5 tips for keeping your houseplants healthy

Did you know that filling your home with houseplants is scientifically proven to be a serotonin booster We all know about the benefits of spending time in nature and how it helps to alleviate stress, depression and anxiety. Well, surrounding yourself with houseplants triggers a similar response on an admittedly smaller scale. But it’s all serotonin, and I’ll take it where I can get it!

So, whether you’re planning on introducing your first houseplant into your home or you’re wondering why you just can’t seem to keep them alive, this guide is for you. To help you keep that serotonin supply running, I have pulled together five tips to keep your houseplants healthy so that you can enjoy happy and thriving greenery.

1. Bring home a healthy plant

This first tip might save you a lot of undue stress and work, and that is to ensure the plants you’re bringing home are healthy. Although I understand it’s tempting to want to bring home one of the saddest-looking plants on the shelf, not every houseplant needs to be a project. Some are simply more trouble than they are worth.

It can take time to develop an eye for what is a genuinely healthy plant and what is not. In the meantime, focus on differentiating between mechanical and biological damage.

A good starting point is to research the plant you’re planning on buying and make sure you understand how it should look and feel when healthy. Mechanical damage might look like a crushed leaf or bent stem, which you can fix with pruning and care. However, biological damage like spreading fungus is the kind of plant that you should avoid bringing home.

Look out for the way any damage spreads over your plant. If it looks pretty even across a leaf, then this may just be humidity damage which you can fix. However, uneven damage to a leaf is a sign of spreading fungi.

If the plant you want to bring home has healthy leaves or even new buds or stems beginning to flourish, this is a good sign that the plant has plenty of life left in it and, when given the proper care, can thrive.

2. Stock up on plant supplies

When buying a plant, especially if it’s a spontaneous buy, you should always stock up on the necessary supplies you will need. Usually, anywhere you can buy a houseplant will also sell the products you need to keep the plant alive and healthy.

So, what better time to buy your supplies than when choosing your new houseplant? This ensures you have everything you need from the get-go, rather than realising a week later that you don’t have the necessary products your plant is in desperate need of.

This is especially important to remember when it comes to houseplants. A plant in your garden’s soil will largely take care of itself as it will position itself towards the sun and grow its roots in search of nutrients. But when keeping a houseplant, its pot becomes its entire universe, so you are the master of that universe. Ensuring you have fertiliser, plant food, and care products is key to keeping your mini-universe balanced.

3. Pot correctly and re-pot again

A large part of keeping your plants healthy is ensuring that you’re planting them in the right pot, and not just once!

If you keep houseplants for the aesthetic, you might have a collection of gorgeous decorative plant pots that you can’t wait to fill. This is perfectly fine as long as you refrain from potting your plants directly into the decorative pot. Instead, place your plant intact in its growing pot inside your larger decorative pot. I recommend allowing a couple of inches of space in your larger pot for growth and proper drainage from your growing pot’s drainage holes.

You also need to know when it is time to repot your plant. Telltale signs to look out for include: new leaves growing smaller than previous leaves, soil drying out quickly, and roots circling the pot or growing out through the drainage holes.

4. Throw your schedule out of the window

Anyone who has told you that plants require a lot of attention is right. It is no wonder so many people refer to themselves as plant parents because they’re needy and don’t always know what they want.

You might think you’re on the ball and may even have plenty of alarms and reminders to water your plants. But this could do more harm than good, so I recommend you throw your watering schedule out of the window!

You should avoid counting time between watering and trying to keep timings rigid; this could cause you to overwater your plants, leading to root rot and other issues. Instead, simply listen to your plant; it will tell you exactly what it needs.

Soil that is bone dry and dusty is ready for a drink, whereas soil that is wet and even smelly can be the first signs of root rot, in which case it’s time to take action. Try to check your soil every time you pass the plant to develop a schedule that isn’t quite too time-dependent and rigid.

5. Dust your plants

Finally, don’t forget to dust your plants regularly! Just think about all the dust accumulated across your window ledges, bookshelves and other furniture. Some of those particles also land on our houseplants.

Removing dust from your plants will give them a brighter and healthier appearance while ensuring they can soak up more light.

Just be sure to use the most appropriate dusting method for your plant type. Plants with smooth leaves will fair best with a gentle wipe over with a dusting cloth, whereas you can use a soft brush for hairy plant leaves.

Now you’re ready to fill your home with houseplants and enjoy a space teaming with nature and life! By following these simple steps, you will be well on your way to calling yourself the plant whisperer in no time.