How To Look After Houseplants

Here at Wave, we’re all about greener living, and there’s nothing more greener than a house full of plants!

Read our blog for some inspiration on which plants you should feature in your home to master the biophilic look!

Not only do plants make you feel happier, they’re also known for purifying the air, benefiting yourself and the environment. 

Now, according to Pinterest Predicts, biophilic design is the latest trend to combine interiors and wellness, with millennials creating living rooms by bringing nature into their homes and utilising houseplants to create a mindful place to truly sit back and relax. 

And, with Pinterest searches for ‘staircase gardens’ increasing 175%, we decided to rank the 20 most popular houseplants on Instagram to help give you some inspiration on which plants you should feature in your home to master the biophilic look!

So, without further ado, the houseplant that came out on top was (drum roll, please!)... 

THE MONSTERA!

But, with houseplants becoming more and more popular, it’s no surprise that there has been a huge spike in Google searches for questions about how to look after certain houseplants. 

So, we caught up with expert gardener, Adam Kirtland from View From The Potting Bench, to find out how you can keep your plants happy and healthy!

The Most-Searched Houseplant Questions

1. What to do with an amaryllis after it blooms?

2. Why is my aloe vera plant turning brown?

3. How to repot aloe vera plant?

4. How to grow an amaryllis indoors?

5. How often should you water a peace lily?

6. Why is my peace lily turning yellow?

7. Why are my rubber plant leaves turning yellow?

8. Why is my areca palm turning brown?

9. Why are my spider plant leaves turning brown?

10. Why are my rubber plant leaves dropping?

What to do with an amaryllis after it blooms?  

“Once your amaryllis has passed it's best then to simply chop off the spent flower from the stem and let the stem start to die back, but make sure to leave the rest of the foliage on the plant to put energy back into the bulb. Make sure to leave about an inch or so of the stem to help put this energy back in! Do continue to water but not too much -  just keep it moist. You can put the plants outside for a bit of a holiday and let them build up strength to flower again next season.”

Why is my aloe vera plant turning brown?

“Because aloe vera plants are succulents, they retain moisture well so can usually throw a wobbly when they're too wet. To prevent this, let them dry out a bit to help them spring back into life!”

How do you re-pot an aloe vera plant?

“The best tip I can give for aloe vera is to use a terracotta pot. This allows the soil to dry out more than a ceramic or glass container and give the aloe the conditions it enjoys most. They love light, but not direct sunlight, somewhere near a window where they'll get this without sitting in the baking rays of midday.

You'll know when an aloe wants to be potted on when it has filled its current home. Simply grab a pot that is a bit bigger than the one it's in and fill it about ⅓ of the way full with good potting mix. Gently tap out the plant from its pot and place in the new one and fill in around the plant with more potting mix and give it a good water. It's a good idea to give it a water in the sink and let the water drain through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. When the water stops running out then you can move it to where you'd like it.“

How do you grow an amaryllis indoors?

“My top tip is to get the biggest bulb you can find and afford. The bigger the bulb, the more flowers, and the happier you'll be with your amaryllis. You'll want to make sure you've got a wide pot to contain yours as the flowers can be quite lofty and this will stop your pot toppling over. Give your bulbs a good drink of water when you plant them at first, but after that,  just keep the soil slightly damp to avoid rotting the bulb. My top tip though...turn the pot around by about a quarter every other day - this will help to grow a tall and straight stem that won't lean one way or the other.”

How often should you water a peace lily? 

“Peace lilies are great at telling you when they need a top up of water by dropping leaves, but if you don't want to wait for it to get that extreme then follow the 'knuckle test. If it's dry, then give it a drink but if it feels wet then leave it for a bit. Once a week is a good shout here, but only if it needs it. In winter, you can pull back to once every two or three weeks.”

Why is my peace lily turning yellow?

“Usually this is due to over or under watering again and is easy to solve in the same way as above, all houseplants would rather be slightly dry than sopping wet, so sometimes it's good to put away the watering can!”

How to prevent rubber plants turning yellow?

“This could be one of two things, either the age old over watering again OR sunburn! If it sits in bright sunlight then remove it from this position to somewhere a little further away from the window. Try backing off with the water for a week or so to see if that also helps.”

How to prevent your areca palm turning brown?

“You guessed it, overwatering! Basically, you'll want to make sure it isn't sitting in a pool of water in the pot, make sure your pot has drainage holes to allow excess water to run away into a saucer.”

Why are my spider plant leaves turning brown?

“The most likely reason is over or under watering! They don't like to sit in stagnant water but neither do they like to be too dry, a tip here is to stick your finger into the soil up to about the second knuckle, if it comes out dry then give it a water. Humidity is good here too so take them into the bathroom with you when you have a hot shower and they'll thank you for it!”

For more top tips on how to live a greener lifestyle, check out more of our guides over on our blog.