Friday, May 6, 2011

How to Care for Your Plants

I am a lover of house plants and I’ve got different plants in the house all over the place.

Many people worry a lot when it comes to caring for their plants. When talking about house plants, there is no need to worry. There are just a few things you need to consider.

1. A watering can is a must-have in every garden. It is recommended that you purchase the one with a narrow spout to ensure adequate watering. But that does not always apply, so the finger test may come in handy. Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If you feel that the soil is damp, don’t water it. If the soil is light and crumbly, the plant needs to be watered. The best water to use is rainwater.

2. Don’t use garden soil in your pots, because it contains weed seeds and most likely pests. Buying compost with special mixtures is the better choice.
With foliage plants, they need to be high in nitrogen. For flowering plants, on the other hand, K2O is needed. Fertilizers such as the slow release ones can be mixed with the compost. There is also liquid food available.
However, some plants like cactuses and orchids need special feeds. Feed plants on the height of their active growth.

3. Plants like Sansevieria (Mother-In-Law’s Tongue) and Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plant) require no shade. They can be placed away from a window. Spider Plants need semi-shade. You can put plants like these near a window that does or doesn’t get sunlight. Others need sun or no sun at all.

4. With house plants, they can survive in temperatures a little bit higher than 15 – 25 degrees C (55 – 75 degrees F). But drastic fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them.

5. Some house plants require a humid environment. One tip to maximize humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture. The compost will not dry out. Plants are capable of creating their own climate if grouped together. This tip can also be used for keeping the soil moist. If you want, you can spray them with water once or twice a day depending on the day’s temperature.

6. Other plants require re-potting for optimum growth but some plants may not be suitable for this idea. They would not want their roots to be disturbed or some other plants’ root systems are too small. One way to check if your plant needs re-potting is to turn it upside down. Tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots. If roots are all you see, then re-pot.

You just need to have a little care for your plants and in turn, you will reap its benefits. You don’t only have a garden that can add to your house’s beauty, you can also add beauty into your house and learn how to respect and nurture life in its varied forms.

Visit Garden Lover’s Paradise to check out the beautiful containers and pots available at

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