Indoor Gardening: Basic Household Plant Maintenance

Indoor plants have specific requirements for care but when it comes to basic household plant maintenance, certain general rules apply to all plants. They all need moisture, require pruning and fertilization as well as need sufficient sunlight and proper drainage for optimum growth. Therefore, all the aforementioned factors play key roles in developing a routine schedule when caring for your plants.

Watering Plants

Water plants with water that is room temperature because cold water can cause trauma for some plants. Water plants at the bottom as well as at the top. Watering from the top is important so the soil doesn’t form a crust which can cut off air to the roots. Just make sure that you maintain the soil so it’s moist and not soggy. Use the dampness of the soil as a guide to determine watering frequency.

Pruning and Fertilization

In order to encourage compact growth and maintain the spacing of plants, pruning is essential. By pruning your plants too, you can propagate new ones. Plant any cuttings you save in a medium of one-half peat moss and one-half sand if you want them to root. With respect to fertilization, it’s best to fertilize plants in the spring and summer or when they’re in their growing stage. In the winter months, plants typically go into a resting phase so fertilization is generally not needed. A balanced mix of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, or 20-20-20, is recommended when you do fertilize. Flowering plants should be fertilized with a higher concentration of phosphorous or a 15-30-15 mix. Just make sure you don’t overfertilize. A white film on the soil and fertilizer burn are  tell-tale signs of overfertilization. By following label instructions and fertilizing about every two months, these problems can be avoided.

Misting and Cleaning

Most plants do well in moisture-rich environments. Therefore, misting your plants when you water them is important to overall basic household plant maintenance. Just make sure that you mist your plants when the humidity is relatively low and choose to do it in the part of the day when the plants are not exposed to the sun’s direct rays. Clean or dust the plants’ leaves once a month to wipe away dulling residues. Use a soft, damp cloth, or in the case of plants with hairy leaves, a cosmetic brush.

Drainage

Make sure when caring for your plants that they are in containers that offer proper drainage. Placing your plants and plantings in pots and trays over sand will also provide a surface for the plants so moisture can easily drain and evaporate.

Lighting

In order for plants to prosper, especially indoors, it’s important to supply them with enough light. However, too much light is not good for your plants just as not enough light will stymie their growth. Therefore, you need to give your plants the adequate amount of light in order to nourish them so they can grow and blossom. Set them in a window where they will receive partial sunlight or, ideally, in a recess where the sun streams in but is buffeted, in part, by the shading of trees.

The above information should help you keep your indoor garden green so you can enjoy a bit of nature throughout the year as well as appreciate its beauty.