Warga Asri who loves collecting plants at home must know that taking care of them brings joy. Knowing how to take care of plants can help them grow lush and prevent them from withering. 

However, keeping a plant alive goes beyond watering them when needed. This conception often makes beginners apply improper plant management, resulting in plants that wither quickly. 

A survey conducted by HomeAdvisor shows that the average mortality rate of experienced hobbyist plants can be up to 35%. However, this number jumps to 70% when done by beginners. 

Do you want to learn how to keep your plants from wilting and dying? Let’s look at the following ways to take care of plants and help them grow healthy here!

How to Take Care of Plants Properly 

Most new houseplant hobbyists have limited knowledge about taking care of plants. To avoid fatal mistakes, understanding the step-by-step of planting house plants and taking care of them becomes the utmost priority. Check out the following explanation to find out!

1. Understand the Needs of Your Plants

The needs of each plant vary depending on its type. Understanding the characteristics of your plants is the first step to ensuring your plants grow healthy. 

For example, green-leaf plants, such as ivory betel, should not get the same treatment as succulent plants, like cacti. 

To avoid any mistakes when caring for your plants, look for information online about your plants. Compare the characteristics of your plants with the information on the internet. You can also use plant identification apps, such as PlantNet, FlowerChecker, and Plant ID.

2. Use the Right Planting Media

The right planting media can keep plants from wilting. A suitable medium will help the roots breathe better and absorb enough water. Conversely, the wrong planting media will make the water settle or release quickly from the pot. 

Adjust the media based on the needs of your plants. Some plants, such as aglaonema and bromeliads, are not suited to a very dense medium. 

However, that doesn’t work for plants like Sansevieria and Euphorbia. Some planting media you can use include compost, burnt husks, humus soil, and coco peat. 

Read also: Instantly Green Up Your Space with Houseplants, Check Out These Recommendations!

3. Apply Appropriate Fertilizer Routinely

Regular fertilizer application can help your plants grow. Each plant requires different nutrients. 

Generally, taking care of plants requires nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. Such nutrients work for all types of plants, but there needs to be an adjustment according to their needs. These essential nutrients help the growth of roots, stems, and leaves.

Buying ready-made fertilizers is recommended because of the expertly measured substance concentration in each package. However, you can also use natural fertilizers, such as kitchen waste, eggshells, and crushed chicken bones.

4. Water Carefully

To prevent your plants from wilting, water them carefully. Understand that every plant has different water needs. Watering too infrequently will make your plants dry, but too much watering can also make the plant roots rot faster.

Warga Asri must always pay attention to the plant’s water needs. If you find it difficult, you can buy a pH meter that is integrated with a soil moisture meter. This tool can provide accurate data, which is more reliable than estimates. 

5. Give Enough Light

Plants need light to photosynthesize. However, the intensity of light required depends on the type of plant. In order for plants to thrive, recognize the light needs of each plant. 

Light intensity should be something to consider when learning how to grow plants indoors. You can place indoor plants that require light with moderate intensity on the edge of the window or in a shady place. Outdoor plants, such as deer antler spikes, need more light. Hence, put them in more exposed places. 

6. Prune Wilted and Dead Leaves

Pruning withered or dead leaves helps plant growth become more focused. Withered leaves will only burden the plant’s growth rate. Do this step regularly every 1-2 weeks. 

You can use sharp and sterile scissors or a special plant knife to do it. Using cutting tools carelessly will injure the plant instead and make it prone to stress and infection. 

7. Prune Unproductive Branches and Twigs

Knowing how to plant a plant requires you to schedule regular pruning. You should prune branches and twigs that no longer produce leaves or flowers. This step ensures that the nutrients from the plants flow to the productive branches only. 

Again, use sharp cutting tools that are specific to your plant’s needs. Cutting branches with blunt tools will hurt your plants and affect their appearance instead. 

8. Consider the Room’s Humidity

If you live in a closed environment, such as an apartment or flat, bringing your plants outside can help them to photosynthesize more optimally. Putting your plants on the balcony or rooftop for a few hours once a week is enough to get them the light they need to grow. 

9. Keep an Eye on the Temperature to Reduce Plant Stress Level

When caring for plants, match the temperature susceptibility level to the geographical location. Plants like aglaonema will not grow optimally in hot lowlands. Conversely, plants, such as ixora, will have difficulty growing in cold highlands. 

Inappropriate temperatures can stress plants. You can see the signs, such as the fading color, the small size of the leaves, and rare flowers.

Adjusting temperature can help you take care of plants properly. You can create an ideal space for the plant’s growth. 

Try to pay particular attention to your favorite plants to avoid unwanted things. The steps above are easy to implement.

Just take about 30 minutes a day to do everything required for your plants. These habits will help your plants grow faster, more fertile, and not wither easily.

Proper caring for plants at home teaches us the importance of long-term commitment and sustainable measures. Speaking of taking care of plants, Indonesia Asri has several #AksiAsri that aims to keep the earth sustainable. One of them is the #AksiAsri365 challenge. 

The #AksiAsri365 Challenge is a form of real commitment from Chandra Asri Group to realize a more environmentally friendly Indonesia, think sustainably and ensure that this earth is a legacy for future generations. 

Are you ready to be part of Warga Asri? Let’s register now to become a Kawan Asri! Visit our website and be part of a forward-thinking generation for a more sustainable nature. 

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