Keep Your Houseplants Alive!
By Dorothy Edison
 Houseplants are often the bane of busy people. Unlike pets, they have no voice to plead for a drink of water or a bit of food. They cannot crawl out of their crowded pots or move to a sunny spot. Completely dependent upon our care, they seemingly thrive for a week or two then suddenly die.
So what can you do to keep your houseplants alive and growing? Follow these few simple tips that will make your plants happy enough to produce chlorophyll (that’s the green stuff), stand up straight, and maybe even force out a couple of flower buds once in awhile.
Put your plants on a watering schedule - Write it on a calendar (a year in advance, if you have to). Make a certain day each week your day for checking the moisture level in your houseplants’ soil and watering where necessary.
Do not over-feed - Using plant food too aggressively can burn out a plant’s roots, killing it from the ground up. Feed every couple of months—and that’s only if you can remember to water regularly!
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Repot when necessary - Houseplants that have survived the years are often forgotten in their too-tight planters. Keep a bag of potting soil handy so that you can move plants-in-need when their roots are straining against the terracotta bowl or peering over the porcelain planter.
Follow the care instructions - Some plants love to bask in the sunlight, others hide in the shade. Still others are undecided, straddling the line. Find the proper window for your little beauties, and they will be more willing to blossom under your care. If they seem to be adjusting poorly to one location, move to another less-extreme spot (but don’t go from direct sun to full shade—this will shock the poor thing!).
Dust your plants – That’s right—even if you don’t dust the furniture. Take a damp cloth to the leaves. This will keep them shiny and allow them to “ breathe.” After all, if you can’t see them under a layer of grime, it doesn’t matter if they’re alive and green! Taking care of houseplants shouldn’t be a chore, even though it seems like one. Following these few simple guidelines will help you keep your plants green and growing - at least until you go on vacation. |
