It is more than common having troubles keeping plants alive; having a full-time job, social life, and few rest days, make it difficult to have a “water-your-plants” routine at home.



You’re not alone if you feel this way; We’ve all been there (yes, I’m including myself in this) and, if you LOVE plants as much as I do, keep reading, so next time you’ll be posting about your beautiful plants on your feed.



I wanted to start right away by saying one big affirmation:

We all have the “green thumb“.



Now repeat it out loud.

Trust me, we do!.

How do I know this?



The answer is so simple it will surprise you, the thing is, we’ve been buying the wrong plants for our needs.

That’s it.



Plants should adjust to our lifestyle, not the other way around, that’s why our beloved plants die.



We tend to think that plants just need water, but plants, like human beings, have their likes and dislikes; Some of them love water, some of them not, some of them prefer bright places, some of them like shades, and the list goes on.



The secret to keeping our plants alive is to select “the right plant for us”; Plants have to be part of our daily/monthly routine and it has to fit on it. If you work all day long, five days a week and have other million things to do outside your home, how on earth will a water-lover plant survive if you probably don’t even remember you have it?





So, we need to find the right plant for us, according to our daily routine and according to our needs.

I’m going to show you how to find Mr. or Mrs. right for you!.



Follow these tips and you’ll be posting about how beautiful your plants are in no time.

1. Start with one low-maintenance plant at a time. Having a low-maintenance plant means to have a plant that doesn’t need your attention every single day. However, low-maintenance plants DO need some basic cares so they can grow healthy and beautiful, like watering, cutting off/ cleaning brown leaves and fertilizing once or twice a year. Following simple steps such as water and cleaning a few times a month, will be enough to make them happy.

Note: One of the easiest low-maintenance plants to have is the Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum), they are perfect in a window sill, no direct light, and a couple of strong waterings per month (depending on the season). You will notice if your plant needs your help, for example: if the leaves are bleaching, it means they are receiving too much light.

There are lots of low-maintenance plants and you will find the one that you love, you can choose from a great variety of succulents, cactuses, falling plants, moth orchids, etc., you just have to find the one you like and understand its needs.



2. Know your audience (or your plant). Plants have specific needs and you just have to know it and work with it. As I said before, plants have likes and dislikes, they like sunlight, shades, dry soil, moist soil, humidity, etc. Learn about your plant and find a place at home that suits those needs. Once you’ve found the appropriate place for your plant, leave it there and see how it grows. In a few days, you’ll notice if things are going well or not. If something’s not right, change spots and try again (you can notice damage on the leaves like brown tips, bleaching, dry, burnt, dark dots, etc). Analyze the problem and do something about it, depending on the problem you will have to add water, let the soil dry for longer, change the plant to another place at home, either way, do something different and give it another try, your plant will thank you with shiny leaves and maybe, beautiful blooms.

Your bathroom is perfect for tropical plants (like monsteras), the humidity and indirect light will keep them happy

3. Try indoor plants first. Besides being so satisfying to be surrounded by plants, it is also the perfect way to take care of them. By having an indoor plant, you’ll notice right away if they need water, if they have brown leaves, etc. You will also appreciate new leaves or blooms during the year. Having your plant in a visible place will give you less chance to forget about it and more chances to care about it.

4. Sometimes, dry soil is better than wet soil. Watering plants (especially in containers) can be tricky but it’s way easier than it sounds, you just have to keep a few things in mind. First of all, the best way to water your plants is soaking them in water, put the container in the sink, fill it with water and leave the plant there until the container is heavy or until you see the soil is wet (about an hour). The second thing is to keep in mind that if you give your plants a good amount of water once every 10 days (depending on the plant, some cactuses need less than that), the roots will go down the soil and they’ll be protected, the roots will stay moist for longer periods and you will have a healthy plant. If you water it poorly, the roots will stay in the soil’s surface, they will dry faster and if you forget to water it, the roots will suffer damages and so your beloved plant.

5. Fertilize your plants. As humans do, plants also need nutrients, the best time to fertilize them is in spring when they are preparing themselves to be active again, so you only have to do it once, maybe twice a year. There are different types of fertilizers, pick the one you like and feel comfortable with and feed your plants.

Mix your liquid fertilizer with water and give it to your plants. If you have solid fertilizer, open 3 or 4 little holes around the base of the plant and place there the fertilizer, cover with soil and water.

After mastering the care of one plant, you can go crazy at home or in your garden, you’ll notice that you do have the green thumb, because having a plant doesn’t have to be scary or stressful.



If you want other examples of low-maintenance plants, check this post where I talk about the easiest plants to grow at home with no effort.



I hope this post works for you and that you’ll find the right match for you and your home.

