Look After Houseplants
House plants need care to keep them looking good, as well as growing. Nothing makes a house look as warm and inviting as nicely groomed houseplants. It takes a little effort, but you will be rewarded by their beauty and continued growth.
Contents
Steps
- Buy good quality plants to start with. Check for discoloration of leaves, droopiness, disease or pests. Read the label if there is one! Different plants require different amounts of light, heat, and water.
- Water regularly in the summer and sparingly in the winter. This way, your plants will remain healthy.
- Remove dead leaves as these will continue to use up energy from the plant. Re-pot when you begin to see or feel roots pushing against the pot. Re-pot no more than one size up.
Tips
- When re-potting, spread one hand over the base of the plant, turn the pot upside-down and tap it gently. The plant should come out into your hand. A gentle tug may help.
- Group plants together. They grow better this way.
- Keep away from extreme heat, cold or droughts.
- When re-potting cacti, use newspaper around the plant to avoid getting pricked.
- Spray with a leaf shine for high gloss.
- Feed a houseplant in the summer food such as 'Baby Bio' or 'Phospherogen'.
- Do not give it too much water, or it will drown.
Warnings
- Do not over-water as this is as bad as not watering enough.
- When you spray with leaf shine, leave the room or aerate the room as the smell is quite pungent.
- Do not re-pot a plant into a much larger pot.
- Roots need air as well as water - keeping the compost soaked at all times means certain death for most plants.
