Your house plant summer care guide

The idea of an always-impeccable

house plant is something that we growers often fixate on. But it would be foolish to think that after countless months of painstaking photosynthesis an individual leaf could stay more or less perfect forever. Just like other living things, plants age over time – leaf tips will become crispy and edges may turn yellow or brown.

But besides accepting the fact that your house plant won’t always look flawless, what can you do to get the most out of your indoor greenery? Here are a few simple tricks and tips to keep them in good health.

Watering

Over-watering is the number one killer of house plants. Well-meaning people often over-soak the compost until their unfortunate plant seems to literally swim. Then they find it slumped to one side, the root system having given up, in a fashion that often looks confusingly like it’s dying of thirst.

Potting mixes that are wet for too long will become anaerobic, meaning there is too little accessible oxygen for the root system to perform respiration, thus resulting in rot.

The best piece of advice that I can give is to drench the potting compost in between periods of slight drought. Waiting at least a few days before re-saturating is the most effective way of allowing oxygen to re-enter the potting mix, enabling the roots to breathe and recover again. As long as the plant is in a suitable-sized pot with drainage, you absolutely can’t cause root rot by over-drenching the compost – the primary cause will always be the frequency with which you water and letting your plant sit in a waterlogged pot.

Feeding

Nourishing your collection is another vital piece of the puzzle when raising a spectacular indoor oasis. Most of your plants will be at the peak of their growing performance in summer, so reward them with a balanced house plant feed every fourth watering or so.

Location and light

It’s important to evaluate the site in which your plants are currently residing. Take a moment to check your collection when the sun reaches its full intensity. Now is the time to retrieve plants from south- or west-facing windows if they are looking a little on the scorched side. Relocate them to about 2m back from direct light, or at least to a northfacing window, to ensure they still receive a similar level of light to the one they’ve been accustomed to earlier in the year.

Pruning

Remove all yellowing or browning leaves now to help your plants focus on new summer growth. Also cut away any browned leaf tips or spent flowers to keep plants looking healthy.

Right plant, right place is key for house plants – these succulents like bright light

Perk up dehydrated plants by giving them a good soak

Checking for pests

As our homes can quickly reach high temperatures at the height of summer, this is the perfect opportunity for pests such as red spider mites, mealybugs and thrips to spring into action by hatching in quick succession.

Inspect under the leaves, along the stems and in any nooks and crannies that may harbour an egg mass. Visit GardenersWorld.com/houseplants-aphids for advice on tackling aphids.

Repotting

Check if your green friend needs a new home to spread its wings and reach its full potential. Signs that your house plant needs more root room include rapidly drying compost, a slower rate of new growth, tightly packed roots, a deformed pot or roots emerging through the drainage holes.

Choose a new pot that is just one size larger. And use a potting mix specially formulated for the type of plant – usually a general house plant compost, but use specific potting mixes for cacti and succulents, and for carnivorous plants such as Venus flytraps.

To ensure your plants survive being home alone, group them into a close-knit bunch in a room that receives no direct sunlight. Stand them on a pebble tray on the floor, about 1.5m back from a north/east-facing window. This ensures they still receive enough light and energy.

Give every plant a final drench before saying au revoir. A thorough watering over the sink should do the job. Another good way to hydrate is by placing the plant in a saucer or bowl and pouring water around the compost until the bowl begins filling with water. Instead of pouring the excess away, leave the plant in the bowl for half an hour to let the compost re-absorb the moisture, before returning the plant to the group. Rainwater is always a better option for your house plants, so use water from a butt if you have one outdoors.

Keep your house plants cool as a cucumber while you’re away, if possible, as this will reduce the rate at which the compost dries out. Ideally keep the room temperature to about 15°C. But don’t let it drop too low, as cold temperatures may have adverse effects such as yellowing leaf margins or the sudden loss of leaves or flowers.

For a longer holiday you may need a more bold and daring approach. Wick-watering is a fun and effective way to continue providing moisture to small plants (in pots less than 15cm in diameter) using the science of capillary action. Place a jar of water in the middle of your house plant collection, then measure the distance between each individual plant and the jar. With each measurement, add an extra 7.5cm to the distance, then cut a piece of

Lift your plant and check for tightly bound roots – a sure sign it needs repotting

Summer holiday SOS

string to length. Place one end of the string 5cm into the jar and the other into the plant’s compost to about a third of the pot’s depth in the soil. Your plants will then wick up the water they need.

Other ideas for adding moisture include placing sheets of damp newspaper over the compost surface, standing a humidifier nearby and using drip-feeders, filling them with water to slowly provide moisture to the plant. Note that this advice applies to most house plants – some, like succulents, can be left alone for short periods.

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