Tuesday, May 18, 2010

What is the best way to care for house plants?

Yes they are watered!! Anyone have good tips on keeping them healthy?

What is the best way to care for house plants?
As a life long plant lover, I have many answers to this question.


The simple answer is: there is no simple answer. A few pointers.


1.light loving plants close to a south or west facing window.


2.shade lovers can thrive with just 10 hours of ambient light (over head bulbs).no direct sun!!!


3.don't over water, allow plants to wilt a little bit if you aren't sure when to water.


4.when you do water them, be sure to water them thoroughly and dump any water left in the saucer after an hour.


5.remember to turn window plants 1/4 turn once or twice a week.


6.most potting soils are nutrient poor, so add some half strength liquid fertilizer every 30 to 60 days.


7.pot them up. if you can't easily push your finger an inch into the edge of soil line in your pot, the plant is likely root bound and needs a bigger pot. increase 1 or 2 inches in height and circumference. remember bigger pots take more water, and dry more slowly.
Reply:what I do with mine is to carefully follow the instructions fdon the little tags that they come with and honestly I talk to mine. Plus when their roots get too long I trim them and put them back in the pot along with the dirt. You can also wipe down particular leaves with mild dishwashing liquid and water, but not a great deal of dishwashing liquid. Also, put them in filtered sunlight if they can't stand a great deal of light and allow the sun to get to them through a glass paned window. Rotate the plants if they tend to lean toward the light and pluck off any dead dry leaves. When you trim the roots, make sure you leave some to grow back into the pot or you can start a new bigger pot for the plant.
Reply:Make sure you follow the growing instructions on the tags...don't put them in a real bright window if they call for low sunlight, etc.


Also make sure you feed them a little bit of miracle gro now and then...and don't water them too much. If you water them too much you can rot the roots. Usually a couple of times a week is plenty.


Also, make sure the pots are big enough for them, and when they grow bigger, repot them in a bigger pot. A good rule of thumb is a pot that is about twice as wide as the plant's roots. Most plants die because they're rootbound.


And when you see dead leaves on your plant, make sure you prune them off.
Reply:Lots of sun.


No comments:

Post a Comment