A healthy houseplant is a happy houseplant! Making sure that your houseplant is healthy is an essential part of owning and growing plants, whether you've filled your home with succulents and cacti, or you have an indoor garden of flowering blooms. The following is an essential guide that will help you make sure that your plants are healthy.
Best Ways to Keep Your Plant Healthy
The following are some of the best regular things you should do if you want your houseplant to be healthy. Remember to always read up on the particular plant variety you are growing, as some houseplants will have specific needs such as a higher or lower amount of sunlight, different growing seasons, and so on.
Regularly Inspect For Pests
Insects love plants, and they will have no problem making your plant their home. Unfortunately, this spells bad news for your plants.
Some of the most common problems associated with pests include root death, damaged leaves, damaged branches, and an increased chance for rot.
The sooner you spot signs of pests in your plants, the earlier you can take care of the problem and hopefully prevent any severe or permanent damage.
Signs of pests include “nibble” or bite marks on the leaves, spotting insect eggs on leaves or branches, along with seeing frequent bugs walking on your plants or in the soil.
Check The Root System
When your plant looks sad, remember to take a look at the root system.
Healthy roots should look white, numerous, hardy, and long enough to hold the soil in the shape of the pot.
They should not be brown, mushy, or crumbly. Damaged roots can cause new growth to be wilting or dying. If you see that the roots are mainly brown, mushy or crumbly, your plant might be suffering from root rot.
Adjust Your Home's Humidity Levels
How humid is your home? The humidity level in your home can make a big difference in the overall health of your plant.
Most houseplants require a moderate level of humidity, but the humidity needs of your plant will depend on factors such as the plant's origin and variety needs. For instance, tropical plants require more humidity (and higher temperatures) than plants designed to be grown in a drier desert environment.
The more suited your home’s humidity level is to your plant's needs, the healthier it will be in the long run.
Trim Old Leaves And Flowers
Your plant needs regular trimming to remove old leaves and dead flowers. Trimming your plant will make it look nice and, most importantly, help encourage new growth to form.
If you don’t trim your plant, the presence of old, stagnate leaves and flowers may discourage or even stunt growth.
In particular, your plant should be trimmed during the winter and then again, if necessary, before the spring. Keep an eye on your plant throughout the growing season and then trim as needed.
Dust The Leaves
Dusting your plants isn’t something that most people consider when it comes to keeping their plants healthy, but it’s an essential part of caring for your houseplants.
Like any other stationary object in your home, houseplants can and do accumulate dust. Over time, this build-up of dust and debris will make your plant look dirty and can even inhibit growth if it gets bad enough.
To remove dust, use a soft dry cloth to gently wipe away the bulk of the dust before going over the leaves with a damp dry cloth. Make sure to be gentle – you don’t want to damage the leaves, just get them clean.
Give Your Plant The Right Amount Of Water
The amount of water that your plant needs will depend on a few different factors – the type of plant you are growing, whether or not it is a growing season, as well as the moisture level in your home.
Some plants require more water than others – tropical plants require more frequent watering, whereas plants grown in desert areas can often survive with less frequent watering.
One of the simple ways to test if your houseplant is dry or moist is called the “1-inch test.” The 1-inch test involves sticking your finger or another stick about 1 inch into the soil of your houseplant to test the soil moisture, and then water accordingly.
The Signs Of A Sick Plant
A sick plant is a plant that is experiencing some issue, whether it's an infection, fungi growth, problems related to overwatering and under watering, fertilizer burns, and so on. The sooner you spot the signs of a sick plant, the quicker you can react and hopefully resolve the problem before the damage gets too far gone.
Discoloration of the leaves, such as yellow and brown leaves.
Discolored leaves can be a symptom of many different problems, ranging from excessive heat, dry or low humidity, too much fertilizer, not enough water, or excessive drafts.
Flower buds form but drop instead of blossoming
Bud dropping can be caused by too high temperatures, dry or low humidity, not enough water, using too much fertilizer, or even shock, which occurs when you move your plant too much while it is budding.
Wilting
This is typically caused by not giving your plant too much or not enough water, high temperatures, low or dry humidity, and poor quality soil.
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