10 Must Haves to Level Up Your Plant Care

8-minute read

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Raise your hand if you have brought home the most beautiful, expensive house plant just to see it die within a couple of weeks! I know! My hand is up high in the air. But now I can show you how I use these 10 must haves to level up your plant care.

Trust me, I have been there, and it is no fun. But it doesn't have to be that way. You do not have to be born with a green thumb to help your plants survive. I can show you the tools you need to become an advanced level house plant parent.

If you are ready to stop killing your houseplants and grow all the house plants you want, read on. I can show you how to not only keep your plants alive, but also help them thrive with these 10 must haves for your house plants.

In this blog post I will share with you the 10 must haves for your house plants:

The Right Pots
Good Soils
Watering method tools
Grow lights!
Fertilizers
Safe pest products
Moss poles and bamboo sticks
Clips and Velcro straps
Heat mats
Brushes and wiping cloths

Yes, plants are the new pets and pets are the new kids. That is my belief anyway. I do think most plant parents would have to agree.

If you are like me, you are probably saying. “What now!? I need all of that for a plant!?”

But really, having all these things has taken my house plant growing skills from killing almost every plant coming in the door to raising plants from leaf cuttings to maturity and propagating to have many more house plants.

You can too! Let me share with you the plant tools I use to go from beginning grower to advanced house plant parent.

TheRight Pots

Clear plastic pots, terra cotta pots, and self-watering pots are the three kinds of pots I use, because they are not only the least expensive options, but also the ones I have had the most success with.

The clear plastic pots I use are here. They are perfect for baby plants and small nursery plants. Starting newly rooted house plants in these pots helps to keep you from over and underwatering them because it is easy to see the moisture level of the soil.

The bonus is you can see the condition of the plants’ roots. This helps to get the right watering schedule for your plants and helps you to more easily see when it is time to repot your house plants.

Bonus: You can place these pots right inside your favorite decorative pots.

*Place your clear pot into your favorite decorative pots.*

Terra Cotta pots are my staple pots. They are quick to dry and have drainage holes to help keep your house plants’ roots happy. I absolutely love the look of plain terra cotta pots, but they are not for everyone. Nowadays there are so many unique designs and shapes of terra cotta pots you are sure to find the pots you love!

Some house plants thrive more in self-watering pots. I have a few varieties that enjoy being in these pots. My African violets, for example, love to bottom water and these pots are best for that.

Tip: Be sure you are selecting the correct sizes for your house plants. You want a pot that is an inch or 2 larger than the size your plant came from the nursery in. Any bigger and your plant will stay too wet.

Good Soils

I have been growing with Fox Farm Soils for a few years now and have had exceptionally satisfactory results. I do feel like I might try coco coir in the future, but for now I highly recommend Fox Farms Ocean you can get it here.

Soil is so important for keeping your plants alive. If it is too heavy the plants’ roots will stay too wet and cause root rot. Trust me, I have had lots of plants die from root rot. If it is not heavy enough your plants will not hold any moisture and dry up.

The latter is better here, but both may result in death of a plant. If your soil is too light it will dry out extremely fast and your plant can still survive, but you will probably forget to water every day.

Fox Farms soil has the perfect consistency to hold enough moisture to last your plant long enough to take up the appropriate nutrients it needs to survive but is well-draining enough to keep your plants from being overwatered.

Watering method tools

There are several tools to help you properly water your plants. Here are the ones I use most often and have had the most success with.

Water Moisture meters are nice to have. They give you a range your soil should be in to show if the plant is too dry or still wet. This can be helpful, but I like to use the 2-finger method. I do not know why, but I must physically feel the soil to gage the moisture.

However, this tool is great for gaging your soils pH level and light intensity. It is multi-purpose, making it a must have for sure.

Also, using a good humidifier is great because most house plants are Tropicals, and you absolutely must add more moisture to your air to keep your house plants happy.

Grow Lights

The most important! I know I have said this about all of them, but truly get your house plants some grow lights! They are life changing. And you do not have to get the most expensive ones.

Below are the ones I use and have had remarkable results, especially in wintertime when the days are shorter. Even your low light house plants will thank you!

Here are the grow lights I use in my grow tents. Also, I use these ones for plants on my shelves.

Fertilizers

I used to be afraid of fertilizers! Completely intimidated by them, fearful! It seemed like every plant I used fertilizers on would turn yellow and die.

Now I use fertilizers from April through October on all my plants. Research, research, research! Find out what nutrients your house plants need to thrive. Get familiar with your plants' NPK ratio requirements. For most it will be an even ratio like 10-10-10.

I always dilute my fertilizers to the directions on the product and only fertilizer your plants during the growing season (April through October) to give them a winter rest period.

Bonus tip for fertilizers: Be sure you know what fertilizers are already in your soil. Most store-bought soils will already have some nutrients in them; therefore, you do not want to add too much. Otherwise, they will suffer from nutrient burn and eventually die from being over fertilized.

Safe Pest Products

This subject can be controversial. Here is what I have had most success with. Neem oil is a good organic and safe pesticide. When used properly it can help to rid pest infestation. I also like to use these sticky traps for fungus gnats.

Most of the time I use more preventative methods for pests because I do not like to use chemicals. Here are a few simple tips to prevent pests naturally.

Tip 1: Keep good air circulation in the room(s) your plants are in. I run a fan a lot of the day in my plant room. Letting in fresh air from the window, when the weather permits, helps too.

Tip 2: Keep your plants' leaves clean. This will serve a lot of purposes. It helps keep them pest free, it also helps your plants from being dusty. Dusty plant leaves have a much harder time with photosynthesis. Cleaning your plants’ leaves helps remind you to check them for pests.

Tip 3: Give your plant a soap shower. I use just a dab of mild liquid soap in my plants water. I then rinse them off well with the sink sprayer or the shower head. Completely showering your plant with a bit of soap can help clean off any unwanted pests.

Moss Poles and Bamboo Sticks

A lot of house plants are natural climbers. Providing your climbing plants with a moss pole or bamboo stick can help the plant to grow bigger and healthier leaves. It also looks cool. And as a bonus you can save space since your plant is now growing vertical.

Tip: Did you know that Pothos plants have fenestrated leaves in nature? Fenestrated leaves are leaves with holes in them, like Monsteras or more commonly known as Swiss cheese plants. If you train Pothos to climb and provide the best possible environment, they will produce fenestrated leaves. I had no idea! Now I am putting plants on poles!

Clips and Velcro Straps

Attaching your plants to moss poles and bamboo sticks is easy with these Velcro straps and clips. Adding Velcro straps to your plants helps to wrap them around the pole and trains them to stay climbing upward. The Velcro strap is placed between leaves and is soft enough that it does not interfere with the plant's growth.

Clips can be used for smaller plants to clip them to poles. You may have seen these used on orchids to help stabilize the plants blooms. And they are fun! Clips come in different shapes and colors like these here. You can also get more decorative and buy stickers and art decor to stick to your poles to add even more bling to your plants.

Heat Mats

Some plants really thrive by having their very own heat mat to sit on. Alocasias enjoy heat mats, especially in winter or if kept in a space with cooler temperatures. You can get plant heat mats here.

Bonus: If you garden too, your seedlings will benefit from heat mats as well. Adding a heat mat under your seedlings can help to speed up germination times.

Brushes and wiping cloths

Wiping cloths, we talked about briefly to keep your plants pest free. Taking a damp cloth and wiping down your house plants leaves is the best way to keep them dust free, pest free and photosynthesizing properly.

These brushes are a great tool for cleaning down your fuzzy leaf plants, like African violets. Getting into the routine of wiping or brushing your plants' leaves will help your house plants thrive.

Since plants are the new pets, why not spoil them! Implementing these must haves into your house plant care routine will help to level up your house plant growing skills. Now you can bring home all the plants you love with the confidence to keep them thriving!

Thanks for reading my blog post! I hope you learned something new about your plant babies!

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