Plants are the new pets! Many people are flocking to nurseries and florists to find new botanical friends to come home. Many people believe they must possess a keen green thumb in order to keep their plants alive, however following some general plant care tips will help your plants not only to survive, but thrive in their new home.

While each individual plant sometimes requires it’s own special needs, most will survive with adequate hydration and light.

Here are some tips to become the best plant parent you can be!

Non Negotiable

• Natural Light
• Sufficient Water

How To Keep Them Happy

• Keep away from drafts and heating/cooling vents.
• Keep clear of pollutants, e.g. cigarette smoke.
• Use organic high quality soil.
• Use a fish based plant food, e.g. Seasol
• Do not use vessels where water can pool at the bottom, and cause the roots to rot (Maidenhair ferns are an exception to this, they like having a shallow pool of water at their base)

Keeping Them Hydrated

Most indoor plants require watering each fortnight if you follow this technique. Some variables can alter this frequency, including:

• The size of the pot: The smaller the pot, the greater the frequency.
• The temperature: Plants in a warm dry heat require a greater frequency, cooler temperatures require less and warm yet humid environments require even less.

My preferred method to water indoor plants is:

• Fill a trough with water and submerge the plant pot in the water, ensure that the water level is high enough to fully submerge the pot.
• Allow the pot to sit in the water until no more bubbles appear. The bubbles appear as a sign the water is entering the soil and releasing the air pockets within it.
• Allow the plants to drain sufficiently once taken out of the water, before putting them back into their place.

This is my preferred method for these reasons:

• You know the water is getting to the centre of the plants roots. As soil starts to dry out, it creates space between the pot and the soil. If we use a watering can, sometimes this can cause the water to run over the top of the soil and down the sides, not reaching the root of the plant.
• It’s almost mess free, and won’t spoil your floor or furniture (As long as it’s properly drained)
• It saves on water! I use the same trough and you don’t need to replace the water for each plant.
• You can use a variety of containers to display your plants. They don’t need to have draining holes at the bottom, nor do they need to be water tight. Simply leave your plants in the plastic pot they were purchased in, this way you can take the plastic pot out, submerge the plant and place it back in any vessel you like!