Why new indoor flowers wilt: the most common care mistakes

Everyone likes greenery in the interior - it is beautiful, creates cosiness and even relieves stress. That's why many people try to start their own mini-garden in pots at home at least once in their lives. And many of these beginners fail at the start. But why do indoor plants die? What are the most common care mistakes? How to choose the right flowerpot care?

Garden Buildings Direct has collected the 9 most common mistakes. And told you how to avoid them if you want to turn your home or office into an oasis. So, if your plants are dying, you probably...

You chose the wrong plant

If you're an inexperienced gardener, you may be guided by appearance alone when choosing a plant - the size of the pot, leaves or flowers. But in reality, you should pay attention to the conditions you can offer: light, humidity, water quality. If you have all your windows facing north, it is unlikely that a light-loving flowerpot will survive, and even a cactus can die in high humidity.

You made a mistake with watering

We usually think that plants dry out due to insufficient watering. Many of us start pouring more water on them in this case. But the trick is that even when you overwater, your green pet begins to show very similar "symptoms". So pay attention to the following three signs:

• yellowing of the leaves;
• soil moisture;
• the appearance of mould in the pot.

Yellow and wilted leaves will signal you that something is wrong with the plant. The condition of the soil will show you which way you are missing the mark with watering: very dry and even cracked - underwatering, wet instead of moist - overwatering. Mould appears only where there is an excess of moisture.

Choosing the wrong pot

The size of the pot is very important. If your plant is cramped in its own, it can lead to root damage and the development of root rot. If the pot is too large, the water may not be distributed efficiently. In addition, the soil in the pot becomes compacted over time and loses its moisture retention properties. Therefore, it is necessary to repot the plants in a timely manner.

Forgetting about drainage

Sometimes beginners in indoor gardening confuse pots with flowerpots and plant their plants in the latter - they are often made very aesthetically pleasing and stylised to suit different interiors. However, a planter differs from a pot in that it has no drainage holes in the bottom where excess water could drain. In this case, excess moisture accumulates inside the container and gradually kills the plant. The correct order is as follows: the plant itself should be in a pot with holes in the bottom, with a layer of expanded clay or other drainage under the soil layer to drain excess water, and then all this can be placed in a beautiful pot.

Water all plants on the same schedule

If you have several plants, they most likely need different watering regimes. Cacti and succulents won't like being watered every other day and sprayed daily, and delicate flowering plants are unlikely to produce flowers if they receive water every two weeks. So, based on the condition of the plants and the soil in their pots, make yourself a chart with a watering schedule for each pot separately and stick to it. Over time, you will learn to visually distinguish the moment when it is time to give the plant water. Also remember that plants like water at room temperature, not an ice bath.

Buy plants without labels

Over time, every houseplant lover learns how to care for different types of plants. However, at the very beginning of your gardening journey, it is better to buy plants from trusted sellers who include detailed care instructions for each bush or flower - what kind of lighting and watering is needed, what kind of soil is best, what the temperature should be, when to transplant or prune the plant. As a last resort, find similar instructions on the Internet and keep them handy. But the main guide for you should still be the condition of the flowerpot - if it is clearly in bad shape, then you are doing something wrong.

Place plants near radiators

No plants like to be near heating appliances. In winter, they heat and dry the air too much. And even cacti cannot withstand such a 24/7 regime. Therefore, move floor pots away from radiators and make sure that the window sill, if you are planting your garden on windows, completely covers the radiators, protecting the plants from their effects.

Exposing flowerpots to the damaging effects of the sun

There is a more or less universal rule - direct sunlight is tolerated by tall plants that grow up to it. These can be trees or palm trees. Herbs, flowers and shrubs usually grow in nature below the level of trees, so they are adapted to diffused sunlight. Therefore, even the most sun-loving potted plants will feel better if they are not exposed to direct rays. What's more, just as sunlight burns human skin, it also harms leaves that are not adapted to it - the plant can die as a result. Therefore, place the flowerpots so that they receive light but do not fry in the sun. Hint - south-facing windows are definitely not a good choice for a home garden.

Give up after the first failure

Don't assume that if your first cactus (or, as some say, "even a cactus!") died, then you are definitely not capable of growing flowers at home. Read through this list, think about what you did wrong, and start from the beginning. There are plenty of hardy plants that will feel great at home and be pleasing to the eye if you figure out what your main mistake was.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL talked about plants that will survive even with lazy owners who sometimes forget about watering. And also about plants that definitely do not belong on the windowsill.

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