Potted plants can bring life and colour into your home and caring for indoor plants is fairly easy. Follow these 10 simple tips and your plants should thrive.
- Don't be afraid to try different locations for your plants until you find the best place for them. It's important for each plant's success to be in the ideal spot.
- If a room seems too dark to sustain a healthy plant, don't be fooled. Most indoor plants originate in tropical and subtropical regions, equatorial forests in particular where the trees block out a lot of light, so indoor plants thrive in dim environments and filtered light. The ideal spot is in front of a large window facing east or west. If necessary, you can filter the sunlight from such a large window through a sharkstooth scrim curtain.
- If you have a plant that thrives on lots of sun, place it on a windowsill facing north or north-east. Check soil moisture levels regularly and inspect the leaves to check that they're not being burned. At the slightest sign of withering, move the plant towards the middle of the room.
- Ferns and other moisture-loving plants do best in vaporous rooms like bathrooms where they can lap up regular doses of mist.
- Water poured directly onto the soil may flood, or not reach the pot plant's roots. Instead, water plants bottom up by standing them in a dish and filling the dish with water. Delicate plants such as fuchsias thrive on this method. For this method to work, all pots should have holes in the bottom through which the water is absorbed.
- If you don't want your plant to die of heat or cold, avoid placing it in draughty areas or near ducted heat or air-conditioning outlets.
- Water your plants only when the potting mix feels dry to the touch – overwatering is often the cause of indoor plant death. Check by pushing your finger into the soil; if it comes out without any trace of soil on it, start watering. Remember that plants may need more frequent watering in summer.
- Most indoor plants benefit from an occasional misting of water. Make sure the water is at room temperature and use an atomizer or spray bottle. Misting is particularly beneficial if you live in a centrally-heated or air-conditioned house as the air can become very dry.
- Feed your plants with small amounts of fertilizer. The fastest and simplest solution is complete liquid fertilizer in the recommended dose, usually every two to four weeks – check the label.
- An efficient way to water your plants directly at a steady rate is to use ice cubes. Put a couple on top of the pot soil and leave them to melt.
If you put these 10 simple tips into practice, caring for your indoor plants will be simple and they should thrive.
