If you are here reading this article, it is probably because you are either considering the idea of ​​beautifying your home and accompanying it with some plants, or you already have them. Still, you cannot get them to grow and develop as they should. We can all enjoy the company of plants in our homes, which help us improve the environment and relax both indoors and in the garden. Caring for plants is actually quite simple once you learn the basics.

Irrigation

The vast majority of plants do not tolerate waterlogging in their soil or substrate, so watering them in excessive quantities is one of the main causes of the death of plants in the home. It is much better to water often and in small quantities than to do it a little or a lot, although this is easier. Drought-resistant plants, such as cacti and succulents in general, are especially vulnerable to waterlogging.

Humidity of floor

Another basic care for plants is to check the humidity of the soil where they are planted. If you are not sure whether your plant needs watering or not, stick a small toothpick or even your finger into the substrate next to the plant without damaging it. If the soil is moist, it will stick to the stick or your finger, and, normally, this means that it does not need watering yet.

Indirect light

If you are not sure if a plant is a sun or shade plant and you cannot find information, there is a formula that always works: give it abundant, indirect light. Some plants do not tolerate direct sun, which burns their leaves, while others do not thrive in the shade. The solution is:

• Indoors: place them in a bright room near a window that filters the light with a curtain.
• Outdoors: place them where they are protected from the midday sun and only receive morning or afternoon light.

Cold

Very few plants tolerate frost: if you live in an area where winters are very cold, you will have to look for seasonal plants or those that especially tolerate that type of climate. You can use specific fabrics to keep plants covered in winter, which will help them retain temperature. Likewise, quilting can help.

Heat

Many desert or Mediterranean species are adapted to hot summers, but many others do not tolerate temperatures above 30ºC well, and even less so in the sun. Water them more often and find shade, especially during the hottest hours.

You can visit these other two articles on Sun-resistant flowering garden plants or Shade plants.

Universal substrate

There are plants with specific needs in terms of substrate, such as acidophilic plants, and others that are not demanding at all. However, you can prepare a universal mixture yourself that will be excellent for a very high percentage of them: mix equal parts peat, coconut fibre and worm castings, and then add a few handfuls of vermiculite and perlite. You will have a very light mixture with excellent drainage and rich in nutrients and beneficial microorganisms, ideal even for seedbeds.

Pots with drainage holes

Again, insisting on drainage, the pot in which you place your plant must have holes through which excess water can escape when watering. Indoors, you can place a plate under the pot and remove the excess water about ten minutes after watering.

Organic fertilizers

Despite popular belief, plants don’t live on sun and water alone: ​​they need nutrients. They extract them from the ground, but as they develop, they use up those available to them, especially in pots, and they must be renewed. Always fertilize in spring and summer, during the active months, once every 15 days whenever you can, use organic and ecological fertilizers, such as worm castings or compost, which you can make yourself.

Maintenance pruning

Whenever you see wilted leaves or flowers on your plant or blackened stems that look bad, take the sharpest scissors you have, disinfect the edge and prune or remove anything that is in poor condition. In this way, the plant does not waste energy or nutrients feeding parts that will end up dying anyway and can focus on its healthy stems or branches, which will develop better.…

The following tips will be more universal, but the golden rule is to know our plant well, which is why there is the first one. Although most plants that are commonly grown share many of their needs, each species can be different, and some have very specific and specific needs. Find out what the species of your plants are and what their particular needs are. For example, finding out how to care for an indoor plant will not be the same as an outdoor plant.

Tips and recommendations to care for your plants

Before moving on to caring for the garden as a whole, you should pay attention to the plants that make up this small natural space in your house; the best tips and recommendations for caring for them are listed below:

Find out about the plants you have: Although they may seem very similar, each garden plant has its characteristics, which means that each plant must be cared for differently and specifically in order to bring out its greatest natural splendour. Therefore, the key is to know well the type of plant you have in your care!

Place the plants in the most suitable place: Based on the previous recommendation, you must place that plant in the most suitable place possible, checking in the process that it receives enough sun without having to move it in different ways.

Always use the best quality soil: This advice is especially indicated for those people who want to transplant a plant from one pot to another. Therefore, the better the soil with which the plant is transplanted, the better the results and the good health of the plant will be.

The plant’s pot must have a hole inside. Although there are all kinds of different pots today, the truth in these cases is that all of these pots must have a hole with which to ensure that the plant can drain. Excess water when watering. In this sense, it is recommended that a small plate be placed under the plant and the pot so that it does not get wet and damage the furniture where the entire plant could be refilled.

Remove dry and withered flowers or leaves: Keeping a plant in good condition requires removing the withered or damaged parts, which is why the help of small scissors or a manual pruner is necessary to remove these withered sections of the plant. If you do this, you will be preventing the plant from wasting its energy on leaves or branches that will no longer thrive.

Keep your plants away from direct heat sources: Plants depend greatly on natural environmental conditions to grow healthy and strong, and their development is greatly harmed if heat is supplied artificially or indirectly (certain conditions apply, of course). So, to avoid problems, try to keep your plants away from a direct heat source.

Opt for natural fertilizers: Although the soil is of the best possible quality, this does not mean that it does not lose nutrients over time. Therefore, it is convenient to nourish the land with natural fertilizers of the highest quality; recommend that you apply this fertilizer during seasonal changes. This way, the soil will have an extra boost of nutrients and vitamins to make the plant grow properly!…