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15 HousePlant Tips for Plant Parents

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We all struggle with houseplants. Some are easy to grow and some can be so difficult. You think you do everything right and it still dies. Here are 15 houseplant tips to help you on your houseplant journey.

houseplant tips

Tip #1:

Research, Research, Research! I cannot stress this enough. If you are having trouble with a plant I bet you that someone else has had the same problem and has solved the issue. There are thousands of resources online along with books and social media that can help answer any questions you have.

Tip #2:

You don’t always have to repot a root bound plant right away. Some plants actually prefer to be root bound for a while.

Tip #3

Low light doesn’t mean no light. If your plant label says it’s a low light plant please do not put this plant in a room without natural light or a grow light.

Tip #4

If you have a root bound plant that you want to keep in the same pot, you can prune the roots by 1/3 and repot the plant back into its pot.

Tip #5

A yellow leaf could be literally anything. Go back through your care routine to figure out if there’s anything you may have done or not done that could have caused a yellow leaf.

Tip #6

Older leaves turn yellow and die. It’s ok they aren’t meant to live forever.

Tip #7

Don’t buy plants you know won’t survive in your home. Save yourself the heartbreak.

Tip #8

Keep plants that are poisonous to your pets out of reach.

For tips on creating a Biophilic home read this post!

Tip #9

Make your own soil mix specific to your plants needs. The right soil goes a long way in growing healthy plants.

Tip #10

Watering is relative to light. If you plant gets high light then you will need to water more. If your plant is in low light you will water less.

Tip #11

Propagate, Propagate, Propagate! If you want more plants save money and propagate the plants you love.

Tip #12

Experiment with your plants. If they aren’t happy move them to different spots or try a different watering routine, maybe a different fertilizer until they are happy.

Tip #13

Fertilize your plants. Plants need food to grow healthy and strong. Get on a routine based on the specific plant and always follow the directions on the container.

Tip #14

Don’t chase trends. Buying and growing plants can be a costly hobby in itself and chasing trendy plants and make a HUGE dent in the bank account. If you can wait the trendy plants always drop in price.

Tip #15

Learn to let go of the plants that no longer make you happy. Letting go opens up space for new plants and new plants bring more joy into your life.

I hope you enjoy these houseplant tips! Are there anymore you would add to this list?

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

How to Keep a Fern Alive

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Ferns may be the most killed houseplant of all time, or at least in my house they are. These tricky plants can be so difficult to keep happy that it can ruin your confidence as a houseplant parent. At this stage in my houseplant journey (10+ years), I don’t typically buy ferns anymore. I have three different varieties that do well for me inside. Keeping ferns alive in the garden is a whole different and easier ballgame I’ll save for another post.

This blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my houseplant habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me in the garden. It’s a win for everyone, really.

When keeping ferns inside your home, there are several things that you cannot ignore when growing ferns and even with all conditions met it doesn’t guarantee success. They are very particular and will turn crispy at the slightest change in conditions.

fern
Fern

How Much Light do Ferns Need?

Ferns do extremely well in low, dappled light. One of the reasons to own ferns is because they can live in a darker corner of your home and do pretty well. Now mind you, low-light doesn’t mean no light. No houseplants can survive without any light. So be sure that dark corner does get some light throughout the day.

How to Fertilize Ferns

Every plant needs to be fed if you want them to grow well. For ferns, I like to use a low, diluted dose of fish emulsion every other watering. Ferns can be very sensitive to fertilizers so be sure to use an organic fertilizer instead of synthetic and dilute it down. If you notice your fern is getting brown tips or leaves, cut back on the frequency of fertilizer.

Staghorn Fern
Staghorn Fern

How to Water Your Ferns

Ferns do not like to dry out and it will be hard to keep your fern alive if you let it go bone dry. Be prepared to keep their soil consistently moist all the time. That may mean watering every 2-3 days or once a week depending on the environment you keep your fern. If you keep your fern in a more humid space, you may not need to water as frequently unlike if you kept it in a dryer area. I keep ferns in our full bathroom because the humidity from the shower helps keep the fern happy. Proper watering is a major key to keeping your fern alive, so set an alarm if you need to remember to water your ferns.

Ferns Love Humidity

If you want your fern to look beautiful and be healthy give it lots of humidity. Now humidity levels will vary depending on the type of fern, but try to keep the area at at least 40% humidity. No need to go overboard, just try to keep a balance of humidity and regular watering to keep your plant happy.

fern living under a dome
Fern under a dome

The Best Fern Tip

One great way to have some success with your ferns is if you know the exact variety, do research on where that plant is native, and then recreate those conditions as best as you can in your home.

Ferns are so beautiful and if you can successfully keep one happy indoors, give yourself a pat on the back because this is no easy task. If you are one who struggles with ferns, I hope these tips help you keep your fern baby alive.

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

How to Create a Closed Terrarium

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Hey there! Terrariums are so cool, whether open or closed. Today I am building a closed Terrarium, which is exciting because I get to grow ferns. There are only a few ferns that I can keep alive in my house, so I’m looking forward to growing these testy plants in a Terrarium. So how do you create a closed Terrarium? It starts by gathering your materials.

Closed Terrarium
Closed Terrarium

Needs:

  1. Wide mouth plastic or glass jug or bottle with a lid
  2. Gravel or small pebbles
  3. Potting soil
  4. Plants that like humidity
  5. Decor (figurines, etc)
  6. Natural materials (moss, sticks, wood, rocks)
  7. Sheet moss
  8. Orchid bark
  9. Perlite
Terrarium Supplies
Terrarium Supplies

To begin, you want to make sure that your vessel is clean, especially if you are reusing a plastic or glass jug or jar. Now it’s time to add our layers of drainage. Each layer is about 1/2 inch thick, excluding the soil layer and the sheet moss layers.

Add your gravel to the bottom. Using gravel as the first layer allows a place for water to drain and rest.

Terraium Gravel
Terrarium gravel

The next layer I’m adding is Orchid bark. This is another layer that allows for water drainage. Drainage is so important in a terrarium just like in potted plants, you don’t want the roots sitting in soggy soil.

Lay down sheet moss in a thin layer until the surface is covered. The sheet moss is great because it holds in all of the soil, allowing only water to pass through.

Terrarium
Layer of sheet moss

This next layer of Perlite was one I decided to add last minute for aesthetics, but it also adds another layer of drainage.

Lastly, add 2-3 inches of potting soil, more if needed.

Miniature plants for a Terrarium

Now’s the time for the fun part, planting! Place your plants in a formation that’s aesthetically pleasing to you! Once you have your plants planted, it’s time to add the extras. In this Terrarium, I am adding live moss, rocks and pieces of bark found outside in my garden.

Once you’ve got your pieces all set, it’s time to water it all in! Make sure you see the water running to the bottom and that your potting soil is saturated. You will want to water the sides of the vessel and not directly on your plants.

Terrarium
Terrarium

When it’s all said and done, you should not have to add water to this Terrarium if you keep the lid closed. If you choose a glass lid terrarium, you will likely need to water again at some point. It it hard to say without knowing the size of the vessel, materials and plants used. Best advice is to keep an eye out for dry soil and or wilting plants.

Now that you’ve got your Terrarium planted and watered, set it in a space where you and your guests can enjoy!

Happy Gardening,

Ciearra

How to Mount a Staghorn Fern

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Staghorn Ferns are Epiphytes, meaning they grow on other plants but do not take nutrients from the host plant. Instead, it gets nutrients from rain water, accumulated debris, and air, which is amazing! There are so many gorgeous plants that live this way. Mounting a Staghorn Fern is a way to style this epiphyte that’s more natural to its growing habit.

Staghorn Fern mounted on wood
Staghorn Fern Mounted on Wood

Tools for the Job:

Fishing line

Scissors

Piece of wood or Board ( Non Treated wood is best)

Sheet Moss

Staghorn Fern

Staghorn Fern
Staghorn Fern

The first thing you need to do is soak your moss in warm water to rehydrate it. Allow your moss to sit for 30 minutes to an hour. Once it’s moist, drain the excess water and set aside.

I am using a piece of wood from our firewood pile. It caught my eye because of the bark and the flatness of the back. You can use a piece of wood like I am, or you can get a piece of wood board from a hardware store. They are happy to cut you a piece to the size you need. If using a board, make sure that depending on the size of your fern, you allot at least two inches around the fern for the shield to grow. You can measure by using the pot size of your fern.

If you want to see how to mount a Staghorn Fern on a piece of board check out this video below

Root Bound Staghorn Fern
Root Bound Staghorn Fern

Now it’s time to take your fern out of the pot. Take off as much soil as possible. My fern was root bound, so I made four cuts into the root ball. I was able to remove some soil but most was stuck to the roots, so in an effort to not stress the plant out any further I, stopped. The goal is to get the plant as flat on the surface of the board or wood as possible.

Staghorn Fern Mounting with Moss

Next, you will want to position your fern onto your wood. Once happy with the placement, you can begin laying sheet moss around the root ball on the piece of wood. Make sure to cover every piece of the root ball.

Take your fishing line and make your first knot around the Staghorn and the wood. You will want to take the string through the fronds and over the shields if any are present. Tie your string making your first secure loop around the plant. Continue wrapping the fishing line around the moss and wood, and be sure to pull tight. The goal is to secure the plant and moss to the piece of wood. You may tie off the string at any point and then start again with a new loop if you want.

Staghorn Fern

I continued to wrap the same string around the wood until I was confident the plant and moss were secure. I probably wrapped the string at least thirty times around. Now you have to lift your wood and test if your plant is secure. If it is, then congratulations! You just mounted a Staghorn Fern!

staghorn fern mounted on wood
Staghorn Fern Mounted on wood

This is an easy project, and a beautiful way to style this plant in a way that’s more natural, which gives your home that Biophilic design touch.

Happy Gardening!

Ciearra

Philodendron Micans Easy Care Tips

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The Philodendron Micans is a beautiful velvety climbing vine. Its velvety leaves are hard to resist and glitter when the sun hits them. The philodendron Micans is not a difficult plant to grow, just like other Philodendrons it can be very easy going.

Philodendron Micans
Philodendron Micans

The Micans can handle pretty dim conditions within the home. However they thrive in bright indirect light and prefer that type of lighting. A window with east facing light will suffice.

When this gorgeous plant is thirsty it will tell you by curling its leaves. Should you see curled leaves or dry tips you know it’s been too long and you need to give it a full drink.

Because this is a plant that climbs in the wild, giving it a moss pole to climb will result in a happier plant with larger leaves. It’s still beautiful if you allow it to trail, it’s all a matter of preference.

Philodendron Micans
Philodendron Micans

Philodendrons enjoy being fertilized. I water my philo’s with diluted fish emulsion once every few weeks and they grow like crazy!

Philodendrons thrive in a potting soil mix that holds moisture but also has bark chunks or perlite for added drainage. I typically use a potting soil mix and add orchid bark to add drainage.

Philodendron Micans is a very easy going houseplant that is easy to take care of. It shines in the sun, what more could you ask for in a plant?

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

African Violet Houseplant Care Tips

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African Violets are probably one of the most misunderstood houseplants as far as care. So many plant parents kill them simply because they don’t understand what they need. So let’s think about where they hail from. Native to Africa, hot and dry these plants can handle a little bit of drought. They have a fuzzy more succulent leaf which means they store a bit of water in case of a drought.

African Violet in bloom

Soil Mix:

You can use an African Violet pre mixed soil if you wish. I use my mix for just about every plant in my care. It’s a potting soil called Pro Mix, I mix in a little Orchid Bark or vermiculite to add extra drainage. It’s an all around mix in my opinion.

Light:

I find that African Violets do well with bright indirect light and will bloom more freely in bright light. I keep two in filtered west facing light and one in bright east facing light.

Water:

The African Violet is a plant that I water when dry. Like all the soil in the pot is completely dry. Not 3 months dry more like it’s been dry for a week and now I’m watering it. They prefer to be bottom watered 75% of the time and 25% from above. Any moisture resting on the foliage and on the crown of the plant has a potential for fungal issues and rot.

Pot:

African Violets do well in any type of pot. Be sure to adjust the drainage depending on the pot you choose. Plastic pots will require more drainage additives such as perlite, vermiculite or Orchid Bark. Whereas Terra cotta will need less additives because Terracotta wicks water from the soil drying it faster.

Once you get the hang of African Violet care they will grow and bloom so well for you. They are a must have plant for your collection.

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

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