Plant care for dummies

Not everyone is born with a green thumb and not everyone is a natural gardener who will grow the most attractive and healthy urban garden. So, while being able to buy gardening plants online has become ever so easy, taking care of the same plants may be a whole new and different ballgame altogether. We feel your pain when a loving green doesn’t make it not due to lack of effort but due to lack of know-how which is why we thought it best to help you out with some easy, basic, and simple gardening tips and tricks to ensure that your plant babies don’t just survive, but actually thrive.

Research before you bring home a plant

Before you bring home your new plant, take a few minutes and do a quick Google search for your plant and its needs. Some trendy plants will look gorgeous but will have specific needs that might be too much work for newbies. Other plants may need huge amounts of humidity or long periods of bright light. If you live in a different climate, chances are your home’s air will be too dry and the only way tropical plants will survive is if you use a humidifier. Too much work if you ask us.

Don’t rush to repot

When you first bring home your new plant from the online nursey, keep it in it’s grow pot for a while. It’s been growing in perfect nursery conditions for some time, so bringing it home will be enough of a shock at first. Allow your new houseplant to get used to its new home and adjust. Plus, more indoor plants like being snug and rootbound than you would think.

Less Water is More

One of the biggest mistakes people make when caring for plants indoors is overwatering them! Most plants will generally do way better with too little water than with too much. Think of it this way – it’s always easier to give them more water than to take away too much water. Compared to outdoor plants, indoor plants are dealing with less direct sunlight and heat, and no wind – meaning they don’t dry out as fast. You can usually tell the difference between overwatering and underwatering pretty easily. If the plant foliage and stems are limp and wilted, this means it’s suffering from too much water. Conversely, if the leaves feel crispy, dry, or delicate, then this is a signal that your plant needs more water.

Clay Pots are the best

Using a clay pot is probably the easiest trick to growing indoor plants and keeping them healthy. They dry out the soil faster by pulling away excess moisture from the soil. Most beginner houseplant parents tend to over water their plants at first, so using a terracotta pot (instead of plastic or metal) is like an added step of protection. Plus, when you use a clay pot, it’s easy to tell when your plant needs water. The soil will start to pull away from the sides of the pot. You can buy plant pots online from Ultima Gardening in both clay and other materials.

Regular Maintenance

It’s normal for mature and bottom leaves to turn yellow and slowly die off. I recommend pruning these back to help direct more energy into helping your plant grow instead of trying to keep the dying leaf alive. You can do this year-round. Plants also like haircuts! Pruning them back can help shape your plant before it gets too out of hand. Ultima Gardening is an online gardening store that sells both plants and easy and affordable maintenance packages.