Browse all Plant Circle guides tagged plant care.
Showing guides tagged: plant care
by Plant Circle
7 things your ficus really hates
Ficus plants don’t like surprises. This guide walks you through seven things your ficus really hates – from sudden location changes and drafty windows to compacted soil and sneaky pests – plus simple tweaks that keep leaf drop and stress in check.
by Plant Circle
How to water your plants
It’s no secret that the number one cause of death among houseplants is overwatering. This bad watering habit usually develops when well meaning plant parents give their plants just a little too much love and attention. Let’s explore how to water your plants… properly! Don’t feel bad, we’ve all been there. And most of us learned the hard way how to not water our plants! But whether you’re new to plant parenthood, or a seasoned plant parent, there’s no reason for you to make the same mistakes we did. And although all plants are different and have various watering needs, there are some good practices that you can apply all across the board. To help you out, we’ve compiled our top ten tips on how to water your plants here! 1. Sufficient lightYes, this post is about watering, but we can’t talk about watering without mentioning light! If your plants are not getting the sufficient, optimal light they need, they’ll also require less water than the internet, the sales assistant, or your friend says. Adjust your watering routine to the conditions you have! 2. Observe your plants They’ll tell you when they’re thirsty. All plants wilt when they’re dehydrated, and you’ll either notice rolled up leaves or some droopiness. Notice how many days it’s been since the last time you watered your plants, and now you know when your plant is overdue for a drink! Please note: some plants can take under watering quite badly, and will get burnt edges on the leaves, or even drop a few… looking at you, Ficus! If you want to avoid that, simply water them a day or two sooner the next time. Based on your previous observations you should now have a good idea of when the wilting is expected to occur! 3. The finger methodSimply stick your finger into the soil and check whether it’s wet or dry. If the top 3-4 cm of the potting mix are dry, you are safe to water your plants. 4. Bottom wateringSome plants, like Saintpaulia or Begonia, prefer bottom watering, as they don’t like getting water on their leaves. Do a little research about your new plant to find out if it has any special preferences! 5. Filtered water In a lot of places, like for example Berlin, tap water is really hard. Hard water has a negative impact on plants, therefore we recommend to always use either filtered, distilled, or rain water if possible. If those options aren’t available to you, then just let your water sit in the watering can for couple of days before using it. Read more about hard water here! 6. Showering your plantsOnce in a while it’s beneficial to give your plants a good shower! Not only will you clean dust off of the leaves, which is important for optimal light absorption, you’ll also take care of potential bugs and pests that could be hiding under the leaves. Furthermore, a thorough showering can wash out any mineral residue from the potting mix! We recommend this technique for the summer months. 7. Potting mixWhat potting mix your plants are in is crucial for keeping the roots healthy. The vast majority of plants will appreciate a well draining potting mix that will dry out between watering. Never use garden soil for your house plants, as it will turn into mud when watered and suffocate the roots. Read more about potting mixes here. 8. SeasonsAs the lighting situation changes with the seasons, it’s also important to change your watering routine. A good rule of thumb is to cut your watering in half in winter, meaning if you watered your plants weekly in summer, you can switch to watering every two weeks in winter. This, of course, doesn’t apply to for example cacti, if you’re hibernating them, or ferns that would rather stay kind of moist all the time. 9. Know the difference between moist and wetSome plants love for the potting mix to stay moist, but this doesn’t mean wet! Learn the difference, and never let your plants sit in water as it promotes root rot. 10. Drainage holesWe will forever recommend that you keep your plants in pots with drainage holes. No matter what! Drainage holes are actual lifesavers, as they make sure excess water doesn’t stay in the soil and damage the plant’s roots. When watering, make sure that you lift your pot up afterwards and let the excess water run through. Also, keeping your plants in plastic pots with drainage inside ceramics, promotes airflow around the roots. To make the conditions even better, you can put a few rocks under the plastic pot to lift it up a bit, and don’t forget to make sure that the ceramic planter is a few centimeters bigger than the plastic pot itself.
by Plant Circle
Why is my cactus not flowering?
Wondering why your cactus isn’t flowering even though it looks healthy? Age, missing winter dormancy and year-round watering habits can all hold blooms back. This guide explains how maturity, cool rest periods and careful seasonal care work together, so you can gently improve your cactus’s chances of flowering in a future growing season.
by Plant Circle
Plant care: Succulents
Succulents are often thought to be tricky, but with a few essential tips, they can be some of the easiest plants to grow. Learn how to keep your succulents healthy and thriving with this practical guide.
by Plant Circle
Plant care: Non deadly issues
Have you ever questioned your inner morals as a human after realising that you would rather spend hours sitting with your houseplants, than visiting the newborn child that your cousin has just brought into the world? Oliver has, but thankfully his questionable morals are your gain, as they led to this post about non deadly issues, aka things that actually won’t kill your plants! Sometimes, to us house plant addicts, the connection with our plants can be similar to the connection with a child. You love them with all your heart, to a point of absurdity, and to a point of over-protectivity. We all need to learn how to sometimes take a step back and, ultimately, realise that what might be a problem for us as humans, is perhaps not actually a problem for our plant friends. In this blog post we will cover some common non deadly issues that most plant parents will encounter during their parenthood, and hopefully reading this will help you to calm down a little in the future, if and when these discoveries take place. The most important thing to remember when coming across new, unexpected life forms in your indoor jungle is this: you have brought nature into an unnatural environment, and that nature will actually benefit from an ecosystem of some sort. Here are some common insects that you might find repulsive, but your plants will welcome with open stems! Soil mites. These tiny white mites can be seen crawling through soil just living their best life. They love your plants just as much as you do, but love composting material even more!These little critters spend their days munching on this decaying plant material, while leaving your plant, and its root system, happy and healthy. Sometimes these mites are confused with spider mites, which are dangerous to the plants health, or fungus gnats, but take some time to observe them, and you will quickly be able to see that these soil mites are exclusively sub-terrestrial. Springtails. Another bug commonly confused with the infamous fungus gnat, is the Springtail. These little white bugs live in the soil, feasting on decaying plant matter, and while they may look threatening, these guys are not there to eat your plant, and while they can occasionally inhibit the hardiness of your plant, they are very rarely the actual cause of your plants problems. Most notably, Springtails can jump several inches into the air when disturbed, causing disgust and disarray from the plant parent, but be grateful for this ability, as it can help you distinguish them from the real pest! Silverfish. Possibly the most difficult insect to decide if you want to allow to continue to co-inhabit your indoor jungle is the Silverfish. While they may look like something from a poorly animated 80s horror film, we should not judge a bug by its apparent creepiness. These truly buggy looking creatures like to feed on dead insects, such as springtails, soil mites, and even fungus gnats and other detrimental pests, as well as fungi, which is almost always found within soil, even if you cannot see it. While silverfish can absolutely cause damage to your books and other material possessions, but as they will not harm you or your plant babies, they still fall under the Non deadly issues category. So what do you say? In my opinion, out of sight, out of mind! Earwig. Another common house guest, that looks like it could kill you with a bite of its scorpion like pincers, is the deceptively harmless Earwig. Even more beneficial than Silverfish, Earwigs will feed on live, plant-feeding insects, acting as a biological control supporting your plant. While they can become pests if their population are allowed to get out of control, this rarely occurs and their population can be kept at a reasonable and manageable level by following a few simple and overall beneficial rules. Managing population levels of houseplant bugs. The thing that all of these animals have in common is their ideal environment. Dark, cool, humid. The exact environment that you will find in the bottom part of the soil of a plant, or under a ceramic pot, especially the highly popular terracotta pots. Using specific potting mixes for different types of plants will manage the humid environment that these bugs love, ensuring that your plant love its soil, and that the bugs don’t get too comfortable in your jungle. Additionally, watering correctly (not over watering, and ensuring that excess water is always removed after watering) will again help your plant and its living pot-mates. Whilst potting substrate and watering are essential for managing the living populations in your plants, it is also highly beneficial for managing some other non deadly, purely cosmetic issues that are found in plants. Oedema. Caused by excess uptake of water by the plants roots, oedema is characterised by a corky, blustery like appearance on the leaf of plants. This can be the result of poor potting mix, excessive watering or prolonged exposure to water, as well as watering with warm water, or during periods of the day where it is too hot. All of these issues are easily solved through your actions! While you might have a few deformed leaves, the plant is still happy and just being a nice friend with a good level of resilience. Stunted growth. Don’t take it personally, but this is a problem with you! Not the plant. Stunted growth and deformed leaves are again an issue with the sub-terrain. Maybe you haven’t ever changed the potting mix, which has now turned rock solid after months of watering and dying out? Or perhaps the plants have grown so well that it’s now time for a bigger pot with more space for the roots? Whatever you might have done, or neglected to do, it’s time to do something about it! Increase the pot size, provide a more penetrable potting medium, and give your baby an upgrade. The roots will always dictate your plants overall health!
