or “How to cope with 65 houseplants [not those pictured below] without going potty” by Sheila Gijsen.
My houseplant obsession dates back to the 1970s, long before the current trend, when I first realised how magical my little rented room looked with some jungle foliage (most of which died!) It has expanded over the last three decades.
In the late eighties I moved into a modern ground floor flat with large windows. This allowed me to accommodate so many more plants….
Right plant right place
It always amazes me how so many skilled and experienced gardeners baulk at houseplant care. The same principle applies. “Right plant in the right place”. And I try to replicate the growing situation the plant would have had in nature.
So I’d like to pass on a few tips and observations about multiple houseplant management that I’ve
learnt.
1) Have a watering routine
I water my plants every two weeks in the winter, every week in the summer, and every ten days in
between, although in extremely hot weather I might pour a bit of extra water into one or two of the
thirstier ones.
But generally this routine works fine, assuming the plants are not pot-bound and have a
reasonable environment.
It also means that I can go away for ten days or so in early spring or autumn and know that my cat
sitter doesn’t have to take on plant duties as well!
2) Don’t let the plant sit in water (unless it’s a pond plant like papyrus)
I always remove the decorative pot and take the plant to the sink, watering until it runs through at
the bottom. As they say – more houseplants die of over rather than under watering.
Within this you can adjust the plant’s amount of water in other ways, so my cacti and succulents
roast on a sunny windowsill and are in very free draining soil (50% grit). They’re also allowed to get a little
bit pot bound.
3 ) Make sure your plants get enough light
It’s said that that few plants flourish more than three metres away from a window. In my own flat, plain
green spider plants, sansevieria (mother in law’s tongue) monstera and ferns are the most
accommodating in shade.
Many houseplants are forest floor plants and like good light but only dappled sun. If in doubt I put
them on my kitchen windowsill which has really strong light but no sun. Almost everything does
well there, including a maidenhair fern which ended up with dead looking brown fronds in every
other room I tried it in. It hated sun!
I turn round every plant when I water it, so that it receives even light and grows evenly. Except the
trailers like tradescantia or string of hearts plant which will want to tumble over a shelf or out of a
hanging basket.
And enjoy grouping them aesthetically
This apparently helps plants to conserve moisture, but they also do look lovely in groups. Again, normal gardening principles apply, in terms of variations of leaf structure, height etc. Just remember that they must never bake on a shelf above a radiator!
I enjoy having a low table of plants in front of the window which overlooks the back garden. Indoor and outdoor plants merge visually, including the ones hanging down.
4) Take off dead leaves
I do this as part of the watering routine.
5) Feed your plants
I use a diluted standard plant food – extra diluted in the case of orchids. The plants are fed every
other time I water them in the summer. Nothing in winter, except for non-stop flowerers like the
anthurium.
6) Repotting
At the same time as watering I quickly do any necessary re-potting when I see roots emerging
and the plant is getting dry very quickly – a cry for help!
7) Cuttings
And I also take cuttings and split overcrowded plants as and when throughout the year (although
traditionally this is done in spring). I find that plants like tradescantia and spider plants root
instantly at any time of year.
8) Combine plants
I’ve also started combining plants eg sticking plain green spider plant offspring into pots of peace
lily or calathea. It looks great, a wonderful jungly effect.
9) Misting – and showering
I have to confess I rarely mist my plants, despite advice to the contrary. I seem to have mainly healthy plants without this. Having said that, I do occasionally give dusty leaved plants like monstera a shower in the bath, also a harsh spray of water can be effective to get rid of say a whitefly infestation.
With the above routine, the care of my total plant collection takes maybe two hours in the winter,
and two and a half in the summer. It might sound like a lot, but if you love gardening and plants
are a major hobby, it’s so worth it. You can still carry on gardening in the middle of winter when there’s little to do outside.
I hope these bits of advice are useful – and have fun with your houseplant “babies”!