HOW TO KEEP YOUR PLANTS HAPPY AND HEALTHY
Tips & tricks for healthy plants
There’s nothing more annoying than a beautiful plant that seems to be turning yellow or drops wearily.
The best way to prevent this is the right care! Sadly enough a plant can’t tell you what it needs, but
luckily there are lots of things to show whether your plant is happy and healthy. Want to find out what
they are? See the lists below.
Obviously a healthy plant needs a healthy start. When you go to buy a plant always check in the shop
that it’s healthy. It would be a shame to buy a sick plant. You can check a plant’s health by looking for
yellow leaves, brown edges, drooping stems and unwanted guests. If there are none of those and the
plant stands proudly upright you can assume that it is – and will remain – healthy. Provided you look
after it properly, of course.
REPOTTING YOUR PLANTS
It’s important to transfer your new plant to its new home soon after buying it. This gives the roots more
room to settle, allowing the plant to grow. Be careful about the type of soil that you use. For example, a
cactus need more minerals to grow than other plants and therefore prefers special cactus soil. If you’re
not sure about the right soil for your plant, ask advice from an employee in the garden centre.
Plants differ in how often they need to be repotted. Most plants only needs to be moved once every two
years. If you’re going to repot the plant, always choose a pot that is at least 1.5 times as big as the
current pot. Always remove the plant carefully from its home: it spent all that time working hard to firmly
embed its roots in the soil, and you don’t want to break any of them off
WATERING
The most important
requirement to keep your
plant healthy, growing and
happy is the right amount of
water. Unfortunately you
never know precisely how
much water a plant needs,
but luckily it can show you
how it’s feeling. If some of
the leaves are yellow, it’s
often too wet. If the leaves
have brown edges, the plant
is getting too little water and
its leaves are drying out.
Every plant is different and
has different watering
requirements. Ask at the
garden centre what your
plant prefers. In any case
bear in mind the plants need more water in the summer than in the winter. Young plants also need a lot
of water.
Tip: buy a moisture meter and place it in the pot. If it turns red you will know that the plant needs water.
Handy!
TREATMENTS
Even though they’re indoor plants, no plant likes having a layer of dust on its leaves. It makes it harder
for them to emit oxygen and makes them more prone to damage and less attractive to look at. So wipe
the leaves with a damp cloth once a week. Also treat your plants to a misting regularly: the leaves love
to be sprayed, since that reminds them of the tropical or natural environments from which they
originate. Get spraying!
HELP YOUR PLANT
Finally you can also support
your plant by giving it some
food from time to time during
the summer. At that time it
grows vigorously, and so it
can do with some extra
energy. Find out beforehand
what sort of food your plant
enjoys.
You can find this
information online on the
websites of garden centres
or plant bloggers. Never
place your plant in a
draughty spot. Ideally it
should be a place with
indirect sunlight and a
constant temperature – that’s
where your plant will be
happiest. Some plants can
also tolerate a day in full sun,
but then do ensure that it
gets enough water.
Otherwise it’ll dry out and
can become sick.
IF THINGS ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY…….
Don’t worry! However much you do your best, your plant can still sicken or even die. Sometimes a plant
is carrying a disease that you cannot see, and sometimes a plant is old or simply exhausted. Don’t lose
faith – just start afresh. Looking after plants is a skill you have to learn, and there’s only one way to
acquire it: by doing it.
