Caring for houseplants is a busy but very rewarding job. The way you care for houseplants affects how they grow and bloom. Houseplants need you to take care of their basic needs. Leave them in deep shade or without water, and they will die. Without nutrients, they will gradually wilt, and almost all varieties need to be kept in a frost-free room. You will learn more about How to Take Care of Indoor Plants by Bubgo's article.
Proper care of houseplants includes providing them with heat, light, water, and nutrients. Some flowers also need extra humidity, fresh air, and protection from the wind when growing and caring for them. There are rules for caring for houseplants that are not important to the plant's life. These are simple procedures such as pruning, shaping, and cleaning to keep the plant in the best condition.
Successful home gardening does not require hard work or great skill. However, you should follow the rules of home plant care. Remember that extremes in watering, nutrition, etc., can kill a plant. Remember that there is a dormant period, usually in the winter, when they need much less water, food, and heat. Remove wilted leaves and wilted flowers, and watch for pests and diseases. Pity the poor outdoor gardener who has to work through the elements, digging holes, hoeing, and mowing the lawn.
Before tending to your indoor flowers, observe them. Take a few minutes every few days to look closely at the leaves, stems, and compost. By touching the compost, you'll know when it needs watering. The appearance of the leaves will tell you that there is a problem with watering, temperature, light, nutrition, or humidity. Some people grow houseplants for years without really looking at them or bothering to understand what the leaves can tell them.
Most houseplants come to us from warmer parts of the world. This has led many people to believe that these plants require higher than normal room temperatures. Few plants can thrive in normal room conditions above 75 °F (24°C).
Almost all houseplants are suitable for 55-75 °F (13-24°C). As far as human comfort is concerned, some grow pretty successfully in slightly cooler rooms. There are exceptions to this general rule of thumb for houseplants - many flowering potted plants require a maximum winter temperature of 59 °F (15 °C), and some heat-loving species require at least 59 °F (15 °C).
Most plants can tolerate temperatures slightly above or below their preferred temperature for short periods. The real enemy is excessive temperature fluctuations. For most plants, nighttime temperature drops of 37-42 °F (3-6 °C) are beneficial, but sudden temperature drops of 50 °F (10 °C) can cause damage or death. It may be necessary to remove pots from window sills during frosty weather.
Cacti and succulents are an exception. Large temperature fluctuations are not a problem because they have adapted to the hot days and cold nights of their desert homeland.
There are two aspects to lighting. The first is duration. Almost all plants need 12-16 hours of sunlight or enough artificial light to maintain active growth. Less light slows down the synthesis of nutrients, which is why the dormant period of deciduous plants is not disturbed by bright but brief winter sunlight.
The second aspect is the intensity of the light regime - different plants have different light requirements relative to duration. Some species grow very well on a sunny windowsill but decline quickly in shady corners; others will grow in light shade but cannot survive in direct sunlight.
When walking from a sunny window to a corner of a room, you will have walked about 100 inches (2.5 meters) into the shade. Walking with your back to the window, you may not notice much of a change, but the light intensity will drop by about 95% in that short distance.
The leaves and stems of plants on the windowsill will lean toward the glass. To prevent lopsided growth, rotate pots from time to time. Make only one small turn at a time. Do not turn pots with flowering plants when they are in budding condition.
If a flowering plant is moved from an area with recommended lighting to a shaded area, it will suffer. The quality and quantity of flowers depend on the timing and intensity of the lighting. Without adequate lighting, foliage can grow beautifully, but the decorative nature of the flowers will inevitably be disappointing.
An ornamental foliage plant can be suddenly moved from its ideal location to a shaded area without negative effects. It will survive but not thrive. Move it back to a sunny spot for about a month or two to allow it to regain its strength.
The plant should not be suddenly moved from a shady spot to a sunny windowsill or outdoor garden. Let it acclimate for a few days and move it to a brighter and brighter spot each day.
Radiators that produce cold air in winter make the room comfortable but reduce the water vapor in the air. The air then becomes "dry," and the relative humidity drops, making it difficult to grow and care for indoor flowers under these conditions.
In general, indoor plants need less warm air and more moist air than you think. Because of central heating in the winter, the air gets the relative humidity of the Sahara desert. Plants rarely grow correctly in these conditions. Many ornamental foliage plants and most flowering plants will suffer if there is not enough humidity around the foliage. You can avoid this problem by finding a humid place for your plants, such as in your kitchen or bathroom.
You can use a humidifier to increase the relative humidity throughout the room. However, it is more common to use methods that create a moist microclimate around your plants while the atmosphere in the rest of the room remains as dry as before.
There are three basic ways to increase humidity around plants. They are described on this page. These methods may not be sufficient for plants from the bush to keep them alive in a centrally heated room.
These types of plants take advantage of the moist atmosphere of a garden under glass. A useful way to keep phalaenopsis orchids in bloom for months is to use an orchid box. Place a 2 inch (5 cm) layer of expanded clay in the bottom of a regular glass tank and place the pot on top. Water to cover the bottom half of the expanded clay layer - do not cover the layer completely. Ensure the water level at the bottom of the orchid box is kept about halfway up the expanded clay layer.
Spray with warm water in the morning to allow the leaves to dry before dark. Do not spray in bright sunlight. Spraying gives more than a temporary increase in humidity. It cools down in the hot sun, inhibits the spread of red spider mites, and reduces dust deposition on the leaves.
Plants grown in bonsai groups and indoor gardens have higher humidity around their leaves. The best way to increase humidity is to use pebble trays. Ensure there is enough space between plants to avoid the effects of gray rot.
You can choose and buy watering cans at the online store of gardening tools bubgo.com. We have a wide range of gardening supplies as well as watering cans that come in high quality.
When planting houseplants, it is best to buy a double pot. This will ensure that the soil stays moist for the plants to grow well. However, this advice does not apply to cacti as they do not require constant moisture.
Place the pots in an exterior waterproof container and fill the spaces between them with moist compost. Keep this material completely and constantly moist so that water always evaporates from its surface, increasing the relative humidity.
To keep your houseplants supplied with nutrients, you need to ensure enough nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with trace elements in the soil.
In the garden, you usually use fertilizer to replenish the nutrients in the soil, but even without it, plants can continue to use the nutrients in the soil by spreading new roots. Indoors, the situation is quite different. Compost in pots contains a limited amount of nutrients and is constantly consumed by the plant's root system, which leaches out through the drainage holes. You should feed your plants regularly once the nutrients are depleted during active growth. Cacti can survive for a long time without nutrients, but vigorous ornamental and flowering plants can be seriously affected if they are not fed.
Compost contains enough nutrients to last for about 2 months after transplanting. After this time, vegetative plants need to be fertilized. Regular fertilization is needed during the growing and flowering seasons - from spring to fall for ornamentals and most flowering plants, and winter for winter-flowering species. During the dormant season, feeding should be reduced.
Fertilizers for houseplants are almost always complex, containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. There are general-purpose fertilizers, but special products are also cacti, citrus, and ferns. Orchids are best fed with products specifically recommended for them.
The question of which fertilizers for indoor flowers can be obtained from professional growers. In general, all fertilizers consist of three basic components: potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. In addition, all houseplant fertilizers contain trace elements. However, you should be aware that each plant requires a different percentage of these elements. Therefore, make sure that you read the instructions carefully when purchasing a plant fertilizer and consider whether the fertilizer is suitable for your plants.
There are slow-acting fertilizers for houseplants that come in granular and pellet form. They are placed on a surface or buried in a compost pile and slowly release their nutrients over a period of time. This is convenient, but fertilizer feeding cannot be adjusted to the season and is not evenly distributed in the compost. These problems do not occur with liquid fertilizers.
It is widely accepted that the most effective way to fertilize potted plants is with liquid fertilizers. Watering and feeding are done in a single operation - the recommended amount of fertilizer is added to the water and applied at the time of watering. This type of fertilizer for houseplants avoids overfeeding and allows you to reduce or eliminate the amount of fertilizer if necessary. To know the right fertilizer for your houseplants, read the instructions carefully and follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
The drip bottle is an automatic fertilizer applicator that has emerged in recent years. To fertilize home flowers with this method, you must insert a plastic bottle with diluted fertilizer through the neck into the compost pile. It is original, but it can look ugly in the composition, and, like the tablets, the nutrients are unevenly distributed in the pot.
Dust destroys the appearance of the leaves and clogs their pores. It forms a screen that reduces light exposure and, in some industrial areas, it is likely to contain chemicals that damage plants. Therefore, when the dust becomes visible on the leaves, it must be removed. Leaves are usually washed with clean water using a syringe or sponge. Wash the plant early in the day to dry it before it gets dark. If the leaves are dirty, you should wipe them gently with a soft cloth before washing them. If you don't do this, you will be left with streaks that are difficult to wash after the water dries. Remember to support the leaves with your hands while washing. It is best to use a sponge for tender leaves rather than a sponge. Cacti, succulents, and plants with hairy leaves do not need to be sprayed or washed - use a soft brush to remove the dust.
Even clean foliage can look dull with age. Many substances are suitable for wiping the leaves of houseplants but choose carefully. Olive oil will give you a shiny surface, but it will also collect dust.
It is best to buy products designed specifically for plants. Aerosols are easy to use and most convenient. To use liquid preparations, gently rub the leaves with the soaking liquid. Ready-made polishing clothes are popular.
Young leaves should not be polished, nor should the surface of the leaves be compressed. Read the label before use - it will list the plants that should not be treated.
Pruning houseplants is not as complicated as it may seem at first. Remove the growing points of the stems by pruning. This is done with the thumb and forefinger or with scissors. Pruning is the removal of excess growth. Use pruning shears or scissors. Pruning removes dead leaves, damaged parts, and wilted flowers.
Pruning is used to induce branching in shrubby and impetiginous plants such as curly cypress, clover, and bayberry. Pruning is used for some curly plants to produce the opposite effect. Please select one or more main branches and shape them according to the design requirements; weak side branches are gently cut off from the main stem.
The appearance of many plants will deteriorate quickly if they are not pruned and cleaned regularly. Prune houseplants such as vines, ivy, and climbing phalaenopsis in the spring. When doing so, remove stems with unusually small and pale leaves. Always cut off branches that are too long and old leafless stems. Removing wilted flowers can extend the blooming period of many species.
Before pruning indoor flowers, have sharp scissors ready. Prune flowering plants carefully, there are no general rules for them. Some plants, such as violets, geraniums, and hydrangeas, bloom in their new growing environment. Others bloom on the shoots of the previous year.
When caring for houseplants, shaping plays a decisive role in ensuring that the flower stems are as decorative as possible. This is certainly a necessity for climbing plants. It is also necessary for houseplants with long, weak stems (e.g., hairy trees), heavy inflorescences (e.g., hydrangeas), and brittle stems (e.g., balsam fir trees).
Don't tie the plant to a peg - use a frame with three or four sticks instead. The stakes should reach the bottom of the pot.
As you can see from the photos, many other bonsai stands are used when caring for indoor flowers. For example, trellis, moss sticks, and wire hoops. There are also structures made of wire or wood for vines that can be placed outside the pot.
Do not tie the stems very close to the stand. Tie up the new growth while it is not too long and bends well. The attached vine must be tied frequently, or the tendrils will bind the stems together.
All the gardening supplies you need for the best and most durable garden can be purchased at the online store of bubgo.com.
