Top 3 Plant Parenthood Mistakes (as seen in our shop)

We have been at this for just about 3 years now in our brick and mortar location at 14 West Ridgewood Avenue in Ridgewood. We have seen some trends come and go, but there are a few misunderstandings that seem to pop up over and over again when our clients bring in plants that need repotting or are declining.

The first is using a vessel without drainage and direct potting your plant into that. Why is this a problem? Not having drainage requires you to be very precise in your watering, it can lead to fungus gnats and water can accumulate, grow bacteria and mold, causing problems with your plants.

Pot in pot method of potting

Those types of vessels are called "cachepots" which is French for 'hide the pot'. They are designed for what's called "drop in potting" or pot in a pot. You leave your plant in the nursery pot it was grown in at the grower (they have several drainage holes and are lightweight and non-porous) and you drop that into the cachepot or cover pot. Watering is done outside of the cover pot and once the water has drained from the nursery pot, you can put it back into the cover pot.

Probably the second most common issue we see is not watering deeply enough. Watering in only small amounts makes you need to water frequently (ain't nobody got time for that!) and also encourages shallow root growth. For a more robust root system, water thoroughly, allowing excess water to drain freely out of drainage holes. This should be done even for cacti, succulents, snake plants, ZZ plants and other plants that like to dry out. The trick is to let them dry out just about 100% before doing this. Then, you don't do it again until they are once again dry down to the bottom of their soil.

Overwatering means too frequent, not too large of a quantity of water (provided your plant has ample drainage)

Water thoroughly when you do

I would say the third most common issue is neglecting to do basic plant maintenance. People always comment to us "Oh, your plants are so beautiful and healthy!" Yours can look like that too with a little extra attention, and it doesn't have to be any major time commitment. One of my favorite things to say (and I mean it) is that you can do this over your morning cup of coffee a few times a month.

Pruning is good!

Simple maintenance tasks:

• spraying the leaves with a non-toxic all purpose leaf cleaner (such as We The Wild "Protect" with Neem oil). This is not a pest treatment per se, but it contains Neem which is in a pest preventative concentration and lemon myrtile, which is anti fungal. It also removes dust and debris so that leaves can more easily do their job.

• cut or pinch off any leaves that have significant damage, as well as any leaves that are aging out

• remove any spent blossoms or sheaths (like cataphylls on philodendrons) as they've done their job and removing them will give a cleaner appearance, improve airflow and deter bacteria or fungus if they start to rot

• PRUNE your plants! Regular pruning encourages new and more robust growth. It also keeps plants from becoming unwieldy to deal with and prevent tipping. It also improves air circulation, which helps prevent fungus gnats

Reach out to us if you would like to purchase the Protect spray that we sell in shop (we are also happy to ship to you) or if you have any questions about maintaining your specific plants. A little time and attention goes a long way.