Tips on How to Stop Killing Your Houseplants!

I do not know how many times I have taken a “healthy” plant home, and within 3 days it is wilting and in about 1-2 weeks, it has completely died. Before I had my 20 plant babies, I thought I was a plant murderer, I did not know how to stop killing my houseplants! Now as a successful plant parent, I can tell you while some of the problem is you; a lot of it is NOT!

In this post we will go over some common plant problems, and also some potential solutions! So, let's get started; before it is too late 😮

What Causes a Plant to Become Unhealthy?

Overwatering

Most any website you find will tell you not to overwater. The issue with this is, what is overwatering. One plant seems to trive off weekly watering, while others seem to curl up and die with every drop in their pot. A good trick is first to research how much water you plant needs. Start by sticking to this schedule and technique, if you have a healthy plant, congrats! If not do be discouraged yet!

If you have a plant that doesn't tolerate a regular watering schedule try these tips:

• Water with 1-3 ice cubes, try to cover with a little bit of soil so the plant does not get too cold!

• If your plant likes more frequent waterings but is still showing signs of root rot, try to mist throughout the week to give a light watering each day or so.

Improper pot

This is so important, I cannot tell you how many times I have put this off, then a few days later, the drooping begins! A plant that is too tightly packed into a pot will compact itself and be unable to dry out correctly.

A good rule of thumb for me is if you cannot poke a chopstick down into the soil, it needs a new pot and some loose soil. Try to break the soil up as much as possible (without breaking too much of the roots), you can even try to rinse the soil off to leave just the roots. Afterward put your plant into a more suitable pot with loose fitting soil, and pray!

Too much/little sunlight

I find that bright indirect light works well for most of my plants. Research your specific species and place it accordingly. But if you do not know the name of your plant baby, this will be your best bet.

An easy way to get indirect light if you do not have it is to have a light colored curtain or thin sheet over the window, and place the plant in front of it. A light curtain will filter the direct window light and make it a less harsh.

Mold and pests!

You will know your plant is starting to mold if you see unusual white coloration on the soil, and sometimes might find small fruit flys circling your plants like ravens waiting for their next meal. Good news is, this actually is a relatively easy fix if caught early enough.

To remove mold from your plant:

• Mix 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 10 parts water. This diluted solution usually gets mold calmed down within 3-4 days for me and my plants.

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"I did all this, and it is still going to die!"

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If you have taken all of these tips, and still nothing works there is good and bad news. The good news is, it is most likely not your fault! For example, store bought basil is known to be overcrowded and usually die if they are not split up and repotted. Bad news is, if the problem started before you had even received the plant, the life expectancy is not looking too hot!

When I have a plant I feel like might be hopeless, unfortunately for them it becomes my experiment plant! *insert evil scientist laughter*. Try new methods and techniques with them, who knows you might save a life!

How to Stop Killing Your Houseplants!

Here are some “experiments" I use on my sickly plants:

Use a fan to dry them out

Usually plants will dry out with some sunlight, next to an open window, and less frequent waterings but that is not always the case. If the soil still looks damp, try to poke a few holes in the soil (do not force and break roots), elevate so drainage holes are exposed to some air, and then put that bad boy near a fan!

Try new fertilizers

At MODMIND, I encourage natural fertilizers such as soaking a banana peel in water, then watering your plants with that for potassium. Oftentimes leaf discoloration signals a nutrient deficiency. For more information on natural fertilizers, I commonly refer to this blog post from Urban Garden Gal.

Try a new location

Maybe your plant just isn’t vibing with the home you gave it and needs a lil vacation! Try to move your plant to a few other suitable spots within your space and observe how it reacts. I would say if you do not see a difference within 3 days, the location most likely is not the problem, and you can return the plant to its original home and try something else.

Give it a buddy

Many times planting two different plants together can result in death. Some plants would rather die than be touched by another plant. You’ll see signs of this as the part of the plant that is touching the other starts to yellow and retract.

Other times, a buddy might be all your lil plant needs to feel healthy again.

For example:

I have a spring onion, two spring onions got tangled up in one of my vining annual plants. The vines used the onion to grow closer to the sun, and I swear, they will not let those onions die!

As for the other two spring onions that were not supported by the vines…they met a sad demise. It has been 2 months since the death of my onion friends, but their spirit still lives on through the two. And yes, I know I cannot harvest the onions now that they are wrapped up in vines, but my ego is very happy that I kept another plant from its demise.

In Conclusion:

Plants can be tricky and some species are easier to take care of than others. Find which variations work for your caregiving style and house! Just like animals, plants have different needs and care levels. There are many resources online to help foster a green thumb, for more MODMIND tips on getting your green thumb check out our blog hub "The Greenhouse".