PlantX Plant Care Guide

PlantX Plant Care Guide

At PlantX, we love to hear that more and more people are becoming plant parents. To encourage more of you to join the gardening revolution, we've compiled a list of some of the most essential tips that a new gardener should know. 

Finding The Best Plant For You

The first part of becoming a plant parent is choosing a plant! Sure, you can look at plants online or at the garden store and take it home, but rashness like that has led to many brown and drooping plants. Plants can be picky, and so should you. You can check a few of our favorite home plants for beginners in our plant shop! We talk about the level of watering, light, and attention they need, so you don't have to worry about picking a plant that you don't know how to take care of. Before making any purchases, you'll have to consider a few things: How much maintenance are you willing to deal with? Some plants need to be babied, while others can be forgotten for weeks and not shed a leaf. Choosing a houseplant requires some different considerations than an outdoor plant. Your houseplant should ideally not trigger allergies, attract pests, or discard too much debris. Outdoor plants will also need to be carefully chosen not to attract pests, and you may want to consider getting a plant native to your area. Inside your home or outside in your garden, you'll need to determine whether you should choose a sun-loving plant or one that prefers to be in the shade. If you have children or pets, you'll also want to consider whether your prospective plant has thorns or if it's dangerous when ingested.

Plant Care Tips

When you bring your plant, or plants, home from the garden store (or when it arrives via PlantX's Plant Delivery service), you'll likely need to re-pot it into a larger container. Keeping a plant in too small of a container can cause root binding, essentially trapping the roots. Take into account how much drainage your plant will need and choose a potting soil accordingly. A woman's hands repotting a plant.       Once you've chosen a plant and placed it in a pot, you'll have to figure out where to put it. Different plants will typically require different light levels, so be sure you know what your plant likes. Placing a delicate plant outside in a spot where it gets too much sun can kill it almost immediately, so be sure to know your stuff! Plants that require a lot of light may also be sensitive to cold temperatures, so beware of placing them too close to a window during the winter if you live in a colder region.       Plants need water, but watering your plants without knowing how much water they need can lead to as many problems as you get from not watering them. If your plants tend to droop and have yellowish leaves that fall off easily, you're probably watering too much! Of course, this is dependent on the type of plant that you own but, a good rule of thumb should be to only water the soil of your plant when it feels fully dry.   Still have questions after reading this guide? The friendly people at the PlantX forum will be happy to help. Happy gardening! Want to try growing some herbs while you're at it? Check out our other blog, "Easy To Grow Herbs at Home."