Many of us learn how to garden for the first time with houseplants. Potted plants, particularly in colder climates, add color, beauty, and fresh air indoors when chilly temperatures and wintry weather keep us inside. No matter where you reside, the advice below will help you make the most of potted plants in your house.
How Much Light?
How much light a plant will receive where it will be grown should be one of the first factors to be taken into account while choosing and cultivating it. The majority of houseplants require bright, indirect light, such that from an east-facing window. As long as the harsh sun’s rays don’t touch a plant’s leaves directly, especially in the summer, south and west windows also function nicely. African violets and other popular flowering plants need a little bit more light than ferns or ivy that are kept primarily for their leaves. Light offers the extra vitality that flowers need.
The Most Important Requirement: Water
The most crucial—and frequently most difficult—aspect of growing healthy houseplants is watering. Instead of drowning them to the point where their roots can’t breathe, err on the dry side. In the summer, use water more liberally. It’s time to water when the top 1/2 to 1 inch of the pot is dry. Water the plant thoroughly until the water drains out the drainage holes in the container’s bottom.
Don’t Forget Plant Food
Another crucial aspect in developing outstanding houseplants is feeding the plants. Your houseplants’ roots are restricted to a pot, preventing them from foraging for nutrients in the nearby soil. You have the choice. In general, giving your houseplants a weekly or biweekly dose of plant food made specifically for them, like Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food, will result in happy, healthy, long-lived plants that add color and life to your home. The summer is a crucial season to feed indoor plants because this is when they are actively growing and will benefit from the nutrients.
Do plants cost a much at Home Depot?
Shop at one of the large chains if you want to get the best deal on your plants. The Home Depot and Lowe’s had the most affordable prices across all seven cities Checkbook studied (both by 29 and 26 percent below average). Although none of the independent retailers surveyed were cheaper than The Home Depot or Lowe’s, they did receive much superior quality ratings.
For their overall quality, buyers gave The Home Depot and Lowe’s really poor ratings, according to Brasler.
Following are the typical quality ratings (out of 100) from the seven cities that Checkbook surveyed its clients in:
- 38% at The Home Depot
- 44 percent for Lowe’s
- 83 percent of stores are independent.
- 25% at The Home Depot
- 32 percent for Lowe’s
- 77 percent of stores are independent.
- 33% at The Home Depot
- 39 percent for Lowe’s
- 78 percent of stores are independent
According to Brasler, this is one of the few issues we cover at Checkbook where there is actually a connection between what you spend and what you get. Prices are typically higher in stores that provide extremely high-quality plants and excellent guidance.
Home Depot reported it “tries to offer the best value and convenience to its customers. The business claimed in their statement that it is “I’m happy to see that customers choose us since we have the greatest prices and product selection.
I believe that many gardeners are like me.
We go shopping at multiple locations. I visit one of the large box retailers to find the greatest deal if I only need some annuals for the back deck.
On the other hand, I go to the neighborhood nursery if I want to buy a pricey tree or shrub that I anticipate will live for a very long time. Although I’ll have to pay extra, the plants are of the highest caliber, and the advise I receive is priceless.
Visit Environmental Organizations and Garden Clubs
Seasonal sales are a great way to acquire plants for a discount or maybe nothing at all. These sales also provide inexpensively uncommon and exotic plants. Depending on how you approach the topic, you might even be fortunate enough to score a couple lovely specimens for nothing!
Request for a Plant as a Gift
On your special day, if your family or friends ask you for a present recommendation, suggest a plant. Additionally, you can accompany them to the nearby garden center and let them choose the plant for you that is within their gifting range.
Seeds
Seeds are inexpensive and are often even free. A genius technique to cultivate plants for nothing is to use pantry seeds. You may quickly grow your own plants by simply adding soil to a container, planting seeds, watering frequently, and placing the pot in a sunny location.
Look for Seedlings, Pups, and Offsets
Watch out for puppies and plant offsets when at a friend’s property. To start a new plant in your house, you can get them for nothing. Similar to this, you can get cheap seedlings of indoor plants like pothos, philodendron, and anthurium from various nurseries.
Christmas Functions
Churches often use potted plants as decorations for Christmas and Easter. Plants are given out to regular churchgoers when the celebrations are over. Therefore, you can ask for these potted plants without charge if you are a parishioner or a member of the congregation.
Estate Sales
Plants are less sought-after at yard sales and estate sales than jewelry, furniture, and household goods. Price drops significantly and some shop owners even give items away for free as they try to get rid of them before closing up shop and moving on.
Start from Cuttings
Cuttings are a fantastic method of propagating your own free home plants. You might ask your friends and neighbors whether you can take a cutting from their plants.
Some of the greatest plants that grow quickly from cuttings include English ivy, pothos, monstera, spider plants, and philodendrons. You may even give the cuttings to other gardeners who enjoy them!
What is the finest website for plants online?
There is a lot to appreciate about purchasing plants from The Sill, from their personable and informative plant care advice to lovely pictures and the simple to navigate sections. A bit of a craze among people hoping to hone their green thumb and furnish their home with Instagram-worthy house plants has emerged from what began as a small, fashionable business on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Should indoor plants be placed near a window?
Houseplants are not only attractive and decorative but also provide many advantages for your home. Your indoor plants can boost your health, remove toxins from the air through air purification, and, if you have them in an office or classroom setting, they can help you concentrate better.
How can you maximize the potential of your plants? The positioning of your houseplants within the home is one of the secrets to keeping them healthy.
In general, plants can endure warmer or colder conditions, as well as short-term water surpluses or shortages. However, if you want the finest results from your plants, you must put them in an environment where they will have access to water, nutrients, and the proper climate to survive.
How then can you imitate their natural environment? In order to get the most success out of your houseplants, our guide will show you which plants to place where in your house.
Which rooms work best?
Your indoor plants all share the same trait. Each plant will require a different quantity of sunlight, but they all require it.
Place your indoor plants carefully; don’t just set them down. It doesn’t necessarily follow that a plant is best for your houseplant just because it matches the decor of a particular room in the home.
Consider the following: Which room in my home receives the greatest sunlight? What side are my windows facing? My heaters aren’t here. What is the inside temperature in my home on average?
With that, you can begin to determine which regions are ideal for placing your houseplants.
Types of plants
Your plants will need sunlight, as was already said. Some species will benefit from as much shade as possible, but others may require continuous partial or full shade.
Keep in mind that your plants do not require direct sunshine at all times of the day because this can burn the plant’s leaves and roots.
The majority of plants will thrive in a window that faces west, east, or south. Therefore, avoid placing too many plants in front of windows that face north.
Of course, some plants need full or partial shade for the most of the day.
For instance, flowering and foliage plants, including some fern and lily kinds, typically do well with both artificial light and little direct sunlight.
Therefore, if you position your foliage plant a few feet away from your South-facing window, it will be in the best possible position. Make sure your foliage plant is kept out of the midday sun or when there is direct sunshine in the room if your windows face west or east.
Large, thick, meaty leaves on plants have a tendency to thrive in the shade. These plants include, but are not limited to, jade, stonecrop, and zebra plant.
Plant care
Your indoor plants could require more maintenance than your garden. It’s always best to do a little study on your plants, whether it’s to find out how frequently to water them or what kind of environment they want.
Around 70F (20C) is a good temperature for most houseplants, however others only do well in colder climates. For instance, cyclamen like it between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (10 and 15 degrees Celsius), and Cineraria much cooler. You may need to maintain a steady temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit if you have a bonsai tree or other tropical indoor plants (20C).
When positioning your plants close to a heat source, exercise caution. The majority of home heating systems create an environment that is too dry for most potted plants. In the winter, central heating will produce a warm, arid environment. For indoor plants, this will be nearly inhospitable.
You can either periodically mist your plants with tiny water droplets or pack or group moss between the pot and its attractive container to create a microclimate around their leaves. The warning indicators will be seen when your leaves are completely dry or discolored and the soil appears to require watering.
Is keeping plants in the bedroom a smart idea?
Bedroom plants are capable of more than merely enhancing the brightness of your bookshelf. Additionally, they can improve your mood, raise your creativity, lower your stress levels, boost your productivity, filter air pollutants organically, and do a lot more.
Many of us are unaware of how crucial air quality is. The insulation, paint, and furnishings in our homes frequently release poisons like formaldehyde and benzene into the air we breathe inside. Consider adding plants to your home to help filter the air. Through the holes in their leaves, plants can absorb hazardous pollutants, filtering and purifying the air you breathe every day.
In addition to their numerous health advantages, bedroom plants can provide a lovely decorative touch and a vivacious spirit to any indoor environment. Here are 10 of the greatest plants to keep in your bedroom if you want to add some greenery.
Why not purchase plants from Home Depot instead?
Although Home Depot is a go-to place for many types of home improvement, remodeling may not be its strongest suit. If you’re looking for home decor, Maria Juvakka, a home design expert and the creator of Chic Pursuit, advises avoiding this store. She says that the dcor department at Home Depot should be avoided since the selection is poor and the prices are too high. Additionally, there are many mass-produced items that you can get at Target, Ikea, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, or Home Goods for less money.
She advises starting with these mega-retailers but also buying your throw pillows, drapes, rugs, and other design items from businesses that are more focused on decorating. If you want the best décor options, Juvakka advises seeking out home decor specialists for their lower rates or sourcing from local artisans for distinctive statement items.
Your space can easily seem cozier and appear more fresh by adding plants. But if you’re looking for this, avoid going to the hardware shop. Andrew Griffith, a household expert and proprietor of Garden Furniture, advises against purchasing plants and flowers at Home Depot. Griffith claims that many customers wind up buying plants from this business that are more likely to die unless they purchase within the first few days of the flower department’s opening in the spring.
“They acquire a lot of plants in bulk, and some of them aren’t even designed for the environment in America. They are frequently treated the same, which causes overwatering, root rot, and increased pest exposure “He clarifies. It is recommended to purchase your plants from actual plant stores because specialists can advise you on the best choice for your lifestyle there.
If you’re already at Home Depot purchasing other items for your home, it could be tempting to load up on some domestic cleaning supplies, but experts advise against this. The affordability and selection of the cleaning supplies offered by this home improvement business, said Kyle Richards, a residential and commercial contractor and co-founder of Best Overland Park Painters. ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
“In general, big-box stores like Walmart and Target will provide greater prices on these items. It’s much preferable to purchase them from neighborhood supermarkets, “He claims. “Additionally, all of these businesses have a better assortment than Home Depot, particularly when it comes to environmentally friendly cleaners. The ones offered by Home Depot typically still contain dangerous chemicals from 20 years ago.”