We are all keen to get outside in the warm weather and enjoy spring in the garden. Growing season doesn’t limit itself to the outdoors and house plants need some love too. They’ve been sitting on the window sill or side board quietly getting on with life and slowly but surely getting bigger. Perhaps you’ve noticed they are a bit dusty or they have lost their vibrancy and don’t seem as healthy as they used to be. Or have you just realised you haven’t watered them since last month? Not to worry. Let’s get those plants looking great and back to their former glory.
Growing pains
Often we don’t notice how much our plants have grown until they start to suffer from being in a pot that is too small. If your plant seems less vibrant or is wilting even though you are watering and feeding it regularly, check if it’s out grown its pot. If you look at the bottom of the pot you will often see they roots have come out of the bottom and if you gently lift the plant from the pot, there will be a mass of roots encircling the soil at the bottom of the pot. This is a good sign that you need to transfer your plant to a bigger pot. You will see in the picture that my spider plant was long overdue a new pot.
Sizing up
The temptation is to choose a big pot for the plant so it has plenty of room and you don’t need to re-pot for a while but this can be counterproductive. A pot that is too big can result in overgrowth of roots. Choose a pot that is 1/2 to 1 inch (1.5 to 3 cm) bigger all round and this will be plenty of room for the roots. If you are putting the plant into a pot that doesn’t have drainage holes in the bottom, you may want to allow extra room for some pebbles or pieces of broken pottery to give a drainage layer below the soil.
Moving in
Put a layer of good quality potting soil in the bottom of the pot so that when you sit the plant in the surface of the soil will be slightly below the rim of the pot to allow for watering. Centre the plant in the pot and then add more soil around the edges making sure it gets pushed all the way down the sides. Give the plant a good water and then top up the soil if necessary.
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Feed me
Plants get most of their nutrients from the soil and photosynthesis. After a while, the soil your houseplant is growing in can get depleted. Feeding your plants with a plant food from time to time will ensure they are getting the nutrients they need and encourage healthy growth. Plant food usually comes in a liquid or crystalline form that you add to water or as a stick or tablet that you put in the soil. I prefer the liquid food as it’s easier to mix into the water. While the sticks are easy, I find it difficult to tell if they are depleted and find that they sometimes go a bit moldy in the pot. Currently I am using a concentrated liquid plant food from Schultz with good results ( <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B018LSGTLG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=B018LSGTLG&linkCode=as2&tag=redtreespinka-20&linkId=fb369513cec5dbb4d9991a1aa81fac3c”>Schultz All Purpose Liquid Plant Food 10-15-10, 4 oz</a><img src=”//ir-ca.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=redtreespinka-20&l=am2&o=15&a=B018LSGTLG” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” /> ). One thing i like about this is that it is also suitable for vegetables so I use it on my seedlings once they are fairly mature. Make sure you follow the instructions on your particular feed.
Water is key
Let’s be honest, most of us are guilty of not watering our plants often enough, but over watering can also be a problem. The best way to water varies depending on the plant. It’s worth taking the time to learn the best watering pattern for the plants you have. A common mistake with potted plants is seeing that the top of the soil is dry and giving water, when the soil and roots at the bottom of the pot are actually saturated and sitting in water. I like to check the outer pot or saucers for water before adding more, or if the plant is in a single pot with no drainage, I stick my finger down into the soil about an inch to check the moisture under the surface before watering.
If your plant is sitting in water, tip out the excess and don’t water for a few days. If your plant is very dry, avoid the temptation to give lots of water all at once. Give enough to get the soil wet through and then do some top up watering for a couple of days before going back to a regular watering schedule.
Shower Power
Plants don’t like dusty leaves. Plants “breathe” through little pores on the leaves, a process called transpiration. If leaves get dusty they plants not only look dull but they can’t breathe properly. Rather than painstakingly wiping down each leaf, I like to give my plants a shower from time to time. They love it! Really, they always look more perky after a shower. I stand the plants in the shower, turn the water on cold and leave them under for five minutes. This washes all of the dust off and gives them a good water. I leave them to drain and dry off for about 15 mins before putting them back in their pots.
More on transpiration
Airflow across the leaves of a plant can affect the transpiration and result in excess moisture loss or not enough. If you have a plant in a drafty area such as near the front door or by a window that gets left open, it may require more water to keep it hydrated because the air moving over the leaves pulls moisture from them. If it is not doing well there, try moving it somewhere without a draft. Equally, if you have a plant in a room with poor airflow and high humidity, it may suffer from a lack of air flow/moisture loss. Something tropical is probably best in a location like this.
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Let the sunshine in
All plants need light but some can do remarkably well with very little while others seem to wilt on a cloudy day. Knowing how much light your plants need is essential to a healthy plant. I’m no stranger to the problems that occur when plants don’t get enough light. I recently had a disastrous attempt to keep a planter in a low light area of our place and most of the plants died. I have moved the remainder to a brighter spot and they are just about out of intensive care. Some plants like it bright, such as the Shamrock pictured but don’t like direct sun. The Pothos plant I have will tolerate shade and bright light. In shade it’s leaves are dark green. In brighter light it gets a variegated leaf.
Out of sight, out of mind
It’s easy to forget to care for your plants if you don’t see the regularly. Try keep them in easy to reach locations and frequently used rooms. I have very few plants on my balcony because in the past, I haven’ used it frequently so all the plants would get forgotten and die even though my house plants and vegetable garden were thriving. So go fetch that begonia you put in the guest room when grandma came to stay last year and find it a spot where it can be seen and appreciated on a daily basis.
Talk the talk
Finally, I’m a big believer in talking to plants to help them grow. Some people think this is an old wives tale but there is some scientific evidence to back this up. Read this article from The Spruce which mentions some of the research: Should you talk to your plants? I also think the talker gets as much benefit as the plant. Have you noticed what good listeners plants are?
Now that your house plants are happy and healthy, get outside, get gardening and enjoy spring.
Never thought about wiping a plants leaves… I’ll be doing that tmrw! I’m afraid to place them in the shower but it makes so much sense!
Be brave! It’s just like being in a rain shower for the plants