Spring has resile , although it does n’t really feel like it here when the prognosis is calling for more nighttime freezes this calendar week .
But , there ’s something about the prescribed start of natural spring that makes me need to throw launch the door and windows and freshen up the whole family .
Part of my spring cleanup rite ( that I actually do once every few month , but specially at the conclusion of a longsighted , juiceless wintertime ) is to give all my houseplant a cool , cleanse shower .
I put several plants — even my indoorbanana works — under the shower bath for a few minutes , rinsing the tops and undersides of the leaves and swamp the soil until weewee flows freely out the bottom of the pot .
This thorough washing not only nourishes and hydrates your plants more than their usual drink , but has other benefit too . Keep read to find out why your houseplants could use a salutary shower !
A gentle shower helps remove dust and pests
The occasional rain shower helps counteract the low-pitched humidity and indoor heating that ’s prevalent in winter , remove dust and dirt that may have amass on the leaves , and tolerate the plant life to “ catch one’s breath ” and photosynthesize more efficiently .
It also rinse aside any pests and their egg . ( Spider hint , in exceptional , love to hang out on dusty leaves . )
bear on : Make your own insecticidal soapto control pestilence
opine of it as a deep cleaning for your houseplants , since hand dust only removes surface dust ( and sometimes , merely besmirch it around ) .
Tropical plants love the extra moisture
If you have tropic houseplant likeMonsteras , Rhaphidophoras , Philodendrons , andAlocasiasthat thrive in humid surround , they love a good shower since it increases the humidity storey around them .
If you do n’t mist these types of plant regularly , they ’ll be happy if you exit them under a shower bath a few fourth dimension a year to sham a warm , refreshing rain , just like the ones they ’d get in their aboriginal home ground .
Showering your houseplants helps reduce excess salt buildup
Container plants do n’t have the welfare of being palisade by large amounts of soil to help distribute minerals in their environment , so excess salts ( usually fertilizer residue ) can build up over meter .
They ’re usually seen as a ring of snowy , curmudgeonly salinity deposits around the pot at the soil line and around the drainage hole , and sometimes appear on the exterior of Lucius DuBignon Clay pots .
A heavy buildup can finally lead to wilt , dropping of the lower parting , brown foliage tips , and reduce growing , as the salt inhibit the plant from taking up water .
It seems kind of confounding — that fertiliser , which is used topromotegrowth , can actually hinder or harm it — so washing your plant in the exhibitor should be a chore done once every season , not just in spring .
How to wash your plants quickly and easily
If you ’re only showering one or two houseplant , or multiple smaller plants likesucculents , you may wash them under a sink spigot with a nebulizer head .
Otherwise , bond all of your plant in the shower or bathing tub is the easiest and most in effect way to give them a good rinse .
You ’re not just pay your plant life a rich soakage or a bath in there . You need to spray the tops and underside of their leaf thoroughly , then let the pot drain full .
Quick Tip
expend tepid pee from the showerhead for your houseplant . It ’s actually better to water your works with tender body of water than very cold body of water , since sure plants ( such as African violets ) are sensitive to insensate weewee . With African violet , cold water can damage the roots as well as the foliation , have white-hot ring ( ring topographic point ) to form on the leaves .
If you have lots of plants or very large plant , move all the tummy outdoors and shower down them with a garden hosepipe fit with a soft spray nozzle , or a pink wine - head watering can .
rainfall require in the forecast ? Just depart your plants alfresco — that ’s free water right there ! And it ’s as pure as you could get , since rain has no additive .
talk of additive , if your salinity accumulation is principally due to softened urine , you may still shower your plants by collecting the weewee in a bucket and letting it sit overnight . This allows most of the minerals to settle at the bottom of the pail .
The next day , move your plants to the tub , then slow rain cats and dogs the pail body of water over them — remembering to rinse the underside of the leave-taking as well — and discard the last 1 to 2 inches of water in the bucket .
Post - shower , you may give your houseplant a quick “ haircut ” by trimming dark-brown foliage gratuity or dead fore , or refresh theirpotting soilif it ’s been a few years .
How often to shower your houseplants
Ideally , you should shower your plant doubly a year in spring and crepuscle ( after the abrasive environments that a wry wintertime and hot summer can create for indoor plants ) . If you have the time and disposition , putting your plants in the exhibitioner every season is even better .
Gently start the water over your plant for at least 3 to 5 proceedings , making sure to rinse the tops and undersides of the foliage and saturate the soil until weewee drains freely out the bottom of the pot .
6 tips for keeping your plants healthy
Going on vacation? Here’s an easy way to water your plants for weeks on autopilot
If you ca n’t find a housesitter to get along over and water your houseplants , here ’s a neat little trick to keep in mind .
Gather all of your industrial plant in the bathtub and douse them with a shower from above . Then , fill up the bathtub with 3 to 6 inches of piddle ( calculate on the size of your pots ) and cover everything with open plastic ( even a clear plastic shower liner works in a pinch ) .
This simple setup helps keep up humidness levels and let the plants wick up water from below , buy you about two week of vacation clock time without worrying about your plants drying out in your absence seizure .
Related : How totake upkeep of your garden when you go on vacation
The post updated from an article that in the beginning appear on March 23 , 2018 .
