5 Common Mistakes That Easily Killed Your Plants

If you google common mistakes that kill your plants, I’m sure you will find basically the same mistakes I will list here. Houseplants are not as hard to care for as you can avoid these mistakes. When I was a beginner plant parent, I did lots of research after I killed many of my plants. So I’m listing them here. I’m no expert, I’m still learning. I’m just sharing what I found to be helpful for me

1. Overwatering

Overwatering is probably the most common mistake, We might think that giving more water to a plant will keep it healthy and help it grow faster.I killed so many plants in the past because of this. Indoor plants are different than outdoor plants, they live inside a pot and if you water them too much the soil will remain soaked in water, leading to growing mold and rotten roots (root rot).

So how often do you water your plants? Usually with all indoor plants, watering once a week should be plenty. It is also depend on what pot you are using. Some pots are made out of clay or metal. Clay pots can vary in types of clay; some clay pots absorb water very quickly so you have to water the plant more often. I have a metal pot for my pilea and it doesn’t absorb water very well. So, I water them every 2 weeks or sometimes every 3 weeks. Make sure all your pots have a hole at the bottom so the extra water can drain out of the pot to prevent root rot. I usually water all of my plants on Mondays. You can also try to feel the soil by poking your index finger in the soil a couple inches deep. If it’s still moist, I would water them less.

If you happen to go on vacation, you need to make sure someone can help you water them. Without water they can die pretty quickly.

2 Too Much Sunlight

Lots of us think plants need as much sunlight as possible in order for them to grow or stay healthy. Most all indoor plants don’t like direct sunlight. They love bright indirect sunlight. If you place them in direct sunlight for a long time, they will get sun burn, which can kill them

3. Not the right temperature

I live in a place where it gets very cold during the winter and my plants need more attention compared to other seasons. I’ve placed succulents near the window before where it gets very cold. After a few weeks, I noticed the succulents began looking very poor.

Also, don’t put your plants near a heater or a vent. The soil gets dry very fast–drying out the plant as well.

4. Forgetting to Fertilize

You are probably wondering what fertilization is if you are a new plant parent. I didn’t know what fertilization is until a few of my plants died. I did a few research and found out that in order to keep them alive, i need to fertilize them. Unlike plants or trees outside, indoor plants live in a small pot. The soil contains nutrition only for a limited time. Therefore, we fertilize the plants once/month so they can get enough nutrients from the soil. I usually fertilize my plants once/1.5 months. Because fertilizer for indoor plants is typically mixed with water, I fertilize and water my plants at the same time.

I use Miracle-Gro water soluble all purpose plant food. You can get them at anywhere for under $3. I got mine from Amazon. It can last you for years since you only need 1/4 teaspoon for every 1/2 gallon of water. Mix the fertilizer with the water very well. Then, just water the plants as you would normally. Make sure the water drains through the bottom of the pot to indicate the soil is soaked through.

Also, something to note: Try to use filtered water instead of tap water because tap water contains some chemicals which aren’t good for the plants.

5. Forgetting About Your Plants

Many of us sometimes forget about our plants. If you have many plants to care for, sometimes it is impossible to remember all of them. It is normal if you neglect your plants here and there.

But, if you have can manage, try not to forget to water them. Set a schedule to water all of your plants on one day so it is easier to remember. If you forget to water your plants, they will look very droopy and slowly die.

Again, these are 5 common mistakes that easily kill plants. If you own many plants like I do, sometimes it is hard to keep everything perfect, but it is just part of the flow 🙂

How to Take Care of a Maranta Plant

The Maranta plant is also called the prayer plant. The name itself is already pretty, right?

Out of all the houseplants I own, I think the Maranta plant is the most tricky plant to take care of.

Here are some tips on how to grow a Maranta plant.

1. Light

The Maranta plant doesn’t require a lot of bright light, and it absolutely hates direct sunlight. Their leaves get sun burned very easily. Even when you place it in a brightly lit area, their leaves seem to get yellow and droop. It doesn’t look so happy. So I would highly recommend placing it in an area with medium light.

2. Water

Most experts say to water your Maranta plant every other week. I tried to do that, but my plant seemed to not do so well. Then I tried to water them once/week and it started to look so much better. It is best to test your plant to see which option they like best.  Maranta plants should be kept moist, but not soggy.

One thing you need to remember, the Maranta plant is different than other plants when it comes to the temperature of the water you water them with. Make sure the water isn’t too cold – maybe around room temperature.

During the winter, the plant can be harder to take care of because of the dry air, but you can place the plant with several other houseplants to create more humid conditions.

I found that misting daily helps the plants stay fresh.

3. Fertilizer

With every houseplant, I fertilize them once every 1.5 months during the winter. I would fertilize them once/month during other seasons.

Many of you might ask, “what is fertilization?” Unlike trees, or outdoor plants, houseplants grow in pots with limited soil. The nutrients are limited as well. That is why fertilizing is a must. Because fertilizer for indoor plants is typically mixed with water, I fertilize and water my plants at the same time.

I use Miracle-Gro water soluble all purpose plant food. You can get them at anywhere for under $3. I got mine from Amazon. It can last you for years since you only need 1/4 teaspoon for every 1/2 gallon of water. Mix the fertilizer with the water very well. Then, just water the plants as you would normally. Make sure the water drains through the bottom of the pot to indicate the soil is soaked through.

Also, something to note: Try to use filtered water instead of tap water because tap water contains some chemicals which aren’t good for the plants.

4. Propagation

Once your plant grows bigger,  you can cut a branch with nodes on it and place it in a water cup (make sure to change the water twice/week). It takes about 2 months for the nodes to start growing roots. I put some perlite into the cup with the cuttings, and saw that it helped the roots grow faster. I’m not so sure why… I also tried this with different plant propagation processes and noticed a huge difference.

Remember that some leaves from the branch will start to get yellow or dry up, you can just cut them off. As long as the nodes are starting to grow roots, it should be fine.

After the roots grow you can plant them in a pot with indoor potting mix. Isn’t that cool?

That is it beautifuls! Comment below if you have any questions ❤

5 Houseplants That are Easily Cared for

I’m sure many of you have been told that you don’t have a green thumb and that you tend to kill all your plants. Guys! Forget all about that! You just haven’t done enough research on how to take care of each plant. Each plant is unique and require different care. If you have a passion for houseplants and want to go get some, but don’t know where to start since there are so many houseplants out there, don’t worry! I’ve got your back! “insert winky face”

Below are 5 houseplants that i think are pretty simple to take care of but are still super pretty:

1. Golden Pathos Plant

What I love about this plant is that it’s both easy to care for and really pretty. All you have to do is water it two or three times/month and fertilize them once every 2 month. Also, make sure to place them in indirect sunlight. This plant doesn’t require a lot of bright light, so you can just place them anywhere it’s bright enough that you can read a book.

Another neat thing about this plant is that you can propagate them to grow new plants. Once your plant grows bigger, and you can cut each branch with one node and place it in a water cup (make sure to change the water twice/ week) It take about 3-4 weeks for the nodes to start growing roots. After the roots grow you can place them in a pot with potting mix. That’s it! Isn’t that cool?

2. Hoya Plants

The Hoya plant is similar in care to the golden pathos plant,  but it doesn’t require as much watering. I only water them twice a month. With the Hoya plant, it is best to water them in the morning ( I try to water all my plants every Monday morning so it is easy to remember, with the exception of a few plants I only water twice a month)

Just like with the golden pathos plant, you can propagate them the same way.

3. Pilea Peperomiodes

Absolutely my top favorite plant because it is so unique and super easy to take care of! It grows very fast.

How often should you water them? All plants are depend on what pot you are using. Some pots are made out of clay or metal.. Clay pots can vary in types of clay; some clay pots absorb water very quickly so you have to water the plant more often. I have a metal pot for my pilea and it doesn’t absorb water very well. So, I water them every 2 weeks or sometimes every 3 weeks. Make sure all your pots have a hole at the bottom so the extra water can drain out of the pot to prevent root rot.

You can also propagate the pilea, but it’s different than the last two plants. Pilea plants, once it gets old enough, will pop baby pilea out from the soil, and all you have to do it to dig it up and move the baby pilea to a small new pot with potting mix, and slowly it will grow.

4. Monstera Deliciosa

This is another one of my favorites! Mine is still a baby plant so the leaves are not quite spilt yet, but once it matures it should be have split leaves. I can’t wait for mine to get bigger.

I water this plant every 6 days because my clay pot sucks up all the water so the soil is always dry.

They don’t like direct sunlight so make sure to place it in a spot where it has enough bright light.

5. Bird of Paradise

The name itself is so pretty already! I got mine from Lowe’s, but most Lowe’s stores nearby don’t take good care of their plants, so when I got them they were already pretty beat up, but after a few weeks of taken care of them, they seems to be doing much better. I trimmed all the dry parts off and water them twice a month. I love this plant because you don’t have to take care of it much; all you have to do is remember to water them every 2 weeks, and place them in a indirect sunlight. This plant’s leaves remind me of banana leaves for some reason 🙂

Conclusion: All of these plants are super easy to take care and hard to kill. The main keys are:

 1. water them at least one a week or twice a month.

 2. make sure you throughly water them (water them until you see the water drain out of the drainage hole)

 3. Use filtered water to water them, so they won’t create pigments on the leaves from the chemicals in tap water.

 4. Place all your plants in an area with plenty of sunlight, but avoid direct sunlight which can give your plants some sunburns.

That is it beautifuls. Comment below if you have any questions ❤