Caring for indoor plants at home

In order for indoor flowers to decorate the house, proper and careful care is necessary for them. They will bloom if you follow certain care rules and clearly understand how to care for indoor plants.

How to care for home flowers

Growing indoor plants doesn't take much effort. It must be remembered that excessive attention to grooming can ruin the flowers. You need to carefully monitor their condition and not be zealous.

Indoor flowers and their care

What to do with potted flowers after purchase

Often, after purchasing potted flowers at home, they quickly begin to lose their beautiful appearance. Plants sold in specialized flower shops are planted in peat or perlite. When they enter the house, they begin to experience stress due to the abrupt climate change. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt them to room conditions, as well as to make a transplant.

Plant transplant

To transplant plants, it is necessary to buy a permanent pot, soil, drainage and several preparations for processing at the flower shop.

To properly transplant a plant, you need to follow the order:

1. it is necessary to pour a drainage with a height of 3-5 cm on the bottom of a new pot.It is used to reduce the risk of waterlogging of the plant;
2. it is necessary to pour a layer of earth with a height of 2-3 cm;
3. you need to carefully remove the plant with a lump of roots from the old pot and place it in a new one in the center;
4. add some more soil so that there are no empty spaces around the edges;
5. water the plant a little.

Transfer

To make it easier to care for your indoor plants, you can use a double pot. It will keep the soil of the flower constantly moist. This pot is a waterproof container. It is necessary to install a pot with a flower in it and fill the space between them with wet compost.

For example, such a pot is ideal for a birch tree - an ornamental plant that does not require much attention, and it will be even more comfortable in a double pot.

Drainage selection

A drainage system is needed for flowers to remove excess water from the soil. Also thanks to him, the root system can breathe. The range of material for drainage is quite large: expanded clay, crushed stone, ceramic shards, polystyrene, broken brick and many others.

Expanded clay is the most common material that is used as a drainage for flowers, because it has a lot of advantages:

• environmentally friendly;
• absorbs moisture well;
• can be bought at any specialty store;
• there are different sizes of granules (large, medium and small).

Description of other options:

• drainage is ceramic.Ceramics, like expanded clay, are well suited as drainage for indoor plants. Broken pottery shards can be placed in the bottom of the pot. But after that it is still necessary to pour a small layer of sand. It is best to take shards that are not very large so that the sand does not crumble and clog the pot;
• polystyrene drainage. Styrofoam has important properties that help you care for your indoor plants. It is lightweight, resistant to moisture and does not grow moldy, therefore it is considered the most practical and convenient material. But plant roots can grow into it, which can be damaged during transplantation;
• crushed stone. This material is more convenient for the plants themselves. It is durable and good at absorbing moisture. But it cannot keep warm for a long time, so it is necessary to put flowers on the south side. If you use crushed stone, then it will make the flower pots heavier enough, since it weighs a lot;
• broken brick is a natural material that has no flaws. Its properties are similar to expanded clay. Only favorably affects the development of plants. But before use, the brick must be well crushed so that the sharp edges do not cut the roots of the plants.

Selection of earthen mixture

When choosing an earthen mixture, you should pay attention to the features of a houseplant. The right mixture will help the flower grow big, healthy and beautiful and prevent it from dying. The soil can include peat, sand, moss, expanded clay and much more. More about their properties:

• peat is a natural material that works like a sponge. It is used in almost all earthen mixtures, as it creates good water resistance and does not decompose, and bacteria do not multiply in it;
• sand. In soft sand, the root system of plants will develop well. But for small flowers, sand with a grain diameter of 2-4 mm is needed, and for large flowers - 5-6 mm;
• moss. This natural material contains nutrients that are beneficial for the growth of indoor plants. In the heat, the moss prevents drying out and maintains the moisture level well, which is important for the root system;
• expanded clay. It will be useful if expanded clay is included in the earthen mixture. Small pieces of expanded clay prevent the earth from caking.

Earthen mixtures are usually formulated depending on the characteristics or type of plant. Examples:

• classic (peat, garden soil, sand and leaf humus);
• for cacti (sand, peat and compost);
• for citrus fruits (garden soil, peat and sand).

Stimulants of root formation: types, methods of application

Each plant has different characteristics of root formation: in some, cuttings take root without problems, in others they may die. Rooting stimulants will help you get the best results.

The names of the most popular species:

• heteroauxin and cornerost. Available in powder or tablet form. Apply in the form of a solution, which, according to the instructions, is diluted in water. It is necessary to prepare the solution just before use, since over time the drugs lose their qualities. The correct concentration is 0.1 g per 2.5 liters of water;
• root. It is an analogue of heteroauxin, but has the longest effect. It is produced in the form of a powder, which must be diluted in a ratio of 1 g per 1 liter of water. In this solution, the cuttings are lowered over the leaves for 6-12 hours;
• epin and zircon. They are plant growth regulators. When using, dilute 1 ml of the drug in 2 liters of water. Then soak the cuttings in this solution for a day.

Growing and caring for indoor flowers

In leaving, you should follow some of the rules described below.

Air humidity

You need to be especially careful about this factor at an elevated room temperature. The air becomes drier when the temperature rises, and more humid when the temperature drops. Home flowers, with proper care, prefer a fairly high humidity. Suitable for most plants is 50-70%.

Lighting

For plants to grow actively, they need at least 12-16 hours of daylight. There are plants that like a lot of light (like a lily), but there are some that prefer being in the shade (like gloxinia).

Indoor plants do not need to be drastically rearranged from a shady place to a sunny one. They need to be given a few days to get used to. To do this, you can move them every day to an increasingly lighter place.

Required temperature conditions and ventilation

Another important condition for proper care of indoor plants is a suitable temperature regime. It differs slightly at different times of the year. In a room where flowers grow, in summer the temperature should be about 22-24 ° С, in winter - 18-20 ° С.

Fresh air is very important for indoor plants, so ventilation is a must for them. In winter, they have a particular lack of fresh air.

Drafts are also dangerous for indoor flowers when airing. Even in summer, some types of flowers react negatively to drafts (for example, bell, tradescantia). It is important to remove them from windows when the room is ventilated.

Watering

Summer watering and spraying

For active growth, each plant needs enough moisture, so watering and spraying are the main components of caring for them. From March until the end of summer, plants begin to develop actively and they need a lot of water.

Water should be used not cold, but at room temperature. If indoor plants have thick leaves and roots (for example, a money tree), then they need to be watered moderately. It is quite easy to observe such a regime, even a preschooler can handle it. After the first watering, you need to wait one or two days for the top layer to dry. Only then continue watering.

If indoor plants have delicate and thin leaves (for example, Decembrist, Kalanchoe), then they must be watered abundantly. As soon as the soil in the pot dries up, you need to water the flower again. Spraying is essential to moisturize indoor plants and create the desired water level. It also makes the air in the room more humid.

Winter care regimen

In winter, indoor flowers are most susceptible to unfavorable weather, and care for them should be more careful. It is rarely necessary to water the flowers, since in the winter they go into a state of dormancy. In winter, especially in February, the daylight hours do not last long, the sun's rays hardly warm, therefore, it is necessary to provide the indoor plants with maximum light. You need to put them on the south side.

If the flowers begin to wither, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, then it is worth increasing the humidity. To do this, you can hang a damp towel on the battery or put a cup of water on the windowsill.

Feeding indoor plants with nutrients

An important part of caring for indoor plants is adding various fertilizers to the soil. Since the root system is in a confined space, you need to fertilize often enough.

What fertilizers exist for indoor flowers

To improve the development of indoor plants, it is necessary to use fertilizers that differ in composition. They are organic, natural, and versatile. Many include the following trace elements:

• nitrogen. Without it, the growth of a flower is impossible, since it forms a cellular structure, participates in a number of oxidative processes and the functioning of the respiratory system;
• phosphorus is important, just like nitrogen, since metabolic processes take place with it;
• potassium. With its help, plants tolerate frost better. Potassium also protects against diseases and pests;
• calcium - a nutrient that strengthens the structure of cells;
• magnesium is the most important substance in the process of photosynthesis.

There are even more chemical elements that are included in fertilizers, but they are used in the smallest quantities.

What fertilizers and when to feed indoor plants

Indoor plants should be fed during the period of their active growth, usually spring-autumn. In the spring, you need to fertilize the flowers every two weeks, in the winter it is contraindicated.

Top dressing

The best fertilizers for indoor plants:

• BioMaster (sold in liquid form, available for different types of flowers);
• "Meister Agro" (sold in the form of granules, has several types);
• Florist Micro (contains all the necessary chemical elements, suitable for all indoor plants).

How to keep flowers on vacation

If you need to leave flowers for a long time, then you need to take care of them in advance. To prevent them from dying, it is important to use several simple methods:

• if the flowers grow in clay pots, then it is worth wrapping them in moss. Both the moss and the plant need to be moistened. Moss will retain moisture for 7-10 days;
• if flowers grow in plastic pots, then you need to put them in deep trays of water so that the bottom of the pot is in the water;
• you can water the plants through the so-called "wick". It is necessary to make small holes in the bottom of the pot and stretch the strings through them. Put the flower on a vessel with water and lower the ropes into it. The water will rise up and moisturize the plant.

Preservation

Diseases and pests

When breeding indoor plants, pests at home spread quickly enough. Most often, the main reason for their occurrence is improper care of home flowers.

The most common ailments of indoor plants:

• sticky leaves. When the leaves are smooth and dry, they are considered healthy. But sometimes it happens that they are covered with a sticky coating. Usually the causes of such plaque are small pests that disrupt the growth of the plant and leave sticky marks behind. To get rid of them, it is necessary to treat the plant with an insect repellent, and also wipe the leaves with a damp cloth several times a day;
• dry tips of leaves. Often people do not monitor the humidity in the room where the plants are located. Because of this, their leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out. To restore the condition of flowers, you should improve the water for irrigation, add fertilizers with vitamins to it. You also need to increase the humidity in the room, especially if they are in the children's bedroom.

Disease

When caring for indoor plants, the most important thing is not to neglect any factors, because everything affects their development. Therefore, if you follow all the recommendations, then the flowers at home will grow healthy, large and beautiful and bring happiness to the house.