Today I want to cover a topic that a lot of you have asked about
and it happens to be a topic I'm incredibly passionate about
There's something about plants that make me so happy
I feel like it's like you brought a little piece of nature outside into your house or into your work space
It just livens the place up gives it some more color
and when you see a plant thrive that you've given tender, loving, care
It's just such a rewarding feeling
I remember when we first got the studio space
The first thing I told Robin was that I wanted to turn it into a bit of a jungle
So we went to the nursery and we loaded up on lots and lots and lots of plants
So today's video is kind of like a beginner's guide on how to take care of houseplant
For anybody who feels like you just keep killing them
and you don't know why or maybe you're just looking for some new pointers
A lot of I'm actually sharing today are things that my mom shared with me as I was growing up
But everyone has a different way of doing things
so if you have any recommendations of your own
I Welcome you to share that in the comments below
and I also want to take a brief moment to thank Wix for partnering with us on today's video
Wix is the amazing platform that we use to create and host the pickuplines website
I'll speak more about them at the end. But for now, let's dive in
Before you go to the plant store, it's important to know exactly where in your house or in your workspace
You want that plant to go. Is there a lot of Sun? Is there shade?
What is the temperature situation like? That way when you're at the plant store
You can check the tag to see if it's going to be an appropriate match
And while you're at the plant store anyway, there's also another couple things you might want to consider
So when you found a really beautiful healthy plant that you know is the one that you want to take home
One of the things I recommend doing is very gently
take the plant out of the pot just to see what the root situation is like
Here you can see that there's a whole bunch of roots along the outside and on the bottom
So it might be a good idea to just buy a larger inner pot
that you can then transfer it to.
You can also look for a nice outer pot that will fit the repotted plant while you're still at the nursery
It's incredibly important that the pot that your plant is in has holes because we need the water to be able to drain
But not all pots with holes are created equal
Like this one for example also has holes but there's a valley beneath the holes and this is a place where water can collect
And the problem with water collecting is it can cause the roots to rot which might mean the plant could eventually die
So the point here we want to make sure we get a pot with holes at the bottom most point of the container
So when we were at the nursery we talked about the importance of repotting plants that have outgrown their current home
But a lot of plants don't take well to a change in their environment
But I'm going to share with you a technique that my mom taught me and it works really really well
Esentially all you do is first wet the soil before adding it to the new pot
So you want it to be moist enough, but it sticks together
But you don't want it to be dripping wet either
And the reason that this works is it encourages the roots to go out and explore this new wet territory
And it helps it to settle into its new environment a little bit better
Then we'll transfer the soil along the bottom and the sides of the new pot
We'll gently remove the plant from its nursery container and transfer it to its new home
And add some extra soil around the sides and along the top
You can gently press down on it as well
but not too much because we want to give the roots some room to branch out
And then at the very end we're going to water it just a little bit so that the old soil gets a bit of moisture as well
Over-watering and under watering plants is probably the single most common reason why a lot of houseplants die
But every plant is very specific when it comes to its watering requirements
But there are a few important rules of thumb that might help for one
You want the soil to get pretty dry between waterings
So just use your finger to see what the soil situation is like
A couple centimeters in to its depth
If it's still moist you can skip watering but if it's dry
I like to water it until I see just a bit of water coming out onto the base plate
If a pool collects
I just drain it off because a lot of plants don't like to have wet feet
And now a lot of people know that plants Need more frequent watering in the spring and summer months
and less frequent watering in the winter months
But one thing a lot of people miss is they also have a preference when it comes to water temperature
In the summer they like it when the water is a cooler temperature
and in the winter they like it when the water is at room temperature
So we all know that houseplants need soil and good light and some water in order to thrive
But one thing that can commonly be missed is the fertilizer, which is the plant's food
And every plant is different but in the spring and summer, usually they need to be fed every two to four weeks
I usually do it every two weeks
but in the winter it's in its rest period so usually they don't need any feeding at all during that time.
I just use this universal liquid variety that works on all of our houseplants
Some plants work well in the Sun some work well in the shade
But regardless all of them need some source of natural light now in the darker winter months
You might need to move your plants towards a light source, but generally speaking
Plants don't like to be moved. They get accustomed to the environment that they're in
so move your plants if you have to but otherwise just let them be
The other consideration with plants is the temperature
You want to make sure you keep it within a range that it's comfortable at
Keep in mind that plants in front of windows see pretty varying temperatures depending on the weather outside
as well as plants that are by air-conditioning units or radiators
now if you find this all really overwhelming to keep track of
we actually created a free pdf for you that might help out a little bit
In addition to some tips there's a page that you can use to document the needs of each of your plants
that you can then later refer to in case you've forgotten and there's also a plant watering tracker.
So to get your PDF check out the link in the description box below
Insects and bugs love dead and decaying foliage
So be sure to remove any rotting or dying leaves that are just sitting on top of the soil
And whenever I see leaves that are visibly about to die, I just prune the plant by cutting these off
so they don't steal essential nutrients from the leaves that are continuing to thrive
While you're watering your plants just take a quick second to Inspect the leaves
to see if there's any signs of any insects or bugs
and if there are you want to deal with these right away
You might notice little webs or insects that look like fruit flies or these bugs that look like they're covered in cotton
and if you don't know what it is
You can take a picture into your local nursery for some help or search it up online
For a lot of the different kinds of pests
I usually just spray the leaves with a bit of soap and water solution and then wipe it clean using a damp cloth
You might need to repeat this a couple of times, but it usually does the trick
Whenever you're dealing with plants don't be discouraged if you try something new
and it doesn't work some plants just die
It's the circle of life, but you're gonna get better at it each time
And remember you can always also match your comfort and skill set level to the kind of plant that you're going for
For example,
Something like succulents and pathos. Those are a lot easier to take care of
They're less fussy than some of the other plants
Now, if you learn something new in today's video if you enjoyed it
I welcome you to give it a thumbs up always means a lot when you do and remember to also get your free
Plant care guide PDF the link is in the description box below
and I also again want to thank Wix for partnering with us on today's video
I've been getting lots of emails from you guys lately
Saying that you've created the website and blog that you've always wanted to create using their platform
That makes me really happy to here because I remember those early stages feeling really overwhelmed
When I wanted to create my own website
And I didn't know where to begin and with Wix it's just as easy as drag and drop
and you get a website that looks super professional
They're also always adding the templates and features
so if you recently, for example,
visited our recipe index page, you might notice we just added a new photo gallery to showcase our recipes
and everything is mobile-friendly, too
So if you've ever been interested in creating your own website or blog or online store completely for free
I welcome you to check out wix
The link is in the description box below and I think that's it
If you feel so inclined to take a picture of your happy thriving plants and take us on Instagram
It would be awesome to see I'll see you guys otherwise in the comments
Thanks a lot for watching pick up Limes signing off. We'll see you in the next video