Plant Care

LIGHT

DIRECT SUNLIGHT - This means you need to place plants like these outside or anywhere in your house where they would receive the direct light from the sun without any filters in between (e.g. windows).

BRIGHT, INDIRECT LIGHT - These types of plants require filtered sunlight. Filtered sunlight is when the sun’s rays don’t travel directly from the sun to your plant, instead it needs to bounce off something first.

LOW LIGHT - These plants may survive being placed away from direct contact to sunlight or several feet away from the light source, however, we suggest that you expose them to bright, indirect light for it to receive a more adequate amount of nourishment from the sun.

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT - Lastly, some plants may also be tolerant of artificial light. As long as you provide these plants with ambient artificial light (incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights, or LED lights) 10-12 hours a day, they may survive in that environment.

WATER

Besides sunlight, plants need water to live. However, although watering is a very important aspect in nurturing plants, it is also where inexperienced gardeners usually have trouble with.

For your plants to thrive in any given environment, you also need to know how to water them properly. There are different factors that you need to consider when you are watering your plants such as the type of soil you are using, the environmental temperature, the weather condition, light exposure, and humidity. Different types of plants may have different water needs so make sure that you know your plant’s profile.

These are some tips in watering your plants properly:

• Water your plants evenly and thoroughly. Make sure that the water reaches the roots.
• Water the soil and not the leaves. Use a watering can with a long, narrow, spout. This allows the placement of water directly on the soil. 
• Water you plants using tepid water or water near room temperature. Plants potted in large pots dry out more slowly than those in smaller pots.
• Plants exposed to bright daylight dry out more quickly than plants in lowlight.
• Plants in warm environments dry out more quickly than others.
• Hanging plants often dry more quickly than those pots on a table.
• If the air is drying, plants placed on a tray of moist pebbles retain moisture more.
• Don’t overwater plants if it is very cloudy or rainy outside because the sun won’t be able to help dry them out, so they may stay wet for too long.
• Avoid watering on a fixed schedule. A fixed schedule does not necessarily provide plants water when they need it. Water your plants after checking the moisture of the plant or the soil. Only set a schedule if you already know your plants and how fast they dry out. 
• You can check the soil’s moisture by poking your finger an inch into the soil to make sure it is dry below the surface too. Try to lift the pot and get a feel of how it weighs when the soil is dry.
• Apply enough water so some comes out the drain hole at the bottom of the pot. This flushes out salts that can lead to root injury, and ensures you are not merely watering the surface of the soil.
• Lastly, if in doubt about whether you need to water your plant or not, don’t.  It is better for plants to be a bit dry, than too wet. 

AIR

Plants need to breathe for the same reason as any living thing does- they need air to convert food into energy. Therefore, air is very crucial to keeping your indoor plants looking their best.

Different plants need different types of air to thrive. Most indoor plants need humid air because dry air would cause their leaves to lose moisture, a loss that would be difficult to replace by watering the roots. The thinner the leaves, the greater the need for humidity. 

Occasionally misting your indoor plants to maintain the leaves’ moisture in cases of dry air would be acceptable but regularly doing so may cause fungi to grow. We recommend that you use humidifiers as a better alternative.

 YELLOW LEAVES

Yellowing or browning leaves may be caused by different factors. Try to diagnose if your plant’s leaves are yellowing due to any of these possible reasons:

Keep in mind that visible effects of these remedies will not be immediate, so give your plants time to heal itself.

Lastly, plants, like all living things, will mature after some time. It is normal for old or mature leaves to turn yellow. Whatever the cause may be, yellow or brown leaves will not become green again. Remove the damaged area of the leaf or the complete leaf by cutting it off. This will allow the plant to direct its energy to new and healthy buds.

REPOTTING

Repotting your plants is a part of the process of growing your garden. You need to be aware of the different indicators that it’s time for you to repot your plant.

First, check if the roots are coming out of the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. Second, try to see if the roots are growing so thick inside the pot that it is raising the plant by itself. Third, observe the growth rate of your plant. Is it growing slower than usual or did it stop growing altogether? Fourth, observe if your plant has become top heavy to the point of it being prone to falling over by itself. Fifth, check on the soil and the roots if it is drying up too quickly even after watering. Sixth, try to find salt or mineral deposits that might be building up on the plant or the container. Lastly, check if the soil is shrinking inside the container. If your plant has been showing any of these indicators, it is time to start repotting your plant.

FERTILIZER

Houseplants need to be fertilized for them to be healthy and beautiful because they need nutrients to thrive. They are not exposed to minerals and vitamins that are available in nature so they need a little help from you as the plant owner. Watering your plants may cause nutrients to be washed away over time so you need to provide them with essential minerals for them to grow strong and healthy. The same as with other plant essentials like sunlight and water, fertilizing your plants will depend on your plant’s profile and the condition your home provides.

PESTS

Unfortunately, pests and diseases are natural parts of gardening. Even the most experienced plant owners encounter these types of problems from time to time. In cases where pests have infected your plant, you need to prevent these pests from colonizing your other plants and causing them to be affected by diseases. 

Here are some things that you, as a plant owner, can do:

• Wipe the leaves with a damp paper towel and continually change to prevent the spread.
• You can spray small plants in a sink and your large plants in a; shower.
• You can manually pick large pests like earwigs, caterpillars, slugs and millipedes.
• You can remove small pests, like mealybugs, by using tweezers or a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
• Some pests can also be removed using a forceful spray of water.
• You need to repot with new soil to eliminate soil-borne pests. Use clean pots and wash off the soil in the plant roots before transferring it to a clean pot.