Indoor plants can increase happiness, productivity, and purify the air in your home. So having one, two, or many in your home comes with tons of benefits! Keeping indoor plants alive might be a challenge, but it can be taught, so we have these 7 tips to help yours thrive.
1. Get to know your plants
It’s easy to buy a plant and find a cute place to put it, but by not knowing anything about it means you’ll have no idea how much sun, water or fertilizer it needs. We’re not asking you to learn the Latin name or its ancient genealogy, but learning its basic needs is an excellent place to start.
2. Strategic Placement
Different plants need different amounts of light: full sun, partial sunlight and shaded, full shade or low light, and bright without direct sun. Partially-shaded plants like Monstera thrive in bright to medium indirect light - not suited for intense, direct sunlight (but can be acclimated to withstand it). Another example is Bromeliads, which can survive on fluorescent light alone, making them perfect for spots far away from a window. Be sure to place your plants by how much sun they need.
3. Start Simple
If you’re just starting out on your indoor plant journey, there’s no need to throw yourself in at the deep end with the most temperamental plants. Start simple. Sansevieria don’t need a lot of water, are not sensitive to temperature changes, and don’t require any additional care. Also, the ZZ plant is almost indestructible, the more you ignore it, the better it does!
4. Watering just right
Sunlight and water are the two most important things to get right. By following tip number one, you should have a good idea of how much water your plant needs. Be warned though, just because your plant may be looking a little sad does not necessarily mean it needs to be watering. So, before you pour, double-check what it needs, and if water isn’t required, keep yourself hydrated instead with the Thermos® JNR-500 Ultra-Light One-Push Tumbler.
5. Create Proper Drainage
It’s possible to drown your plant or rot its roots with too much water. You can prevent this from happening with proper drainage. All you need to do is fill the bottom half of your planter with pebbles. It will cut the weight in half while creating better drainage!
6. Keep pets and kids away
Flowering plants or those with strong scents can be a beacon to your kids and pets. The last thing you want is to enjoy your plant finally opening its buds after all your hard work, then find crushed petals in your dog’s mouth or kid’s hand, proud of his or her foraging skills. Keep your most fragile plants out of reach.
7. Eggshell water
Avoid the heavy bag of smelly fertilizer by creating your own healthy, homemade version for your plants. Give your plants a calcium and potassium boost by combining eggshells and water in an empty container. Save your used eggshells until you have around 20 of them. Boil the shells in a gallon of water for five minutes, leave for at least eight hours and store in a container under your sink. Work this liquid into your feeding schedule just like you would a pre-made fertilizer.
