5 Tips to Keep Your House Plants Thriving

Do you look at those people with the most gorgeous, green, leafy house plants and think “Wow, they really have it all together. They know how to adult” ? The thought may have crossed my mind once or twice…or every time I had to throw out a brown crispy plant. Once I moved into my new house I had this urge to have all the house plants and I have finally managed to keep them alive and thriving. It is a learning curve and takes a bit of work but I thought I would share my top 5 tips to keep your house plants thriving and help you feel like you are nailing the adult life!

1 – Give it Light

Every house plant is different, which can be tricky. Look around your house and think of where you would want or can accommodate a plant before buying it. Most plants come with a little card telling you how much light it needs so make sure to take a peek at it and see if the plant you want will work in that area! Placing your plants in the appropriate light is so important to the way they grow. My Bird of Paradise likes lots of light so I put it on our open staircase with lots of windows. Don’t have much natural, direct light? Try a snake plant – they can survive without much light so they make the perfect plant for a bathroom or bedroom.

2 – Pot them!

You want to make sure there’s is enough room for your plant to grow in it’s pot. When you get a new plant, pick a pot that’s slightly bigger and use quality potting soil, bone meal, and a little fertilizer when transferring it. It sets the stage for healthy growth. From a decor point of view, I like to think outside of the box. Find a cute mug or jar for smaller plants to sit in!

3 – Drainage

As a beginner it can be easy to over water house plants. The problem is that when they sit in water they can rot. Make sure your pot has proper drainage. You can find one with a hole at the bottom and a tray to catch the water, or just use rocks / marbles in the bottom of the pot. You don’t need much, just about an inch off the bottom of the pot. This lets the water settle away from the roots and will help keep your plant healthy.

4 – Create a Watering Schedule

This is where I struggled before with house plants. I was very sporadic in remembering to water them. I decided to make a schedule and set Sundays for my watering days. Every plant is different so make sure you do a little research. My snake plant needs less water so I skip a week and water it every second Sunday. My spider plants, however, tend to dry up faster so they are watered weekly. Either way, I walk around my house Sunday morning and check my plants and water those that need it. A good rule of thumb is to wait until the first inch or two of soil is dry until you water the plant again.

5 – Love Them!

Give your plants some love. Turn them every now and then so that all sides can get maximum sun exposure. Take a damp cloth to your big leaf plants and wipe them down once a month. Dust can settle and aphids can gather overtime. When you love your plants you care about how they thrive. You look for new growth and get excited about it.

XO
Katrina Gwen Rose

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