Reasons your house plants keep on dying

Living
By Esther Muchene | Sep 18, 2022
We take a look at why your house plants may not be thriving [Courtesy]

Adding plants to your home brings in such a refreshing aura. They enhance the beauty of any space and they just have a way of making a room feel alive.

However, there are specific types of plant that can thrive in a room such as the peace lily, spider plant and snake plant, just to name a few. These are plants that are able to adjust outside of their natural environment, just as long as you take care of them properly.

A common issue that many indoor plant owners experience is the premature death of their plants. There are many reasons why this happens and chances are, you could be committing some of these offences.

What you have isn't a houseplant

Mastering all the types of plant species is difficult. Some of them even look alike so unless you're an expert, you will have some trouble.

The first thing to confirm is whether your plant is indeed an indoor plant. If it's not, don't be embarrassed. It can happen if you haven't done research or gotten some guidance on the correct type of plants suitable for indoors.

You have taken low maintenance to extremes

The appealing thing about houseplants, beside the aesthetic appeal, is the low maintenance aspect. Some species can be left alone for a long time without needing any maintenance, which is perfect if you don't want something that will overwhelm your schedule.

At the same time, low maintenance doesn't mean no maintenance. You need to create a consistent schedule where you can give your plants some TLC.

You're doing too much

Your plants might also be withering away because you're putting in way too much effort. It would make sense to want take care of them all the time but, this isn't how indoor plants thrive.

A big mistake that many make is overwatering. Generally, indoor plants photosynthesize slowly so they don't usually need a lot.

Therefore, if you always see signs like yellowing leaves, moldy soil and other warning signs before they expire, you could be overwatering.

You place them in the wrong spot

Where you place your plant is very important for its survival. Even though they can thrive in low light, they still need enough of it to thrive.

If you keep placing your plants in a spot that is not well lit, that's the problem. Change the location, and check if there will be some improvement.

Generally, indoor plants photosynthesize slowly so they don't usually need a lot of water [Courtesy]

You haven't done enough research

Houseplants might have some similar characteristics but they're not exactly the same. They need to be watered using different techniques because they thrive in different conditions and generally, they need to be handled the correct way depending on the specific species.

If you don't research properly and assume that they're all the same, they will keep expiring prematurely. Take your time to know about the indoor plant you have and how it needs to be taken care of.

The soil isn't right

Lastly, make sure that the soil you're using is suitable. Maybe you've been collecting soil from your backyard which most of the time, isn't the best for indoor plants.

It would help to buy soil that can supply nutrients that your plants need for them to survive.

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