How to Care for Houseplants
Hey there! The Turkey Shed Mercantile is a business offering a wide selection of potted houseplants and succulents. Catch us at local vendor events or on Facebook/Instagram. Contact us if you're interested in purchasing a plant or have questions about houseplants.
Some people find houseplants way too intimidating to tackle or try out. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say they have a black thumb or never inherited the green thumb trait. I always say everyone has a green thumb, they just need to discover it. A lot of people give their plants too much care/love, or just incorrect care.
Big box stores sales or information you obtain over the years are sometimes not right when coming to plant care. For example, a store can label a plant as low maintenance when it isn’t or put it in a pot where it will die easily. Sometimes they don’t care about the longevity of the plant, just the sale or the aesthetic of the plant.
My rule of thumb for most common houseplants is watering around once a week at most. A lot of people think plants need to be watered every day, just like their outside flowers, which is incorrect. I always do say if there is a method that seems to work for you though, stick with it. Most house plants like to dry out a little between watering except for ferns or other plants who like to stay moist. A good way to check if your plant needs watering is to check if the first few inches of soil is dry or still a little damp. Most plants also prefer bright indirect light. It is a common misconception that all plants need to be directly in front of a window. Bright indirect lighting means in a room that has good lighting but not in the direct sunlight path. For example, setting a plant on a dining room table in the middle of a room that has windows is bright indirect light.
There are also houseplants that I like to say thrive on neglect or where not a lot of care is needed. Snake plants and ZZ plants are both great examples of this. They can tolerate low light settings as long as you aren’t watering very often. The biggest issue with killing snake plants is watering too often. These plants can go a long time without water. I just always think to myself, the more sunlight the plant is getting, the more often they will need watered/checked on.
Contact The Turkey Shed Mercantile if you are interested in purchasing a plant or have a question about yours! We sell at The Great Sidney Farmers Market on most Saturday mornings 8-noon. Our plants are for sale at Pure Lux Day Spa located at 816 W Main St, Tipp City, OH 45371.
