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Top 55 Houseplant Hack Ebook

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Top 55 Houseplant Hack Ebook Have you been looking for quick tips and tricks on how you can be the best houseplant parent that you can be? Maybe you don’t want to read a whole giant blog post or book on each topic. Maybe you’re confused as to what is right because everything on the Internet can seem so contradictory! Well look no further. I compiled this list of 55 tips all from personal experience. They really work! TIP #1: NO ICE CUBES! I really cringe every time I go to the grocery store or a hardware store and see the line of plants where you "Just Add Ice." Folks, this is a marketing gimmick. You'll see this with moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) and other types of plants as well. Unless you see a monkey with a popsicle stick, please don't use ice. Water your plants the old fashioned way and save the ice cubes for your cocktail or iced tea. Your plants will thank you! If you want a video demonstration on how I water my moth orchids, check out my YouTube video showing how I do this. TIP #2: A CLEAN PLANT IS A HAPPY PLANT Do you have a dusty houseplant? Sure, we all do! If you expect your plant to be happy, it's a good idea to clean those filthy, dusty leaves every so often. Give them a good rise in the shower, or wipe them off with a sponge or moist paper towel. Make sure you don’t leave any water stuck in the crown of the plant in order to help prevent it from rotting. Especially orchids and succulents. It is better to be safe than sorry. And don’t be scared to wet the leaves of your plant! So many people get scared to do this. Which makes zero sense. After all, what do you think happens when it rains outside? Plants did not evolve indoors. That being said, try to avoid getting plants like African Violets wet. Cold water can spot the leaves or worse under average indoor conditions. You can also have the plant rot if you get water stuck in the crown of African Violets. TIP #3: READ A GOOD HOUSEPLANT BOOK There is SO much information out there on the Internet. Some of it is true and much of it is NOT! Information on the Internet related to houseplant care is abundant, and so much of it is contradictory and confusing. There are many sites that just regurgitate what other sites have and have no personal experience with growing plants themselves. This is NOT to say that if you read contradictory information that one of the parties is necessarily wrong. There are many approaches to plant care. The right way is what WORKS. And what works for one person, may not work for another person. This is because everyone’s conditions are different. So don’t be afraid to experiment and see what works for you. Now there ARE some things that are just flat out wrong. How do you know who to trust? Why not learn the old fashioned way, from a trusted source? Check out my blog post on some of my favorite houseplant books. TIP #4: JOIN A PLANT SOCIETY Never underestimate the power of crazy plant people! You will find many characters in plant societies, and there seems to be a society for everything. Check out the American Orchid Society for a wealth of orchid information. If begonias are your thing, check out the American Begonia Society. If you have an aroid fetish, consider joining the International Aroid Society. Crazy plant people unite! That way you can swap plants and geek out with other plant crazies like yourself. These plant societies are amazing resources and you will encounter many people that are truly knowledgeable and everyone learns from each other. After all, no one knows absolutely everything. TIP #5: USE A TURKEY BASTER TO REMOVE EXCESS WATER Did you water your large floor plant and now you have a lot of water in the tray underneath but the plant is too big and heavy to pick up? Use a turkey baster to suck up the extra water so your plant isn't sitting in water! Plants sitting in water for extended periods will be prone to root rot, so take out that turkey baster. TIP #6: AIR DRY YOUR SUCCULENT AND CACTUS CUTTINGS BEFORE PROPAGATING When you make a succulent or cactus cutting, you need to let them air dry for a few days and the cut needs to callous over. This will help prevent the cutting from rotting when you are trying to root it. Check out the interview I conducted with an expert on propagating succulents. He is in the floral industry and learned from commercial succulent growers. TIP #7: REPOT YOUR PLANT Is your pot full of roots? Maybe roots are coming out of the drainage holes? Perhaps there is a hard mass of roots on the surface? Have you had your plant a long time and never took it out of its nursery pot? It might be time for you to repot! To know when and how to repot, check out my blog post on repotting a houseplant. TIP #8: FERTILIZE In nature, plants have a constant stream of nutrients from decaying plant and animal matter. In the home, your potted plant only has the soil in its pot. The nutrients will be used up rather quickly in a pot. Some potting mixes have added fertilizer and it may tide your plant over for 6 months or so. Then after that, it is our job to make sure we fertilize our plants during the growing season. Check out my fertilizing blog post for all the fertilizers that I like using for various plants. TIP #9: AMMEND YOUR POTTING MIX I rarely use any potting mix straight out of the bag anymore. Indoor plants need excellent drainage. And it's not just succulents that need excellent drainage. I like using Miracle Gro potting mix for most houseplants. For succulents and cacti, I like the Miracle Gro cactus, palm and citrus mix. I'll start with these two mixes (or use your favorite mix) and add at least 1 part perlite or pumice to 3 parts potting mix in order to provide additional aeration in the potting mix. This will also help prevent soil compaction. You will be shocked at how much this improves the soil drainage! TIP #10: INSPECT YOUR HOUSEPLANTS AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE! Don't skip this! Carefully inspect any plant before you purchase it. Look for any indication of pests such as white, cottony mealy bugs on the leaves or stems, spider mite webs, fungus gnats flying around the plant, etc. If you do notice any pests, don't buy the plant! Time to visit another nursery. TIP #11: SUMMER YOUR HOUSEPLANTS OUTDOORS The great outdoors can work miracles for your houseplant that has been cooped up indoors. Fresh rainwater, air circulation, increased light, and the temperature gradient between day time and night time will quickly whip any plant into shape. Check out my blog post on how I prepare my houseplants for their visit outdoors. TIP #12: EMPLOY SOME HOUSEPLANT CARE HACKS WHILE YOU ARE AWAY ON VACATION Do you become a nervous wreck every time you go on vacation and you have to worry about who will care for your plants? You may not have to have anyone come to your home! Check out my vacation houseplant care hack blog post to sustain your plants while you are gone. THEY WORK! TIP #13: CHANGE YOUR WATER FREQUENTLY IF YOU ARE ROOTING CUTTINGS IN WATER Are you trying to root your houseplant cuttings in water? Be sure that you change the water frequently to keep it fresh and clean and to increase your chances of rooting. Aim for at least once a week, or more frequently if you notice that the water is dirty or cloudy. TIP #14: USE ROOTING HORMONE IF YOU ARE ROOTING CUTTINGS IN SOIL You don't absolutely NEED to, but it can greatly speed up the process! Simply dip the end of your cutting in water, then in the rooting hormone, and then put the cutting right into soil if you are choosing to soil propagate. TIP #15: STOP MISTING BECAUSE YOU THINK IT WILL INCREASE HUMIDITY ...because it won't! You can certainly whip out the mister for other purposes, but if your goal is to increase humidity, you're wasting your time. It will give you a good forearm exercise though. TIP #16: GROUP PLANTS TOGETHER TO INCREASE HUMIDITY Did you know that if you group plants together, they will increase their own humidity? Plants transpire water through their leaves, so by grouping them closely together, they'll create their own microclimate with higher humidity. TIP #17: JUST GET A HUMIDIFIER TO INCREASE HUMIDITY Duh, right? I purchased a new humidifier for my sun room that I absolutely LOVE. Check out my humidity blog post for all the details on this humidifier as well as on the humidity topic in general. Before you worry about humidity though, the more important topic is to make sure your watering practices are sound. Get your watering practices down first, and then worry about increasing humidity otherwise you will be wasting your time. TIP #18: WATER YOUR PLANTS THOROUGHLY If you are adding just a little water each time you water, you are not watering the proper way. Of course, there are many factors in houseplant care and watering is just one of the topics that needs to be correct.
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