These houseplant care mistakes are the fastest way to kill your plants, according to experts.
Jacob Fox
Houseplants calm your soul,lift your mood, and bring color and life to your home.
That is, until you make a few common houseplant care mistakes and struggle to keep them alive.
Credit:Jacob Fox
Justin Hancockis a horticulturist and brand marketing manager withCosta Farms, a family-run houseplant grower based in Florida.
So essentially, people give their plants too much love, he says.
We mean well, watering our plants every time we walk by them.
But the truth is most houseplants need less water than we realize.
The easiest way to do this is to stick your finger in the soil.
Botanic Gardenin Washington D.C.
If its really, really heavy, your plant is probably too wet.
Set up a watering schedule and stick to it, Greene adds.
Dont water on whim.
Sticking to a schedule is key to giving your plants the right amount of water.
Think about the light you have before you bring the plant into your house, OGwin says.
Once you get the plant in there, you cannot move the sun.
Pick the right plant for your space, Greene says.
Then pick a plant that works in that light.
North-facing windows generally wont get any direct light, while western-facing windows will get steady,indirect lightall day.
Butmany fertilizers are salts, which can burn the plants roots.
Less is more when it comes to fertilizing houseplants.
Most houseplants are tropicals that grow more slowly indoors than they would in their natural environment.
Always follow package directions for the quantity to use.
Were looking at you,peace lily.
The truth is that while these plants will tolerate being rootbound, they dont prefer it.
That’s because a rootbound plant is basically a starving plant.
Very little soil space means very little nutrition or access to water.
How do you know when aplant needs to be repottedin a larger container?
Mistake 5: Incorrect Potting Mix
The wrong potting mix cancause your plant to struggle.
Hancock says to beware of coarse potting mixes with lots of bark chips and perlite.
These chunky potting mixes are really popular with tropical plant enthusiasts right now, he says.
The problem is that a home environment is a world apart from a tropical plants native home.
You will need to water a plant a lot more if its in a chunky mix.
As long as you water properly, youll be fine," he adds.
Before you bring a plant home, be honest about how much attention you want to give your plants.
Plants are supposed to make you happy, not stress you out, she says.
