Plant care basics - tips for new plant parents
Growing plants can be incredibly rewarding: plants give life to your space, help to purify the air, allow us to reconnect with the natural world, and offer an opportunity for mindful growth. Naturally, first-time plant owners can struggle to know exactly what their plants need – if only they could tell us! Here are some easy tips that can help you to tune into your new plants’ needs.
Light it up
Ensuring that your plant gets the right amount of sunlight is essential for its growth and development. Remember photosynthesis from science lessons? It’s that magical process where plant cells convert light energy into sugars that they can use to grow! It’s super important for healthy plant pals. Plant light requirements vary depending on the species and it’s important to understand your plant’s preferences – is it a desert dweller that loves sun (cacti) or a rainforest shade-lover (ferns). Top tips: Never place your plant in direct sun behind a window – it’s likely to suffer from sunburn as this position will be just too hot.Your orientation can offer guidance: north facing spots provide the brightest light levels, while south-facing sites offer the lowest; east-facing positions offer moderate light, while west dwellers usually get moderate light but with more heat.Choose the right plant for your space – a dark corner isn’t going to be the best environment for most plants (‘Low light plants’ link). Match the plant’s needs to the space you have for the best results.Plants adapt (within reason) – one of our favourite things about plants is that they can alter their growing behaviour to suit their environment. For example, a Rhapis palm can thrive in a humid, low-light bathroom, but it can also learn to like full-sun outdoor living. Rather than taking this as permission to place your plants anywhere you please, we offer it as a word of caution. If you have a plant in a shaded, living room corner but take it outside for a holiday on the weekend it is likely to burn and turn crispy. Be cautious, and offer opportunities for slower adaptation (winter is a good time to slowly introduce your plants to more light).
Be water-wise
Getting watering right can be tricky as there are many components that determine how often your plants need a drink. Absorb the following: a. Check our watering recommendations on our care guide. To ellaborate... Low water requirements: from spring to summer water once weekly, then as it gets cooler in autumn and winter dial back watering to once fortnightly.Moderate water requirements: from spring to summer water twice weekly, then reduce watering to once weekly in the cooler months.High water requirements: from spring to summer water 3-4 times weekly, watering 1-2 times weekly throughout winter.
b. Soak your plant thoroughly – don’t just splash your plant, give it a thorough soak so that it can absorb the water through its roots. c. Check the weight of the pot – if your pot is very light it’s time for a drink, while heavy pots indicate that your soil is holding onto water. d. Water more in spring and summer – plants grow faster in the warmer months and tend to take a break during winter. Give your plants roughly half of your normal rate in winter. e. Tune into your green thumb – sometimes environmental changes and individual plants will just vary and a little bit of intuition is welcomed. Keep an eye out for signs of water-stress (like drooping, dull leaves, yellowing on lots of older leaves, or slightly shrivelled leaves or stems) and excess water (pooling in a saucer, soggy, rotten or yellow new growth, and guttation – see our plant science article). 
Consider your environment
Avoid conditions that disrupt the stability of a plant’s environment. Cold draughts or irregular hot bursts from a heater can send your plant into shock, so try and maintain stable conditions. Dust can inhibit a plants capacity to photosynthesise, so regularly wipe down leaves (we like using Neem oil as it adds a healthy shine to your leaves while also preventing pests). Trim blemished leaves to ensure that your plant looks healthy and that it is not devoting unnecessary energy into maintaining a sad leaf.
Now that you’ve got a few tips, we hope you’re feeling ready to take on plant parenthood. If you’re still a little wary maybe start off with one of these easy care beauties (link to Perfect plants for beginners). Trust us, you’ll love growing greenery – after all we find it so rewarding that’s we’ve dedicated our lives to growing plants! And if you do come unstuck, flick us an email and we’ll help to troubleshoot. Happy growing!