How to Keep Your Houseplants Alive for a Long Time

Keeping some potted plants in your house not only adds some natural look and feel to your indoors, but it also brings the whole living space to life. For starters, plants naturally breathe in CO2 and exhale oxygen, which makes a natural air purifier that protects you from tons of airborne illnesses.

They also enhance your indoor aesthetics while boosting your overall well being, which leads to enhanced productivity to many people. Additionally, some indoor plants have therapeutic properties, making them important to have easy access to.

The benefits of having plants in and out of the house are numerous. But one of the challenges many people face is keeping their houseplants alive for as long as it takes. 

If this sounds anything like you, here are a few tips on how to keep your houseplants alive for a long time.

Know where to grow them

Yes, they’re called houseplants, and as the name suggests, they’re grown indoors, but not just about anywhere. Depending on the type of plant in question, how much of it you want to grow, and the end results you’re looking for, there’s a wide range of indoor plant growth products or containers to choose from. These range from grow boxes to grow tents and grow rooms, just to name a few.

If you’re growing a plant like marijuana, from which you expect some harvest, it’s important to find out more information about the kind of environment it needs to survive and thrive. Where you put your crop from the word go will have an impact on its growth and lifetime. This is because when not grown in a well contained and controlled environment, some plants end up drying out due to the lack of adequate nutrients, too much heat, lack of ventilation, and so forth.

The last thing you want to do is spend hours looking for seedlings, sourcing your earth, preparing the growth setup, only to end up with dead houseplants a few days or weeks down the line. Choose your containers or growing environment wisely.

Keep them well watered

Just like humans and other animals, many houseplants will not go a few days without water. It’s a basic necessity that they need to survive and thrive. However, it’s important to understand that different houseplants have different needs when it comes to water. Some need quite a lot, whereas others will only need a little water to thrive.

Succulent houseplants like cacti, for instance, won’t bother you much when it comes to watering and can go for a few days or even weeks without the important chemical of life. Palm plants, on the other hand, will require you to water them at least every day or a few days a week depending on the watering technique you’re using.

Ensure they’re getting enough light

Sunlight is an important ingredient in the nutrition of plants. It’s how they make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. This food is what provides energy to support their growth and other biochemical functions. But then again, different plants will have different light requirements.

To keep your houseplants alive for long, you need to understand their light requirements or simply place them where they have enough exposure to natural UV light from outside. Plants that demand a lot of sunlight can be a bit more challenging to keep alive.

Don’t keep them swamped

More often than not, houseplants are potted. This increases the chances of root rot, which comes as a result of water sitting in the pot for a considerable amount of time, leading to the death of your plant. To prevent this, it’s best to ensure that your plant pots have drainage holes, and the water has a favorable passageway to follow once it escapes through the holes.

Indoor plants also outgrow their pots with time, and when this happens, it is only nobbling of you to transfer the plant into a bigger pot. Proper drainage can extend the life of your houseplant.

Don’t move them often

Unlike animals, plants are unable to move or locomotive at will. Instead, their movement is naturally respondent to certain stimuli, such as light, water, minerals, touch, support, and so forth.

This means that by constantly moving your houseplants from one spot to another, you’re only disrupting their natural life processes. It might lead to the early death of your houseplants! You’ll also want to avoid positioning them in high-heat areas such as near heaters, cookers, and air conditioners.

Add some fertilizer

Almost all plants basically acquire most, if not all of their nutrients from the soil, even though some houseplants can survive for quite a while without some earth. All the same, these nutrients get depleted over time, and when this happens, the life of your plant may be cut short. It’s just like being in the desert or in space, and at some point, your food stores run out.

You will need several shipments from earth or the source base, lest you perish at the fangs of hunger. Especially in spring and summer months, blessing your houseplants with a bit of fertilizer will help ensure their good health and longer lifetime.

Avoid overgrowth

Some houseplants are known to get quite leafy and branched with time. When this happens, the plant’s health may suffer. Pruning your plant’s dead leaves can help extend its lifetime.

The beauty and amazing benefits that houseplants bring are priceless. However, you need to take proper care of them for you to realize this and enjoy the benefits for a long time. If you’re a houseplant enthusiast or intend to bring some to your home, now you have a few tips to take good care of them and see the last through the seasons healthy.