How to take care of your plants: Indoor Plants
There is a difference in growing outdoor and indoor plants. Outdoor plants rely more on nutrients on the soil and weather unlike indoor plants fertilizers and care. Just like outdoor plants, it needs sunlight, water, minerals and space.
There are different species of indoor plants. You should know specific requirements for every plant to grow to prevent confusion.
Water
You should check what kind of plants or species you have at home. Some plants like String of Pearls, Pothos, Begonia, Snake plants, Zebra Cactus, Air plants, Zz plants barely need water but others must be watered more.
Sunlight
Make sure your plants get enough light, you can place them near the window or away from direct sunlight. Full sunlight needs 3-6 hours under the sun daily, partial sunlight is 2-3 hours and shades which only need 1 hour per day. You can also buy grow lights for your plant that will help them during nights or during nursery.
Fertilizers
Indoor plants have limited nutrients and minerals in their pots, fertilizing them is very important. Fertilizers have different amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These three minerals symbolize the numbers series on the fertilizer's packaging. This will help you recognize the amount of minerals like 10-20-10 or 6-12-6. Follow the packaging instructions for applying the fertilizers.
Move from air ventilator
This is one of the common mistakes for indoor plants. This will dry up the plants, and watering everyday will never help. Low moisture can slowly kill your plants. You can add or put humidifiers nearby.
Clean off dust
Dust could take the natural beauty of your plant's leaves, dust them off as you see them. You can wipe them off with a wet cloth soaked in dish soap or plant soap. You can also rinse them with running water but this only works for smaller plants.
Indoor plants depend on the size of the containers or pots. They cannot grow into mature size unlike outside. Indoor plants absorb toxins, increase humidity and produce oxygen but it can also be messy and not good for pets. Always remember to repot your indoor plants once a year.
Sources:
- wikipedia.org
- wikihow.com