Plant Delivery Online: Tips to Help You Keep Your Houseplants Healthy

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Plants are very great additions to any home. There are several benefits you stand to gain when you add a houseplant to your home.

Aside from helping your home look beautiful and stylish, they can also be quite beneficial to your health. According to NASA, some houseplants act as air purifiers, by removing toxins that pollute the air in the home. You can click this: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930073077 to learn more about this.

Seeing how beneficial Buy plants online are to the home, it is little wonder that we crave them in our home. If you are new to it all, then we bet one of the concerns you have is whether or not you would be able to care for them.

Trust us, being a plant parent can be a chore sometimes, but with the right tips, you will find yourself scaling through the hurdles. In this read, we will be discussing some tips that when followed will ensure your houseplant thrives as long as you have it.

1. Water the Plant Appropriately

Watering requirements vary from one plant to the other. Sometimes, the factors that influence how much watering your plant needs are its growth and the seasons.

Watering your houseplant as the needs arise is better than setting a schedule. Generally, if your plant is being grown in a container that is size appropriate and the soil is well-drained, then you need to water it once an inch or half of the soil appears dry.

Succulents and cacti water requirement is quite lesser than that of flowering plants. Ensure you do not overwater your plant as in most cases this can lead to its death. If you aren’t sure of the quantity of water it needs, it being less dry is often better than it being too wet.

2. Fertilize It Periodically

Just like with watering, knowing how much fertilizer is needed is not quite easy. However, the plant’s age, period of the year and growth rate often influence how much fertilizer is needed.

Most houseplants tend to grow fast during the summer and spring; hence, fertilizing them during this period is usually the best. You do not need to fertilize your plantsas much (if at all) during winter and fall where the days are shorter.

If you got your plant from an online plant store, then you may not need to fertilize it for a while as it most likely has been fertilized a lot when it was in the greenhouse. However, check the label to find out the requirement for fertilizing the houseplant before you do anything.

Also, just like with watering, try not to over-fertilize your plant. When plants are over-fertilized, their roots may burn out and their growth may get stunted.

If you have a flowering plant, then you want to use fertilizers that have potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen in relatively equal quantities. The plant’s leaves may grow out a lot but would have fewer flowers if nitrogen quantity is high.

3. Propagate If Needed

Some houseplants tend to benefit a lot from propagation occasionally. If your plant is overgrown, it can help to rejuvenate it and spurt fresh growth.

Also, you get to get other plants from the one you have already without having to spend money. Some houseplants like bromeliads usually bring out new base shoots (offsets). You can separate this and pot the offset in a new pot.

Climbing plants like pothos and philodendron grow new roots from time to time. These new roots can be cut to start a new plant.

4. Clean off the Dust

The leaves of your plant may collect dust occasionally. Cleaning the dust off is a good way to ensure your baby keeps looking good.

You can use water at room temperature to wash off the dust on the leaves when needed. Just ensure you shower the water on it gently. If its leaves are hairy, then it may collect moisture and this may result in disease. In this case, using water will be counterproductive. So, instead make use of a brush, just ensure the brush is soft enough.

If the leaves are smooth, then a cloth can be used to wipe the dust away as gently as possible. Dusting the leaves does not just keep plants looking clean, but it also ensures they absorb more light.

5. Remove Deadhead Flowers and Dying Leaves

Trimming off faded flowers will encourage the plant’s growth while preventing diseases. Look out for brown, withered, and yellow leaves and remove them. Sharp scissors or a hand pruner with narrow blades should do a great job of cutting off the leaves without affecting the stem.

If you are dealing with more than one plant, then you need to use rubbing alcohol to wipe your pruners clean before going to the next one. This will prevent the spread of diseases and pests.

6. Repot itif it is overgrown

You need to repot your plant once it has overgrown the current pot. If you aren’t sure whether or not it needs repotting, then you simply need to check its roots. If they are circling in the pot, then you may have to repot it.

You can watch this video if you need some pointers on repotting plants. If it can still stay in the original pot, then you may simply change the soil in the pot and trim off some part of the root.