Plant Care Guide

Looking after plant babies can be especially stressful if you don't know what you're doing. Whether you've just received a gorgeous indoor plant as a gift or you're building out your urban jungle from scratch, the basics of plant care don't have to be complicated. Luckily for you, we've put together a comprehensive plant care guide to help you become a respectable and confident plant parent.

From understanding light levels to knowing when (and when not) to water, these five fundamentals will set you up for long-term plant parenting success. Bookmark this page, share it with a friend, and let's get into it.

1. Let There Be Optimal Light

Light for plants is the same as food for humans. The right level of light generates the best amount of energy for the plant to grow up healthy, vibrant, and strong. Without adequate light, even the hardiest houseplant will struggle to thrive, and too much direct sun can scorch delicate leaves just as quickly.

To keep it simple, we're not going to go deep into window orientations or compass directions. All you need to do is decide where your plant will be living and figure out how much natural sunlight that spot receives throughout the day.

Levels of Light

• Low Light: this means away from the window where there is plenty of shade and no direct sunlight. Think hallways, bathrooms, or corners of a room. Plants like pothos, ZZ plants, and peace lilies thrive in these conditions.
• Medium Light: that's near the window where there's decent sunlight but some obstruction (from curtains, trees, or buildings outside). Most popular houseplants, including monsteras and philodendrons, do best in medium light.
• High Light: plants that love direct sunlight will need to be right by the window or on the window sill. There should be nothing blocking the path between the plant and the sun. Succulents, cacti, and many herbs fall into this category.

Too much sunlight will "burn" the plant, leaving crispy brown patches on the leaves. Too little will mean slow growth, pale or yellowing leaves, and in some cases, the plant grows unnaturally tall and leggy as it stretches towards the nearest light source. If you notice the plant leaning or growing in one direction, a quick fix is to occasionally rotate the pot a quarter turn every week or two, or simply find a brighter spot.

Seasonal changes also matter. As Australian winters bring shorter days and lower sun angles, your plant's light intake can drop significantly, even if it's sitting in the same spot. Consider moving plants closer to windows during the cooler months and pulling them back slightly in the height of summer to avoid heat stress through glass.

For the more advanced plant parents, grow lights for indoor plants are continually growing in popularity, especially for use with rare and exotic indoor plants. Full-spectrum LED grow lights can be a game-changer if your home doesn't get a lot of natural light.

2. Don't Overwater

Here's the number one mistake new plant parents make: overwatering. It's more common and a bigger plant-killer than underwatering. In fact, it's almost always better to underwater than overwater. While plants obviously need water to survive, they do not need to drink every day, and certainly not as much as we do. Overwatering causes root rot, a condition where the roots suffocate in waterlogged soil and begin to decay. Root rot is notoriously difficult to recover from.

Both overwatering and underwatering can cause slow growth and brown leaves, so how do you tell the difference? Soft, limp, or mushy leaves are a telltale sign of too much water. Dry, crispy, or curling leaves typically indicate underwatering or low humidity. Read our blog post on common indoor plant diseases to lower the chances of your plant dying from preventable causes.

If you're unsure whether your plant needs a drink, check the soil, not just the surface, but a couple of centimetres underneath. Stick your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. If it feels dry, it's time to water. If it still feels moist, hold off for another day or two. Make sure you water the soil evenly and thoroughly, and avoid wetting the leaves, which can encourage fungal issues.

Remember, some plants you'll have to water weekly whilst others only need watering every other week. Always check the specific care requirements for your plant variety, as watering frequency can vary significantly between species. Succulents and cacti, for example, can go weeks without water, while tropical plants like ferns prefer consistently moist (but never soggy) soil.

One more tip: the type of water matters too. If your tap water is heavily chlorinated, consider letting it sit in an open container overnight before using it, or switch to filtered water for more sensitive plants.

3. Out With the Old, In With the New

Don't be afraid to give your plants a haircut every once in a while. Pruning is great for keeping the plant looking healthy and happy by encouraging new, bushier growth. Removing dead, yellowing, or damaged leaves also helps the plant redirect its energy towards producing fresh foliage rather than trying to salvage what's already gone.

Plus, pruning gives you the perfect opportunity to propagate more plant babies and show off to your friends what a great plant parent you've become. Many popular houseplants, including pothos, monsteras, and tradescantias, are incredibly easy to propagate from cuttings in water or soil.

While you're giving your plant a once-over, you should also check for any unwanted visitors. Inspect the undersides of leaves and along stems for signs of plant pests from time to time. Common culprits include fungus gnats, spider mites, mealybugs, and scale insects. Catching an infestation early makes it far easier to treat before it spreads to your other plants.

A good rule of thumb: make pruning and pest inspection part of your regular watering routine. Every time you check the soil moisture, take a quick look at the leaves and stems. It only takes a minute and can save you a lot of heartache down the track.

4. Drain Away Your Sorrows

Imagine wearing wet socks and not being able to dry your feet. Uncomfortable, right? Like humans, plants do not like sitting in excess moisture. Drainage deals with this by allowing excess water and dissolved salts to leave the soil before they cause damage to the root system.

Without proper drainage, water pools at the bottom of the pot, creating the perfect anaerobic environment for root rot to take hold. Even if you're watering correctly, a pot without drainage holes can undo all your good work.

So before you buy that cute plant pot, remember to check if there's a drainage hole! If there isn't one, it's a good idea to drill your own using a masonry or ceramic drill bit. And if you're not keen on DIY, use the cute pot as an outer decorative pot, then place a smaller nursery pot with drainage holes inside it. Just remember to empty the outer pot of any collected water after watering. Don't let your plant sit in a puddle.

The type of potting mix you use also affects drainage. A well-draining mix, often one that includes perlite, coarse sand, or bark, allows water to flow through freely while still retaining enough moisture for roots to absorb. Heavy, compacted soils hold too much water and are a common cause of root rot in otherwise well-cared-for plants.

5. Variety Is Not the Spice of Life

While humans love spontaneity and change, plants generally do not. They are creatures of habit. Wherever you decide to place them, however you decide to take care of them, remember one thing: give them space and time to adapt to their new home.

When you re-pot a plant, they often experience something called 'transplant shock', especially when moved into a different potting mix than what they're used to. Leaves may droop, yellow, or drop temporarily. That's okay. With consistent care and patience, they will bounce back in no time, especially if you're using a quality potting mix suited to their needs.

Similarly, avoid moving your plants around too frequently. Each time a plant is relocated, it needs to readjust to new light levels, humidity, and airflow. Pick a spot that suits its light requirements and leave it there for at least a few weeks before deciding whether to move it.

If you want to give your plants some extra strength and longevity, particularly during the active growing season of spring and summer, consider using some plant fertilisers. A balanced liquid fertiliser applied every two to four weeks during the growing season can make a noticeable difference in leaf size, colour, and overall vigour. Just remember to ease off or stop fertilising altogether during winter, when most houseplants enter a period of slower growth.

Bonus Tips for Happy, Healthy Plants

Now that you've got the five fundamentals down, here are a few extra tips to level up your plant parenting game:

• Humidity matters: Many popular tropical houseplants, like calatheas, ferns, and orchids, thrive in higher humidity. If your home is dry (especially in winter with heating running), consider grouping plants together, placing a tray of pebbles and water beneath the pot, or investing in a small humidifier.
• Dust your leaves: Dusty leaves block light absorption and can attract pests. Wipe large leaves gently with a damp cloth every few weeks to keep them clean and photosynthesising efficiently.
• Know your plant: Every species has its own quirks. A quick search for your specific plant's care requirements will go a long way. Our Plants Blog is a great place to start.
• Repot when needed: If you notice roots growing out of the drainage holes or the plant drying out unusually fast after watering, it's probably time to size up to a slightly larger pot. Spring is the best time to repot most houseplants.
• Don't panic: Plants are more resilient than you think. A few yellow leaves or a bit of drooping doesn't mean your plant is dying. Observe, adjust, and give it time.

As much as we can go on about what you should or shouldn't do, it's all in your hands now, and we have complete faith in you!

Make sure to check out our Plants Blog for narrowed down lists of plants that are perfect for whatever your needs are, from low-maintenance options for busy people to statement plants that'll transform any room.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We're always happy to help you find the right plant and keep it alive.

Now that you know the basics, it's time to get you some plants!