Primary care for indoor plants

You have received a lovely gift pot with a beautiful houseplant in it. One usually thinks that having a houseplant is a huge responsibility, and it is a tedious task only for those who like flowers very much. It does not have to be this way!

This guide will rethink the concept of having indoor plants. These primary cares are infallible to keep any type of plant happy. Whether or not it has flowers.

Prepare to immerse yourself in the world of houseplants.

Indoor Plants and their Secrets

The vast majority of plants suitable for having them indoors are plants whose origin is the tropics. If we go back a little geography, we will realize that the climate in the tropical strip is temperate, that is to say, the whole year is practically the same. Its variations in temperature are very slight.

Inside the house, we usually have the same weather. In winter we have heating, in summer we condition the temperature to about 23 degrees Celsius. If there are very sudden gusts of wind, we close the windows, and if the sun is inclement, we lower the blinds or curtains. Without awareness, inside our houses, we live a tropical climate all year round.

This is why indoor plants love to be in our houses, sheltered from the seasons. To finish emulating the tropical climate from a plant, we have to take several aspects to take care of:

Irrigation

Water is a delicate subject with indoor plants since it can neither exceed nor be lacking. The soil must be moist at all times, and you should always see if it is moist one cm below the surface.

Plants that have flowers and these are very close to the ground, they have to be moistened from the bottom up. How? Placing the water on the plate that we put under the pot. This will prevent the flowers from contracting fungi and other diseases.

On the contrary, if the plant is totally green or its flowers are far above the ground, when usually watering from above (wetting only the green leaves and the soil, never the flowers). It is advisable to watch if the plate is filled with water and immediately remove the excess. Do not leave the plate under the pot with water.

Light

It is recommended to offer indirect light all year round to indoor plants. The excellent news is that because they are inside our homes, both the curtains, glass and roof always protect the plant from direct light.

Light is the main ingredient in the photosynthesis of plants. Plants will desperately search for the sun to carry out their process.

There is a phenomenon in plants that live in dark environments, and that is that they will tend to twist towards the minimum ray of sun that they find. Broaden their leaves more than usual to take full advantage of that ray of light.

The food that the soil provides to the plants will be reduced when a more extended plant with broader leaves needs a higher quantity of nutrients than expected.

This is why it is recommended to move the pots to the point of the house that gives more light, at least a few hours a day.

Temperature

A favorable climate for houseplants would be to emulate the environment they have in their area of origin. We have already mentioned that the vast majority of plants suitable for staying indoors are from temperate climates.

In the tropics, there are no sudden changes in temperature. That is why we have to control that within our houses, the range between cold and heat is between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius.

Humidity

Humidity and temperature for a houseplant are married. Since temperature of 23 degrees plus humidity of 80% is the perfect description of the tropics and as we have already said ad nauseam: this is the preferred climate of houseplants.

If the climate of your home is not humid by itself or if the plant is very close to heating in winter, it is best to create an artificial humid climate. The single phrase scares and sounds difficult. Nothing is further from reality, making humidity is easy, and you can do it with things you have at home.

An easy way is to spray the green leaves (never on the flowers) with the help of an atomizer, diffuser, sprinkle a little filtered, drinking, or distilled water. If the environment is arid, you can do it every day when the sun doesn't hit it. We don't want our leaves to burn.

Another trick is to place a plate of water next to it and let evaporation do its job.

Fertilization

Plants also feed to develop healthily. Their nutrients are taken from the soil where they are planted. The roots choose which components do them good and circulate these components through the trunk to the leaves along with the absorbed water. Then they do photosynthesis with the sun, and the life cycle is complete.

As it happens daily, since the plants like us eat and breathe every day, the soil that is confined to a pot is wasting and begins to have no more food to absorb.

There enters the fertilizer, compost, earthworm humus, compost, or plant food. There is a wide variety on the market. We can even integrate a liquid solution to the water that we diffuse daily to the plants to keep them moist.

As you realized, having an indoor plant is just a matter of knowing the logic behind the origin of each plant and emulating the place and customs with which you feel most comfortable.

A plant does not ask for much and gives too much, such as cleaning the air we breathe. With these primary care, we can give back to our houseplant all the good that it does for us.