If your plants are regularly dying at your hands, then this article might be of help to you. These 6 tips will turn you into a real professional for healthy indoor plants!
1. Proper watering is the be-all and end-all
In order for your plants to be really healthy, you should create a watering schedule. Yes, you heard that right: a timetable for watering your plants, because most plants are not cacti, which can be surprised with a flood every 3 weeks and then prove to be grateful. Most of our beloved houseplants are real divas. They like to be watered often, but not too often. So find out exactly what water supply is right for your plant. Too much water can build up in the substrate and cause the root system to rot, which is not at all good for your plant. Also be careful with the quality of the water, because unlike your digestive system, the plant cannot simply get rid of certain substances. For example, if the water is very calcareous, the lime it contains can affect the absorption of other substances in the substrate. Due to the bottom, which is limited by the walls of the pot, certain substances cannot be washed out but are retained.
2. Cold? No thank you!
What houseplants hate? That's right, if there's a draft in the room and if you have cold feet. Means more precisely: Plants do not like to stand on cold tiles, on window sills with hot and dry heating air or in nooks and crannies where there is a draft. Choose the most comfortable place in your home for your plant, as if it were your grandmother, because that is exactly how your plants want to be treated: with the utmost care and courtesy. It helps against the dry heating air if you dust the plants with a little water from time to time.
3. Dust allergy
Plants not only need their leaves to carry out photosynthesis, they also need their leaves to breathe and sweat. They have so-called stomata on their leaves, small openings through which they can absorb and release substances. If there is too much dust on the leaves of your plant, then it can no longer do exactly that. So if you notice that your plant's leaves are looking suspiciously cloudy, then it's time to dust them off again.
4. Sunbathers
The plant lets the leaves droop, the leaves appear faded, they are slowly turning brown - an absolute worst-case scenario for every plant lover. Fertilizer is quickly bought, the plant is watered more, but nothing seems to help. In the end, it could be the simple lack of light that your houseplant is suffering from. Most plants, especially indoor plants, come from areas of the world where it is warm most of the year and where the sun's rays are much more intense than in Central Europe. So don't be shy, give your plant a place in the sun! They really like it on the windows of your apartment. But beware: If your plant originally comes from the rain forests of this earth, then it will not be happy about direct sunlight, but prefers a shady spot.
5. You are what you eat - proper plant nutrition
Make sure you choose the right substrate for your plants, it should be high quality and provide your plants with the right amount of nutrients without overfeeding them. After repotting, you should wait about 4 weeks before the first fertilization, because ready-made soil substrates usually contain a sufficient supply of nutrients for that long. After that, liquid fertilizers provide the best effect, because they work immediately. You can use our FARBIO® Nitrogen Bio-Boost foliar fertilizer in addition to an NPK fertilizer to support the growth of your plants.
6. Pest Control
Oh yes, a very unpopular topic: plant pests on houseplants. Who does not know them, the annoying flies that suddenly settle on the soil of your houseplant and seem to multiply every second. Many pathogens, including pests, can have entered your home through the plant itself with the substrate. Others develop over time due to the climate in your home, such as fungi. Sometimes it helps to repot the plant and change the substrate. In other cases, the pests have to be combated in a targeted manner. There are now some sustainable and biological pesticides as an alternative to pesticides, insecticides or herbicides. For example, the use of so-called antagonists, insects that are predators of the harmful insects. If you get stuck yourself, it is best to contact an expert, otherwise you will hardly be able to save your plant.
