During Queensland’s warmer months it can be difficult to keep your indoor plants happy. They require a little more love than normal. So, we’re letting you in on some trade secrets so you can keep your plants healthy.
GO EASY WITH THE H2O.
Believe it or not plants are more likely to die from too much water than not enough. Up here in the great north we recommend giving your houseplants a drink once a week in summer and only once a fortnight in winter.
DUST IT OFF.
Even plants need a good clean every now and then, especially your indoor babies. Their leaves will often develop a thin layer of dust or dirt, which will stop them from soaking in that all important vitamin D. Give them a quick wipe over with a wet cloth (be sure not to use any chemicals!).
NOTHING A GOOD SOAK IN THE TUB CAN’T FIX.
If you do happen to be the laziest plant mum ever and do under-water your plants they’ll need a good soak to bring them back to life. When plants go thirsty their soil kinda shrivels up, which means when you do finally water them, the water will just run down the gap between the edge of the pot and the dry soil. To moisten the soil, give them a good soak in the sink for a cheeky halfa and they’ll be good to go again.
CUT IT OFF.
If any of the leaves are starting to shrivel and go brown, cut them off. If you don’t they will continue to absorb all that nutrient-rich goodness from the soil, stealing it away from healthy, growing leaves. It’s cutthroat, but hey, it’s a cutthroat world.
And for those of you whose thumbs will simply never be green, don’t stress, you can still have living foliage growing in your abode. You just need to propagate some plant clippings instead. This is simply a matter of becoming a bit of a leaf thief and collecting clippings from your neighbour’s gardens (and we wonder why we’re always copping dirty looks from old mate next door). Devil’s Ivy vines or Swiss Cheese plant cuttings are the best way to go! Chuck these in an old beer bottle (if you’ve got none handy you should probably drink more beer) fill it up with tap water and in a couple of weeks they’ll grow roots, and you’ll never have to touch it again. That’s it folks, that’s all you have to do to keep it alive.
