We are losing them! Why indoor plants die and what to do to prevent this from happening
Having become fascinated with the idea of creating an oasis in your apartment filled with green plants and fragrant flowers, you have acquired several types of very different “green neighbors”.
But despite all your efforts to care for them, the plants wither, turn yellow and die... What are you doing wrong? Here are some mistakes that an inexperienced gardener can make at home.
The first mistake is to buy a plant for the home without taking into account the climatic conditions in which it should be kept, as well as the natural biological cycle of the specimen.
For example, some plants can handle the summer heat, but in winter they "hibernate" and need to be kept in cooler conditions. Or some flowers like high humidity, while others only rot from it. Always check these points before buying a plant or taking a free cutting from a neighbor/friend.
Mistake number two is to put plants on a windowsill with a radiator underneath. It creates heat and dryness around itself, which again, not all flowers will approve of. And you will either have to water the soil more often so that it does not dry out, or move the pot to where the plant will be more comfortable.
The third mistake concerns watering. Beginning gardeners usually either overdo it in moistening the soil in flower pots, watering it frequently, or forget about watering altogether and only remember when the plant has clearly dried out.
Watering should be regular and moderate. How to determine how much water a plant needs and how often? Just find out from the Internet or from the seller. And then either check the soil for excess moisture with a wooden stick, or set reminders on your phone that a certain green specimen needs watering on a certain day and in a certain dosage.
Mistake number four is placing flower pots on a window that is exposed to sunlight for a long time, especially in summer.
Most indoor plants welcome the influx of light and warmth and only grow better and become greener, but in the case of delicate orchids, the sun can cause burns on the leaves. Therefore, it is recommended to keep these flowers in direct sunlight for a short time or even place them in more shaded areas of the room.
The fifth mistake is to keep plants in shaded rooms or on a windowsill where light does not penetrate through thick curtains. When there is a lack of light, photosynthesis processes are disrupted, and the flowers become limp, their leaves turn pale and yellow. If you notice something like this, try simply moving the pot closer to a natural light source or buy a phytolamp.
Mistake number six is forgetting to inspect the plants and flowers in your home for harmful insects or fungal diseases.
Aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, rust, powdery mildew - if you do not pay attention to them in time, they can seriously harm the plant and kill it. Find out what diseases a particular flower can theoretically suffer from and what pests can attack it, regularly inspect all plants for spots, small insects and traces of their activity and carry out special soil treatment against fungi.
And the last, seventh mistake - regularly watering flowers, you forget to feed them just as regularly.
No matter how nutritious and rich in useful substances the soil in which the plant sits is, over time it becomes depleted and the green "resident" no longer has enough minerals for growth and development. Be sure to find out what types of fertilizers are needed for a specific species and how often they should be added to the soil. It would not be superfluous to create a separate feeding schedule and strictly follow it.
