Plants brighten up an interior and bring a touch of warm and cozy greenery that also encourages relaxation.
But often, thinking of doing well, we happen to make mistakes that can be detrimental to their health.
Here are six mistakes we all make.
Mistake #1: Overwatering Indoor Plants
This is indeed one of the mistakes we all make: overwatering our plants.
For fear of seeing the plants lack hydration, we tend to give them too much water.
However, to flourish as it should, an indoor plant needs appropriate and well-dosed watering.
There is therefore no need to drown the plant by bringing it an excess of water which could be fatal to it, because the roots are likely to rot.
The rule in this matter: the clod of soil must dry on the surface between two waterings.
Tip: use a pot with holes to allow the water to drain.
Clay balls placed at the bottom of the pot are also very effective in absorbing some of the water while maintaining constant humidity beneficial to the plant.
Mistake n°2: using water that is too cold or lukewarm
A houseplant is a living entity, and like living beings, it should not be rushed.
For adequate watering, water that is too cold or, on the contrary, too lukewarm is to be avoided.
Avoid using cold water straight out of the tap.
Water at room temperature is therefore ideal.
To do this, fill several water bottles (depending on the number of houseplants to be watered) two or three days before watering.
These bottles will thus be kept in the ambient air.
Collected rainwater is also ideal for watering indoor plants.
Collecting tap water a few days in advance also helps to remove some of the limestone contained in the water.
Some so-called "acidophilic" plants (in the
Mistake n°3: placing your indoor plants in a place that is too exposed or too dark
The positioning and location chosen for houseplants is just as crucial as the timing of watering.
And yet it is a mistake that we very often make: to want to give light to an indoor plant, the luminosity being also beneficial, we overexpose it and it dries out... On the contrary, a Too dark a place will affect plant growth.
It also depends on the variety of the plant, but, in general, it is recommended to place your green plants in a place without direct sunlight.
The ideal is to orient them near an (external) light source located to the east.
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Mistake #4: Exposing houseplants to drafts
It is also important to place your outdoor plants away from drafts.
Very often, the green plants are posed in the entryways or other places in prey to the drafts, but these can be fatal for the houseplants.
Only particularly robust plants will thus have their place in these spaces.
Mistake #5: Leaving water in the saucer of the plant
Other common mistakes are using a saucer, and more importantly, leaving water in it.
However, stagnant water is very harmful for the roots of plants, favoring their rotting due to excess humidity.
If clay balls have not been placed, it is best to place the pots in a basin or a bathtub just after watering until the water drains.
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Mistake n°6: leaving the roots cramped in a pot that is too narrow
Not repotting indoor plants is also an often overlooked aspect.
And when the roots are too cramped, they stop growing: the plant will thus have a shorter life expectancy than if it had been repotted regularly, according to its growth rate.
