Top Tips to Keeping New Houseplants Alive and Thriving
Sometimes you end up with a houseplant as a gift or pick one up from the local nursery or grocery store. This plant may not have accurate information on the tag, and some may not even tell you what the plant is. In this article, you will learn five tips for keeping your new houseplants healthy and thriving.
What Type of Plant Is It?
The first thing you need to do is find out what it is you bought. Likely, you’ll have a card or tag that says “assorted foliage.” You need to find out the name of your houseplant before you can find out how to care for it.
Try searching the plant’s description online. You can always try a plant identification app if you aren’t finding any relevant results. Some apps will even give you specific care instructions, so keep that in mind! You might consider going to social media for answers if all else fails.
Get To Know the Proper Care
Once you know what type of plant you have, it’s time for care. Your plant will need to be re-potted sooner than later. Plants have been growing in the same medium for their entire life. Refreshing the growing medium can help your plant thrive. Figure out how to tell if your specific plant needs to be re-potted. If it doesn’t, consider giving it a liquid fertilizer every couple of months to replenish the soil.
If your plant does need to be re-potted, you should do some pest control in the process. Using a pest deterring soil additive is a great option. These additives will prevent pests that attack foliage and roots.
Check For Pests
While soil additives are great in prevention, they won’t help you with a current infestation. Check the plant thoroughly. There are three super common houseplant pests. The first is mealy bugs. They show up as a kind of chalky white or powdery white on the plant, typically at the leaf joints.
The second is spider mites. These are tiny mites that spin webs much like spiders. If spider mites are present, you can usually see a webbing mass on the leaf’s underside. Lastly aphids. Aphids come in various sizes and colors but are most detectable by sheer numbers. If your plant has a lot of bugs, it’s probably aphids.
Pest Solutions
Luckily, there is a solution to all three of these pests. Spray off the plant with water. You can use your shower to do this if you don’t have access to a hose. Make sure to get the underside of the leaves. Once the plant is dry, make a spray from 1/4 teaspoon neem oil, 32oz water, and two drops of dish soap. Spray this on the leaves.
Neem oil spray can also be used as a pest deterrent. It is recommended to spray down plants once every two weeks. It’s easier to keep up with this spraying than to manage a pest problem that has spread to multiple plants.
How and When to Water
Lastly, check the recommended watering schedule for your specific plant. Consider your climate. Is it hot and dry, or hot and humid? This will make a difference in your unique situation. Set a reminder on your smart devices to remind you to water. You must adjust the schedule if the soil isn’t drying out between watering.
If you follow these houseplant tips and tricks, you will be much more successful in keeping your houseplants alive. Remember that everyone’s home conditions are different, and what might work for someone else may not work for you. Be wary of following any hard and fast advice regarding houseplant watering and feeding schedules and instead observe and adjust your plan.
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