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6 ways you're killing your houseplants

How to keep your houseplants happy. - by Livia Gamble
  • 10 Aug 2021

Houseplants: one minute they’re thriving and the next they’re hanging on by a thread. Anyone who is the proud owner of indoor plants has almost certainly felt at mercy to their whims from time to time. There really is nothing worse than when their leaves droop, turn brown, or yellow and you're left scratching your head wishing you knew what was wrong!

WATCH: 5 indoor plants that thrive on neglect

Turns out, it could be a number of things – and we have listed them below.

To help keep your plants in the land of the living, here are some common mistakes you could be making.

1. Not choosing the right potting soil

The aim of potting mix is to hold moisture and nutrients around the roots of your plant. At the same time, the roots need to be able to breathe. When choosing a potting mix for a container, make sure it’s soilless, light, fluffy and made up of peat moss, pine bark and perlite or vermiculite.

Succulents and air plants prefer a dryer mix of potting soil combined with gravel or sand.

house-plants
Image: Brooke Holm / aremediasyndication.com.au

2. Not grooming your plants

Remove any dead flowers or leaves as soon as you notice them. Also, keep an eye out for any dust that has built up on the leaves and wipe clean with a damp sponge.

3. Overwatering them

Overwatering plants is a common way to kill a houseplant as it cuts off the air supply to the root. Overwatering can also lead to root rot. Ensure your pot has adequate drainage and as a rule: always check the moisture levels of the soil by sticking your finger in up to your knuckle.

Signs to look for include brown tips (but a limp feeling leaf), or stunted, slow growth accompanied by drooping yellow leaves.

How often your plants need watering will depend on the type, size of the pot and environmental factors.

RELATED: This is the easiest houseplant to grow

house-plants
Image: Martina Gemmola / aremediasyndication.com.au

4. Not fertilising

Houseplants need nutrients. Purchase a balanced houseplant food and follow the instructions as over fertilising can also kill your plants.

5. Moving them around too much

Plants become accustomed to their surroundings, moving them means they will have to spend time adjusting to the light and temperature in their new spot.

6. Placing them in the wrong light

Read the label that comes with your plants and place them in light that suits their needs. That said, a plant will let you know if they aren’t happy. Too much light and the leaves could change colour – their leaves will likely get "singed", have burnt patches, or even fall off.

RELATED: The 20 best air cleaning plants

  • Garden
  • Indoor Plants
Livia Gamble
Livia Gamble
Based in Sydney, Livia Gamble will not sleep until she has discovered every possible way to use bi-carb soda and vinegar. When she isn’t reporting on ways to improve your home and garden, she can be found knitting socks (by choice) and will never say no to pizza.

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