Most houseplants have very special and individual requirements in terms of care, location and substrate. Here you can do all sorts of wrong things and in no time the houseplant has arrived, shows no more flowers or is haunted by pests. Whether when watering, fertilizing or repotting: here are some of the common mistakes made when caring for houseplants. If you are looking for plant seeds, get it here and don’t forget to use the 25% off discount code.
Houseplants watering incorrectly
In the case of houseplants, there is a large variance in terms of the amount of water required. Plants coming from dry regions, such as cacti or succulents, require very little water. They hardly evaporate, store the preserved water and thus create a reserve. Other plants, for example from bogs or the tropics, have completely different claims. They need more water or other water, for example via a spray bottle, because they are used to high humidity. Between these two extremes there are numerous gradations and, as you can imagine, many ways to do something wrong. Plants usually do not dry out, they are rather poured over, which leads to wetness and rotting roots. Therefore, you should consider the following tips for care:
- Find out about the individual requirements of your houseplants in terms of water requirements.
- Check through a finger sample to see if the substrate is dry and water is needed.
- If you are not sure, moisture meters from specialist retailers are a good alternative.
- In order to avoid waterlogging, a drainage layer can be created with a layer of gravel in the pot.
- Use pots with a pull-out hole.
Choose the wrong substrate
Whether kitchen herbs, orchids or dragon trees: each plant has different demands on the substrate in which it grows. While some kitchen herbs, such as thyme, prefer a rather sandy, nutrient-poor substrate, basil loves nutritious soil as a strong-fooder. Orchids only need a few coconut fibers and the dragon tree needs an acidic soil (pH of about 6). If the right soil is not used, there may be signs of deficiency, root rot due to waterlogging or diseases.
The wrong location for houseplants
In addition to the wrong watering, the wrong location for plants is often a death sentence. Follow the care instructions or specialist literature that will tell you whether the plant is more likely to feel comfortable in the shade with little light, in the sun or in the semi-shade. Here are some plants for the different locations.
Bright to sunny:
- Epipremnum
- Schefflera
- Cacti
- Spurge
- Room bamboo
Shady:
- One-sheet
- Bow hemp
- Kentia palm
- Dragon Tree
Other criteria for the location are temperature and any draught. In the winter months, when the heaters are switched on, the warm, rising air is harmful to plants on the window sill. As a result, they lose a lot of moisture over the leaves (evaporation) and the temperature directly above the heater is far too high for them.
Incorrectly repotting houseplants
When does a house plant have to be repotted and what should be taken care of? Basically, the older a plant gets, the rarer it must be repotted. Young plants that are still growing strongly and quickly root their pot, you must regularly repot in a larger vessel. Some plants, such as the green lily or the bow hemp, produce such a strong root pressure when the vessels are too small that the plant pushes itself out of the pot or the pot is even blown up. For inspection, lift the houseplant out of the vessel and check whether the soil is already completely rooted or whether roots are already growing out of the extractor hole. The right time to repot is early spring, because as soon as more sun floods through the rooms, the plants drift out. Fresh, loose substrate supports them.
When houseplants have reached their maximum size, they no longer need to be repotted as
frequently. They are less about the amount of root, but about the fact that the substrate is depleted and needs to be renewed. This should be done approximately every three to four years.
