5 Ways You’re Killing Your House Plant and Don’t Know It

You keep killing your house plant, right?! This article is for the horticulturally challenged. Having plants is amazing, but you definitely want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep them thriving, flourishing, and not dying. Everyone can have a green thumb, if you make sure you’re avoiding the few mishaps below!

Overwatering

Water is great and perfect for everyone and thing, right? WRONG. Too much water can easily cause the demise of your plant and is definitely the most common reason why a lot of plants die at the hands of their newbie plant owner. We often forget that in order for our house plants to be happy, we must mimic their native surroundings. I.E. Aloe, succulents, and cacti are use to dry and sunny climates. Their fleshy leaves and sometimes rhomizones roots allow them to store water for long periods of time not requiring water for weeks. Therefore, watering an aloe plant daily or weekly is not ideal. It actually will cause a very quick death.

Plants such as hoyas, succulents, zz plants, aloe, cacti, and pothos are often fall victim to overwater.

Too Cold or Warm

Its summer time and you’re blasting your ac, I get it. It feels good. What about winter time? Its freezing outside, but it feels great to come home to warmth. The good life is the best way to describe it, but guess what? You’re killing your house plant, especially your tropical house plant. Extremely cold or hot air is the equivalent to dry air and dry air is a silent killer for plants who thrive in humidity. You’ll definitely see this issue arise in plants placed really close to a vent, heater, etc. Plants such as calatheas and ferns tend to brown around the tip of their leaves when the air is too dry. IF you don’t want to adjust your thermostat, try getting a humidifier or two. It’s a good way to add moisture back in the air. Misting your plants daily also in a great alternative.

Not Doing Your Research

The internet and a few good books can be your best friend when learning to love plants. Seriously, it’s a must when you aquire a plant you have no idea on how to care for. Googling “how to care for – insert plant name here-” will definitely keep your from overwatering a plant, providing too much light, and/or over fertilizing. Although I recommend joining our houseplant facebook group here – We Love Houseplants By BGWG – to get most of your plant advice, I don’t knocking reading up on plants (I do it all the time) and bookmarking a few articles (hopefully this one) to make sure you master loving your house plant correctly versus killing your house plant.

Neglecting Recommended Re-potting Advice

There are rules and laws to re-potting your plants and as a law abiding plant parent, you must comply, okay?! JUST KIDDING! There are a few common recommendations on when, why, and how to re-pot your houseplant that tends to be a really good rule of thumb. Drifting completely away from said advise can lead to transplant shock that will lead to a slow plant death easily.

•  Re-pot during “growing” season such as spring, summer, and even fall. Re-potting during the dormant/winter season can shock the plant something harsh and it won’t be able to make a strong enough comeback to survive.
•  Re-pot into a larger pot only if roots are bound and causing the decline of the condition of the plant
•  Re-pot into a smaller pot only if pot is too large for the plant to flourish. Plants repotted into too large planters show no signs of new growth or water logging.
• Re-pot into same size pot when you’ve overwatered, pests (gnats), or any situations that require new soil.
•  Do NOT pot in a planter without drainage. If you want to use a drainless pot, plant/pot into a nursury plastic pot with drainage and place inside the pot with no drainage. You can dump out excessive water minutes after watering.

Read More – How To Re-Pot Your House Plant

Not Enough Light

No plant can survive without light. It’s literally a vital part in their livelihood. Some plants can tolerate low light better than other but that’s still based on the atmosphere in your home. With that being said, if you don’t give your plant the proper light, it will die. Period. Often times in homes, we don’t provide the adequate amount of light versus too much light. Becoming familiar with your brightest window and its location such as east, north, west, or south helps with discovering how much light the window gets. Also, being aware of the plant’s light requirements helps as well. If the light in your home is just not enough, you can always grab a grow light from Amazon.