Indoor plants are the silent achievers of home decorating, filling our rooms with life and quietly purifying the air. Depending on your choice of variety, they will need a lot or a little care over time to keep them looking as good as the day you bought them.
Watering regularly is the most important factor to ensuring their survival. Beyond that however, it’s important to habitually give a little extra TLC to your beloved green friends. Encourage growth by feeding them with fertiliser on a regular basis and repot them into larger vessels as they grow beyond the limits of their current one.
Eventually, plants will take up all the available nutrients from the soil they sit in and need a boost. “If you’re not replenishing the soil, the plant has nothing to thrive on,” says Morag Barron, co-owner of Little Leaf Co.
“People are time poor, so an all-purpose slow release fertiliser is the best way to go,” she says. “Scatter it around the base of the plant every 6 weeks or so and give it a good drink, then every time you water, it’s refuelling the soil.”
Dusting the leaves is important too, she advises, “Plants like to have nice clean leaves. A watering can is OK, but nothing beats a good soak under a soft spray, in the shower or out in your yard. Just be careful to avoid the heat of the day.”
Morag recommends Langleys Troforte as a slow release fertiliser. “It’s affordable and really easy to use. We saw results in just a week when we started using it.” If you’re in Perth, pick some up from Little Leaf Co, otherwise check Langley’s website for stockists.
