As an interior tropical plant care specialist for many years that is the most common comment I hear from clients regarding their plants at home. I reply with my standard list of checks to get them thinking about WHY “my plants are dying”. If you are saying the same thing lately take a look at these simply fixes.
The list of top 3 priorities to saving them are as follows:
1. Are you sure you have enough light in the area that you are having trouble?
A. If you are not sure about the light level then it’s probably too low. Keep light levels at least to a point where you can see a shadow on a white piece of paper. Any less than that and very few if any plants will survive. So adjust accordingly if need be and remember that while a few plant species are regarded as “low light plants”, there is no such thing as a “no” light plant and very few really “low” light plants exist
2. Are you over watering?
This is BY FAR the #1 killer of house plants made even worse when light conditions are too low.
“My Plants are dying!”…so we pour even more water on then with the best of intentions only to finish them off. The solution is very simple. Check moisture level with your finger in the soil to see if it’s wet!. If you can make the soil at the top of the container or ground ball up in your hand then the plant does not need a drink.
With container plants overwatering is especially deadly. Remember, if the soil in a container is wet on top then it is REALLY wet at the bottom. Try gently lifting the growing container to see how heavy it is and listen for standing water at the bottom. If you find water standing in the bottom remove the plant and drain the water. Add some dry soil to help absorb excess and let it use the moisture it has in the soil before watering again!….One good rule is “ when in doubt, dry it out”.
3. Are you correctly feeding your plants?
“My plants are dying!! ”Really? And you can’t remember when if ever you last fed them with a well balanced fertilizer? Remember…All living things require nutrition to be healthy and thrive. If you neglected to correctly nourish yourself your pets or any other living thing, eventually instability, low energy, infestation and disease will be the result. So why would a living plant be any different? Correct Feeding is critically important to your success as a gardener or plant enthusiast.
The main barrier to correct and regular feeding is just plain remembering to do so. If we can just remember to feed our plants and gardens we can avoid a whole host of problems. Because remembering to feed and knowing how to feed plant correctly is at times a challenge, AquaVor has created a simple effective solution. Our line of Food and Water cans take all the guess work and neglect out of the fertilizing process so you can be sure your plants and gardens have the regular nutrition they need to be healthy and beautiful!.
To learn more please visit our website at www.AquaVor.com
