So, your plant is looking a little down. Maybe it droops, is rimmed yellow along the leaf's edge, or has slowly and subtly dropped its leaves. They've got a cold. Nothing a little seaweed soup can't help though. I recommend Neptune's Harvest Seaweed Plant Food 0-0-1. See, there's the NPK ratio we talked about a few weeks back. We meet again!
Plants are more resilient than we give them credit for - at least some. Now those ferns? They're a finicky bunch. Don't give up on them though. Channel your inner Journey and Don't Stop Believin'. Sometimes all they need is a little extra attention. The trick is to get after it as quickly as possible. I sometimes have a hard time doing this, so don't feel bad if you neglect too. It can be hard to tend to your plants after a long day at work and school. For instance, I'll come at the end of my day and skip right by my plants. Flop on the couch. Glance through the mindless, quite ridiculous Snapchat "news" stories and avoid eye contact with the plants slowly wilting away around me. Especially if they’re looking a little rough. I won't know what to do or what is going wrong, so instead of addressing the problem I procrastinate. Ha! Classic college student. Thankfully I've started to break these habits. It took a couple dead ferns to realize that acting proactively is simply better than have to react once an issue has already bloomed.
I’ve learned a few lessons from my frilly friends. One being that problems don’t simply go away on their own. They continue to grow bigger and bigger until it’s impossible to ignore. It is also typically easier to lay a solid groundwork for what you want instead of throwing it together last minute and jetting off. I’ve found this to hold true in my own life after losing countless debit cards, sitting locked out of my house too many times to count, and forgetting important things like laptop chargers or textbooks.
In a culture that promotes speed, hyper-productivity and multitasking, the answer sometimes lies in a simple two-word statement—slow down. Take a breath when you walk into a room. Notice some sensory elements. Focus your mind on one thing instead of 10. You’ll find that the stress nagging at you quietly takes a step back. Take a breath and then jump back into the assignment at hand with a clearer mind and a calmer heart. I find space to breath through looking after my plants. Being aware of my their needs and signs of problems has affected more than just their wellbeing, that's for sure. It’s boosted my own mental health, relationships with people and my general overall happiness. With each watering or fertilizing session, I practice quieting my mind and focusing on the little moments of awareness. So, you see, as your plants grow, you can too.
Don't worry, I won't continue on with advice. At least not relationship advice. Now houseplant tips? I'm overgrowing with those. Here's a couple plant pointers I've learned over the years.
1. Spin. Spin. Spin. No, I’m not talking about a spinning class. I’m talking about giving your plants a little dance. Plants naturally grow towards the sun, so if your plant starts to slide into a lopsided stance, simply rotate your plant around every now and then. It'll straighten itself up once you do.
2. Like a toxic relationship, cut the bad parts off. If your plant looks like it has a disease, prune the sick branches and leaves back. This will stop the infection from spreading.
3. Be proactive instead of reactive! Regularly treat your plants with a neem oil, which naturally controls pests and diseases. Mix the concentrate with water and voila. It’s therapeutic to spray the mix onto your plants too, so take your time and enjoy yourself.
On this subject, I've got a little story to tell. I remember on my first day of work at 5th Season I spent literally three hours cleaning the leaves of lemon trees. Standing in a late afternoon glow, one could call me a plant parent giving her kid a sudsy bath. Now I was being paid to do this, so I’m not suggesting you take that long.
4. Plants hate hot stuffy rooms just like us. Poor air ventilation within your home can be linked to unhappy plants, so on a nice sunny day open up the doors and let the breeze blow through.
5. Sometimes plants are extra sensitive to the chlorine in tap water. If you notice the edges of your plant's leaves turning yellow or brown, that could be the issue. Give it a quick google to make sure because it could be a different problem. If chlorine is the culprit though, let your water sit out for 24 hours. The chlorine will evaporate and you're left with water fit for any plant. Some plants that are sensitive to chlorine are ferns, spider plants and prayer plants.
Speaking of a neem oil recipe, here's a simple one that shouldn't cost more than $15. This fungicide recipe should rid your plant of disease and give it a fresh start.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
4 1/2 cups water
1 drop vegetable or neem oil
1 drop dishwashing detergent
2 tsp baking soda
Spray bottle or mister
DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix the detergent, water, oil and baking soda into the spray bottle or mister.
2. Apply the combination to the infected plant on a sunny day. Try to avoid the evenings or early mornings. Make sure you cover all parts of the plant. Top and bottom! Pests are tricky and like to hide in unlikely places.
3. Continue treating the plant until all fungal traces are gone.
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