Help your house plants flourish with tips and advice from The Plant Expertsâ„¢.
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- Improper watering is the most common reason why indoor plants wilt and die. So be sure to carefully follow the watering instructions provided for each specific plant.
- Surprisingly, overwatering (rather than under-watering) is most often the culprit of poor plant health. What makes things complicated is that some signs of overwatering — wilting, yellowing, curling leaves — look exactly like the symptoms of under-watering. Once again, be sure to consult the care instructions for your specific plant.
- Pick a regular day of the week to check the soil moisture of your house plants and make it part of your routine.
- Designate one household member to be responsible for watering the house plants. When multiple family members add water, it can easily lead to overwatering.
- Tap water contains many chemical additives designed to keep humans healthy, but not necessarily plants. Serious indoor gardeners often use distilled water to help their house plants flourish to the fullest.
- When your plants are delivered fresh from FTD, they are potted in nutrient-rich soil to promote the health and growth of the specific plant variety. It's best not to add any fertilizer for the first six months.
- As with watering, over-fertilizing your plants often causes more harm than good. Be sure to carefully follow the fertilizing instructions provided for each specific plant.
- When leaves begin to turn yellow, brown or simply pale, it might be time to fertilize.
- Water soluble fertilizers recommended. Please follow the fertilizer care and handling recommendations from the manufacturer.
- To keep plants shapely, give their pots a quarter turn once a week, as they will grow in the direction of the light source.
- Locate all house plants away from the temperature extremes created by heating ducts, air conditioning vents or fans (including ceiling fans).
- Wipe away dust from plant leaves with a damp cloth (except for hairy-leaved plants like African Violets , which should be dry-dusted using a feather duster or canned air duster).
- Prune dead leaves and wayward stems for a healthy and curvaceous plant.
- Varieties that are particularly toxic to animals include lilies, palms, tulip bulbs, narcissus bulbs, azaleas, rhododendrons, cyclamens, kalanchoes, amaryllises, chrysanthemums, English ivy and peace lilies.
