Common Mistakes When Caring For House Plants

You may have noticed that your local and online florist offer you so much more than just the usual flower bouquets.  They now have all kinds of gifts and baskets and even potted plants!  Many people who would usually send flowers in the past, are now sending potted plants instead.  Florists like to call it “the gift that keeps on giving”.  However, there are a few key rules to remember when caring for a house plant and so many people make such simple mistakes that end up causing their beloved plant to die.

The first big mistake that people tend to make is over watering.  They water their plants with an excessive amount of water every single day thinking that it will help the plant to grow.  In fact, too much water actually causes the roots to rot and the plant will die.  If you consider the way things work in nature, you will then understand why plants don’t need such heavy amounts of water.  In nature, the rains come and go.  It does not rain every single day of the year.  Also, the soil in your garden allows water to drain away so the roots are not constantly surrounded by water.

In contrast, some people rarely or completely forget to water their house plants.  This is of course one sure way to kill them sooner rather than later.  All living things need water to survive so it goes without saying that this is a big NO-NO.

As pretty as the pots look all wrapped up in that plastic paper, it’s really not good for them to stay like that.  The reason being, as the water drains out of the pot, some water gathers in the plastic and remains there.  The rest of the water remains in the soil and can’t drain away which, as previously mentioned, will cause the roots to rot.  Instead, you should remove the plastic completely or, if you really don’t want to, you could always cut holes in it exactly where the holes in the pot are located.  Then place your potted plant on a plate or saucer so that the excess water does not mess everywhere.

Some of the rooms in our homes are lacking in the light department.  In other words, there is just not enough sunlight coming through the windows.  All plants need sunlight in order to aid in the process of photosynthesis.  This is the process in which plants convert water, carbon dioxide and sunlight into food for the plant and oxygen for us.  Without the energy from the sun, this process is not possible and the plant will die.  Different kinds of house plants require different amounts of sunlight so it is also very important for you to check with a professional or do some research of your own in order to establish what kind of plants are suitable for your home.