Caring for potted flowers
You love flowers and enjoy well-kept plants that decorate your home, but not yours! Are you one of those people for whom flowers have an expiration date? You don't even buy it anymore because you know that your house will only be beautiful for ten days before you "kill" another plant?
If you belong to this group of people, you are also aware that you are not the only one. Many people have the problem of how to keep indoor flowers alive, but luckily it's a skill that can be easily mastered. Become a real expert and make a green oasis out of your home with the help of the following tips and instructions:
- How to choose the right flowers for your apartment
- Find an adequate pot for the indoor plant
- Tricks of successful gardeners
How to choose the right flowers for your apartment
Before you go shopping for flowers, think and make a plan about what you want and how much you can devote to the flowers. Do not compulsively buy plants just because they are aesthetically appealing, but consider the following things:- Plan how much time you can devote to flower care, some plants require more frequent watering, or maybe soaking in the draining water, if you don't have time to do that, choose plants that don't require that kind of care. Choose succulents, they are easy to maintain, they don't require a lot of water, they don't mind a dry wazoo and they don't require frequent repotting, while some of them can be excellent wazoo cleaners, such as Chlorophytum comosum (green lily).
- Pay attention to the space in the apartment you have and be guided by the fact that each plant has different requirements. If you have a small apartment, choose plants that grow tall, rather than those that spread, not only will they take up space, but they will also "suffer" if we constantly hang them in the passage, move branches, move them from one place to another. For a smaller space, plants in hanging pots are a better choice, golden creeper or devil's ivy is an undemanding plant, it does not require much water or light, and it can be an excellent decoration in a corner of your apartment.
- Light can be a problem if there is no light, but also if there is too much of it. Some types of flowers like direct light, while some literally die from too much sun. If you have designated a place near the window for your flowers, then be guided by that when buying, choose a plant that loves light and that will not be harmed by the strong sun. Sanseveria (Indian feather) is a plant that thrives in all conditions, grows quickly, does not require much attention, and you can keep it next to a window in direct sunlight.
Find an adequate pot for the indoor plant
Many beginners make a mistake when choosing pots, thinking that they should only have an aesthetic role, however, the wrong choice of pots affects the quality of flowers and their growth. The first step when planting is the correct selection pot size. A pot that is too small will cause the roots to have no room to spread, they will pile up in a confined space which will lead to a lack of water, oxygen and nutrients that are vital for healthy and strong plant growth. Pots that are too large can lead to the creation of too wet soil and the drowning of the roots and their rotting, the development of fungi and the decay of the plant. How do we know what size we need? If we know that the average height of the plant we are planting is 30 cm, then we need a pot with a size of 15 cm to 20 cm maximum. For plants whose average height is about 1m, you will need a pot with a diameter of 50cm. Therefore, the diameter of the pot should be half the average height of the plant. At the bottom of the pot, before pouring the soil, it is advisable to put a drainage layer, it can be gravel, pieces of broken ceramics, walnut shells, pine cones, various sticks or coffee filters. Drainage is needed to ensure that the roots in the pot are aerated and that they "breathe" more easily. When choosing pots, opt for natural materials, which have thicker walls that will protect the roots from heat and accelerated drying. If you decide to use clay pots, if they are new, you must soak them in water for 24 hours so that they "drink" the water, so that the flowers do not suffer later.Tricks of successful gardeners
When you have planted your plants, you have completed a large part of the work, the rest is for you to enjoy. But in order for your flowers to enjoy themselves, apply some of the following tricks:- Watering – Any water that was used to cook vegetables, rice, pasta or eggs can be used to water plants. It is full of nutrients and will serve as a homemade fertilizer. Just let it cool and don't use salt, because if you added salt then that water can be toxic to the plants.
- If you put pieces of charcoal in the drainage layer of the pot, the roots of your plant will not rot. And if you put a piece of sponge, it will absorb the excess water, so if you forget to water the plant, there will be enough moisture in the sponge to keep it alive.
- Dust the leaves, but not with anything! A mixture of milk and lukewarm water will make the leaves clean and will not clog the pores. But in order for the leaves to be shiny and dust-free for months, spread them with mayonnaise.
- Rotate the plant once a week, by rotating we ensure uniform growth, but also uniform light for plants that have brightly colored leaves.
- If you notice that your indoor plants are starting to dry out and wither, place some orange peel around the tree to refresh them.
