keep them away from most electronics as the heat can affect them especially when near a VR and all electronic devices will gather dust which will smother your plant in the end, so do try and put a few feet between gadgets and plants at all times.
8. Consider a Babysitter
OK, so you don’t really need a babysitter when you go away on holiday, but you should ask someone just to pop in and water the plants if they need them. Say, maybe once a week or more if the plants require it. It’s not too weird to ask someone to do this and there are even services in which you can pay someone simply to do this!
9. Consider Changing The Pot
Most people think it is OK to carry on keeping a plant it the pot it came in until the point that it finally dies off and that is not good for the plant at all. As plants grow they need space, but it is not just about what you see above the dirt, it is what is going on underneath it that might be the problem. This is especially true if you ever see vines coming out the bottom of the pot from the small water holes.
10. Plants Like To Be Clean Too
Just like people, plants like to be clean. If you can see dust or buildup on the leaves of your indoor plants, take a damp cloth and give them a little wiping down. Dust and other particles gathered on the leaves reduce the plant’s ability to make full use of the sunlight through photosynthesis as there is a layer blocking the light from reaching the plant.
With the above tips kept in mind, you’re sure to find a way to keep your indoor plants thriving. You may have noticed that many of the tricks included the caveat that each plant species is different. This cannot be stressed enough. Learning about the types of plants you keep indoors is the most important step in making sure that your houseplants are healthy and flourishing. Beyond this, if you research before you buy a plant you can choose some flora or fauna that suit your lifestyle and habits.