So if you’ve been following me for awhile you know I love plants, I have them all over my house. All of the plants I have are real! Because my cat stays away from them I have some pretty cool ones too. I’ve learned so much about plants since I first began collecting them so I wanted to share some useful tips. I always get comments on my Instagram to do a blog on how to keep them alive so this will have some tips for that as well. Plants are basically like having a child, some are very needy, some aren’t, some require lots and lots of care and some like to be “independent”
Before You Buy
Figure out a spot in your home where you’d like to keep a plant or plants. Figure out the lighting in your home (This is crucial) Consider how much time you’ll have for plant maintenance. That’ll basically decide for you how many to get. For starters grab one or two. Pick out a plant or two that’s best for YOU. Don’t go based on looks to begin with. Get your feet dirty first and understand them.
Know Your Plant.
Once you pick up your first baby or babies, study them, research, figure out what they like, how often they like to be watered, how much light they need, how much humidity, fertilizer, etc. This will help so much and come in handy when you bring other babies in the house.
Planter
Having good drainage is critical for houseplants. Make sure your planter has a drainage hole or keep the plant in their nursery pot for awhile and place in a pot. I don’t recommend terra cotta when starting as it really sucks the water out fast. So you’ll have to water more often. However they're perfect for succulents when you start getting into them!
Watering
Watering is huge. Overwatering is one of the most common houseplant killers. Most plants like to dry out before getting more water. Some like to be moist all the time. Water slowly and thoroughly. Most of my plants like filtered water. I’ve even heard of some that enjoy fish tank water (not dirty of course) or even rain water. I personally use lots of rainwater for my plants because of living in the PNW and having a ton of it available!
Plant Maintenance
Clean leaves (they have shiners at home depot, lowes, basically anywhere that carries plants) This will help the plant to get even growth all around and keep the leaves nice and pretty. Looking brand new with some new babies on it!
Less is More
Too much attention usually kills houseplants (unless it’s a croton, they're drama queens) Avoid too much water, too much light, (they can burn) too much fertilizer and too much moving around. Once you have a place for them, try not to move them. They don’t like to be moved.
Don’t Give Up
Remember, everyone has to start somewhere and any plant owner has likely killed a plant or two. It takes a lot of time and a lot of patience to get to know plants and what each one likes, doesn’t like. Don’t be discouraged!
I've created some free plant care printables for you to help you take care of your new babies! Just click on the photo below once you've made an account and it will bring you to the printables page!
