Having plants in your home is very beneficial for many different reasons. For one, plants can make your indoor air cleaner because these can absorb toxins and produce more oxygen. Plants can also boost your mood and creativity, and add pops of colors to your home's interior.
However, you can only enjoy the benefits of having plants in your home if you know how to properly take care of them. Your inability to water your plants regularly, for example, can become the reason why they will wilt and die. Keeping diseased plants won't give you any benefits; in fact, these can only become an eyesore and attract pests in your home.
For you to only experience the good things in having plants in your home, keep them healthy by following these tips:
1. Choose Plants Carefully
You'll have unlimited options when choosing plants to grow in your home. Regardless of the space you have and the colors you want, there will always be several plants that fit the bill. However, when choosing plants, you should also consider the light conditions they require.
Different plants require different amounts of light. While some plants grow healthy when placed at a south-facing window, others thrive better when given access to the soft morning light.
Think about where you plan on placing your plants at home and assess the amount of light this space gets during different times of the day. If you're planning to grow some rare plants, such as desert rose and club moss, in your living area, consider if space can meet the light requirements of the plants.
Choosing plants that have light requirements suitable to what your home can provide will make it very easy for you to keep them healthy.
2. Water Properly
It's common knowledge that plants need water in order to grow properly. But, are you aware that you should follow certain steps when watering your plants? Watering your plants properly is essential to ensure that they get all the nutrients from the water, and their roots aren't drenched because of too much water.
If you don't have any idea how to water plants properly, take note of the following tips:
- When watering, aim to wet the entire root ball of your plant and allow excess water to run out.
- Never leave standing water in a catch tray for more than two days as this can only promote root diseases.
- Ideally, you should make sure that the soil is partially dry before you start to water the plant again. You can check the moisture of the soil by placing your finger into the top two inches of the soil; if you feel it's dry, it's time to water it again.
3. Control Pests
The moisture level of your plant's soil when you water them can attract pests. Aphids, whiteflies, and scales, for example, are common insects that can feed on your plants and even bring germs and bacteria to your home. The presence of these pests will make it very challenging for you to grow plants in your home. In worse cases, having never-ending pest problems can even become the reason why you'll lose interest in growing plants.
There are actually many ways on how you can control pests and prevent them from feasting on your plants. You can start by doing the following:
- Mix five tablespoons of dish soap with four cups water, and then place the mixture in a spray bottle. Spray your plants with this solution regularly as this is known to dehydrate aphids and prevent them from multiplying.
- Add a few cloves of garlic in the soil of your plants as its strong aroma can detract pests.
- Neem oil spray is available in most stores today and can work as a natural insecticide to keep your plants healthy. Simply spray the product on your plants regularly and watch how mites, aphids, and other small insects die because of the solution.
4. Use Good Quality Potting Soil
The soil you'll use for your plants can make or break their longevity. Watering your plants regularly and making sure that they get enough sunlight will be useless if you opt for low-quality soil.
Using good-quality potting soil is another way to ensure that plants in your home will grow healthy for years. Good potting soil can provide a balance of nutrition and aeration to your plants, and promote healthy roots.
Garden centers and nurseries sell good potting soil, so make sure to check these out before you add any plants in your home.
5. Use Fertilizers
Aside from giving your plants enough sunlight and water, they also need enough fertilizers to grow properly. Fertilizers are considered as your plants' food, which is why it's important that you feed them with high-quality fertilizers regularly.
And, while there are countless of ready-made fertilizers available in the market today, it's still best if you feed your plants with natural ones. Commercially produced fertilizers often contain chemicals that will only harm or damage your plants. These kinds of fertilizers can even cause your soil to become acidic, hampering the wellbeing of your plants.
Don't take any chances and opt to make fertilizers for your plants from scratch. If you don't have any idea, these tips can help:
- Use grass clippings: If you often mow your lawn, don't throw off the grass clippings. Instead, use them as a fertilizer for your plants. Simply collect half an inch of grass clippings to make a weed-blocking mulch, and put a generous amount of the mixture on the soil bed of your plants.
- Kitchen scraps: Make use of your kitchen scraps by using them for your own compost. To do this, simply allocate a compost bin, collect kitchen scraps, and mix them with yard waste. Once the bin is full, place the compost on your soil bed.
- Tree leaves: You can also use tree leaves as fertilizers as these can retain moisture, and are a great source of trace minerals. You can turn your tree leaves into fertilizers by crushing them into the potting soil of your plants or using them as a mulch.
Your Resources Count
Contrary to popular belief, growing healthy plants in your home isn't rocket science. This task is actually easy and will only require time and effort. So, if you're willing to exhaust these resources on a regular basis, you won't have any problems growing healthy plants in your home!
