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How to properly care for indoor plants
Without proper care measures for indoor plants, their health will be at risk. The death of a houseplant can cause many reasons.
Use the right potting soil. Each plant needs its own soil — there is no universal one. Choose the soil for pots that is characteristic of a particular plant. High-quality soil will help the roots to provide nutrition, aeration and water absorption. Bromeliads require fast-draining soil, succulents grow best on porous sandy soils.
Additional information! For orchids, pine bark is used as a soil substrate. In their natural environment, they grow on tree trunks. Do not use the same substrate for all orchids, because not all orchids grow in the same conditions.
Location
The correct location of the plant depends mainly on sunlight. But different plants require different amounts of light. Most need diffused, not direct light, with the exception of cacti and other succulents. Shade-loving indoor plants survive and thrive indoors in low light. They can grow on the northern and eastern windows.
- Sansevieria, potos and philodendron shade-tolerant,
- Dracaena is suitable for partial shading.
- Ficus, yucca prefer lighter places.
- Ferns, spathiphyllum need less light.
- Indoor flowering plants: anthurium, geranium, violet adapt to any home conditions.
Important! Do not try to grow a sun-loving plant in a dark room, and put shade lovers under direct sunlight. If the flower does not receive enough light, its leaves turn yellow, and the stems are abnormally elongated. The plant experiences stress and loses vitality.
Tair moisture
The right temperature is an important condition for indoor plants. Most indoor plants feel great at air temperatures from 18 ° C to 25 ° C during the day, and about 10 degrees lower at night. Sudden changes are harmful to home plants. For this reason, they are not placed near sources of heat or cold
Watering indoor plants
Irrigation is a very important issue in care. Each species has its own needs, and they need fresh water at regular intervals.
If the indoor air is drier than usual, the plant will need more moisture. Indoor plants are usually watered at the root. Many plants, such as orchids, need periodic soaking.
Pay attention to their needs in winter. If the plants are in cool rooms in winter, it is advisable to reduce watering. Plants will hibernate and need much less water.
Pay attention! The main cause of death of any plant is excessive watering. Most indoor plants are better off being slightly dry than wet through. You should worry more about overflow than about insufficient watering.
The earth in the pot should be moist, but not wet. If the plant is watered too much, waterlogging occurs and the plant rots. Before starting watering, check the presence of water in the ground. The soil should be dry by about 5 cm at the bottom, not just on the surface. Carefully watered, allowing water to drain from the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot, but do not leave the pot in a saucer with water.
Aerial roots of plants grow in the aboveground part. Aerial plants absorb water and oxygen from the air, and therefore need regular spraying from a spray gun.
For other indoor plants, condensation, if it stays on the leaves for a long time, can be harmful.
When to apply fertilizers
Unpretentious indoor plants, from time to time, need fertilizer. This adds new nutrients to the substrate. For thicker and faster growth, the right amount of nutrients is needed. Fertilizers are regularly applied during the active growing season. As a rule, they are fertilized once a month when the plants are growing or blooming. During the winter months, they are usually dormant. It is permissible to reduce or suspend the feeding regime.
Various types of fertilizers are available:
- long-acting provide the plant with important nutrients for 3 months;
- liquid fertilizer is added to the water for irrigation;
- fertilizer tablets are added directly to the substrate, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Fertilizers mainly consist of three main trace elements: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Inorganic liquid fertilizers are easy to over-fertilize indoor plants. Therefore, carefully read the instructions, and, if necessary, reduce their number.
Pruning shoots
Without pruning, home plants will not be thick and healthy. If they are stretched out, they are periodically cut off. This will help stimulate new growth, and will lead to thicker and fuller plants.
Pruning is carried out during the growing season (from early spring to late summer). In winter, plants show minimal growth or do not grow at all. The end of winter is also the time for pruning to encourage new growth.
Transplanting home flowers
Transplanting helps the plant grow and strengthen the root system. The pots gradually become small for the plant, or the soil is barren. In the new pot, the roots will have more room for development, the new soil will provide them with nutrients. The plant will grow and develop.
When is the right time for a transplant? Spring is the best time for most plants. Smaller plants should be transplanted every 2-3 years, large ones – every 4-5 years.
The right choice of pot
The development of the root system in plants directly depends on the size of the pot. Too large pots will hinder the growth of the plant, as it focuses on the roots. This also leads to the most common problem – excessive watering, and the roots will not be able to absorb moisture quickly enough.
If the pot is too small, it can damage the roots. There is a slow growth of the stem, leaves and flowers. As soon as the plant outgrows the pot, it is transplanted into a larger container. Choose a pot one size larger than the previous one. When choosing, be sure to take into account the material, size and drainage capacity.
Pests of indoor plants
Adverse conditions such as high temperatures, drought and dry air in winter make indoor plants susceptible to pests.
Their early detection and treatment are crucial. They regularly monitor for the presence of pests on plants, and act as early as possible to make it easier to deal with them.
If you notice pests, rinse the plants with warm water using insecticidal soap, neem oil or any other means for specific pests.
Regularly clean the plants so that the leaves remain clean. They can get very dusty, which can interfere with photosynthesis, as well as attract pests. Wipe the larger leaves with a damp cloth or spray the plants.
Each plant is a separate organism, and it has its own needs. The basic rules for proper care will help to create an environment as close to natural as possible.
