Indoor plants have a myriad of uses in addition to brightening up a room; they have been known to purify the air and can even have a mood-boosting effect. However, cultivating your own plant collection is not necessarily easy. Different plants need different levels of care, and this can pose a challenge, especially to beginners.
*Collaborative Post
This is why we have put together a list of the most common FAQs; keep reading to find out more.
How Should I Plant My Indoor Plants?
Typically, when you purchase an indoor plant, it will already come in some form of container. Although, sometimes, you might need to buy a decorative pot for it that is more in keeping with your home design aesthetic. Some indoor plants will outgrow their initial pot and need replanting. The specific replanting process will depend on the plant, most of the time, you will need to make sure you have the right potting mix, and it is simply a case of swapping over the plant. Some will need drainage solutions, but others won’t.
How Much Light Does an Indoor Plant Need?
This depends on the plant. As a general rule, most plants with foliage will need around eight hours of sunlight every day. Whereas cacti and succulents need continual daylight all day every day and therefore should be placed on a windowsill. Some plants will come with guidance, displaying whether they need direct sunlight, indirect sunlight or low light. The plant can then be placed in the home accordingly. Some stores like The Stem, which has a range of houseplants to shop online, have a filter tool to list plants by their light needs to make it easier for you to find the right one.
What Indoor Plants Are Beginner Friendly?
There are several plants which are considered beginner-friendly. This can be for different reasons, either because they are hardy or pretty difficult to kill despite your ineptitude; they might not need watering that regularly, and there are even plants that need less intervention than that. Succulents and cactuses are popular beginner plants. Ferns are pretty hardy. Lucky bamboo actually lives in a vase of water like flowers do, the water might need topping up occasionally, but that is it.
How Do You Look After Indoor Plants?
Again, the care needs will vary by plant, but there are a few general tips which are widely applicable. Most indoor plants will need moist soil; they will also need drainage, either in holes at the bottom or a thick layer of stones underneath the soil if drainage holes aren’t possible. Cater to your plant’s light needs. Indoor plants need little pruning, but you should remove dead leaves and stems. Again, most plants come with care tips. If not, you should research the plant to develop a more comprehensive care plan.
What Mistakes do Beginners Make?
Unfortunately, keeping indoor plants is a learning curve, and as such, you are likely to kill off a plant or two before you get the hang of it. That being said, if you know more about the common mistakes, you can try to avoid them. The biggest mistake that beginners make is overwatering their plants which is just as bad for them as underwatering. The best thing to do is to put your finger into the soil if it feels dry water it, unless, of course, it is a succulent or a cactus, in which case, even if they are dry, you shouldn’t deviate from your watering schedule. Another common mistake is placing your plants in the wrong place. Too much light on a plant that prefers indirect light can scorch the leaves and damage the plant and vice versa.
Can Indoor Plants Boost Your Mood?
It is widely accepted that plants can improve your mood. Although the reasons behind this are not known conclusively, it could have to do with their air-purifying properties or the fact that they are alive; it could even be evolutionary. Nevertheless, there is a lot of evidence to support the restorative effect of nature, and houseplants allow you to bring a little bit of nature inside.
Are They Expensive?
This depends entirely on the plant and where you get them. There are some rarer forms of indoor plants which tend to be more expensive because they are scarcer. Most of the time, the bigger the plant, the more expensive it is because a lot of work has already been done to get the plant to that stage. Buying an indoor plant in its infancy is often cheaper. Common plants also tend to be pretty affordable, which as a beginner works out great since you can try your hand at the more common indoor plants that are easier to care for than the rarer species, which tend to be more difficult to look after.
Do Indoor Plants Get Bugs?
A lot of people think that indoor plants are impervious to bugs and pests because they live in the house, but this isn’t the case. Indoor plants can get bugs, and if yours do, they need dealing with. Luckily, you can deal with bugs. You will need to get an indoor plant-compatible insecticide. They usually come in a spray bottle. Follow the instructions on the bottle. Usually, this will mean spraying the plant at regular intervals until the infestation clears up. You should also quarantine the plant immediately to avoid the infestations spreading to your other houseplants.
How Can You Tell When the Plants Need Watering?
As mentioned above, one of the most common mistakes when caring for indoor plants is over or underwatering them. You need to know how to ascertain when your plant needs watering. There are several methods that you can try. Firstly, you can probe the soil either with your finger or a dowl or a soil prove to see how dry the soil is underneath the surface. You can also try simply lifting the plant; if the plant is heavy, then it is likely still saturated with water. If it is light, then it is dry and will need watering. The look of the plant itself can also tell you if it needs watering. If the plant is wilting or withering or if the leaves are browning around the edges, yellowing or if they feel dry, then this also indicates that they will need watering. Finally, there are a number of tools like a moisture meter that you could try out.
To Sum Up
Indoor plants are a great addition to any home or workplace, and maybe you could suggest to your own workplace to look into plant rentals, there are many companies around the world that offer plant rental sydney, as one suggestion. They have several physical and psychological benefits. They can purify the air, help to boost your mood, and even increase your productivity. That being said, caring for your houseplants can pose a challenge, especially for beginners. Take on board the tips above to help you to come up with the best care plan for your plants. You should also take into account any care guidelines on the plants themselves. Finally, conducting your own research can help to round out your knowledge of the plants that you have. Remember when feeding or repotting your plants to purchase plant-specific potting mix and plant food to make sure that your plants are getting all the nutrients that they need.