Plant Care Tips

We know plant parenthood can be daunting, especially if you are new to houseplants. Don't be discouraged though! There are a few key tips that will help you get started and learn how to tackle caring for your plants. We highlight our most tried and true pieces of advice below.

Lighting

Light can sometimes be the hardest aspect to determine for your plant. What exactly is indirect light? And how do you know how much light each plant needs? Is direct sun ok? The questions can be endless, so here are a few guidelines to get you started.

Most plants will do best in medium to bright indirect light. The exception to that rule are cactus and succulents.
Cactus & succulents need lots of light, south and west facing windows are best
Medium to bright indirect light = west & east facing windows
Bright direct light = south facing windows
Medium to low indirect light= north facing windows
No, live plants cannot live in a room with no windows unless a grow light is provided

Watering

There are usually two kinds of plant parents. Those who over love their plants, aka over water, and those who forget their plants aka underwater. Here are a few tips to help you fall somewhere in the middle.

Always try to plant in a pot with drainage
Touch your soil!! You have to get your hands in there to actually feel if the soil is wet or dry. Looks can be deceiving.
When you water, do so thoroughly. Don't just give a half a cup here and there. You want to saturate all of the soil so that all of the roots receive moisture.
Underwatering is better than overwatering. Plants can recover better from drought than they can from rotted roots from too much water
Pay attention to your lighting. If a plant is in high light, it is going to use and lose more water than a plant that is in low light which will be photosynthesizing less. Therefore your highlight plants may need more water more often than your low-light plants.

Fertilizing

All plants need food, whether they are indoors or outdoors. Outside plants get their nutrients naturally from the soil, rain and other factors around them. For your houseplants, you have to bring the food to them. There are a couple of ways to do this.

Water-soluble fertilizers are the best and easiest to use for indoor plants. Having the food mixed in with the water makes it easier for the plant to take up nutrients rather than waiting for it to be broken down over time in the soil.
Fertilize about once a month or every two weeks during the warm months. Because your plants are in a confined space, it is more difficult for them to flush out excess nutrients.
You can over-fertilize. This can cause your plants to "burn" or get brown tips and leaves.

That is why it is important to give your plants a rest period during the cold months and only

fertilize every couple of weeks. If you are worried about burning your plants, use an organic fertilizer.