Tips for Indoor Plants

Tip 1:  Flowering and foliage plants
The decisive factor for choosing the right place for a plant is its need for light. The reason is that all plants need sunlight for their photosynthesis which is the process through which plants develop their main energy for growing and flowering by converting carbon dioxide and water into oxygen.

    

Some species, however, need less than others for this, and thus suitable plants can be found for any place. Normally, you will get information about a plant's specific needs when you buy it. However, there are some sure signs to tell you a plant is in the wrong place.

With lack of light plants loose their leaves and only sprout sparingly; flowering plants will not bud. If they get too much light, the buds fade and wilt quickly or the whole plant gets tired and limp during the mid-day hours.

South facing windows have the strongest and longest exposure to sunlight. Light-craving plants feel happy here. But be careful, in summer it can get very hot here. Therefore, arrange the plants to allow for good airing and, during the midday hours, for shade.

West-facing windows are the ideal place for most plants, because they provide a lot of light without exposing the plants to the burning midday sun.

East-facing windows get a similar amount of sunlight as west facing windows, but are a bit cooler overall. You can put most plants here as well without a problem.

North-facing windows are cool and shady. For most flowering plants, they are not very suitable, but foliage plants like Swiss cheese plants, ferns or baby-tears thrive well here.

How to get your watering right
Better too little than too much is the basic line here. The reason is that most plants do not take standing water very well. And, in an emergency ,you can still save a dried out plant by putting it into a bucket of water for a while, but if the roots are rotting because of too much moisture, it is usually too late.

How much water a plant needs depends on its size, the temperature and its exposure to sunlight as well as on its current growing phase. You should always water it when the surface of the soil feels dry or becomes lighter.

With few exceptions such as African violets, plants should be watered from the top. The water should have room temperature - especially in winter - and be as soft as possible. Hard tap water with a high concentration of calcium carbonate can be mixed with rainwater or be treated with a softening agent.

Plant care
Apart from the right watering, regular fertilising is of the highest importance. Blühpflanzendünger (fertiliser for flowering plants) will ensure a strong natural growth and a long lasting blazing splendour of flowers. Grünpflanzen- und Palmendünger (fertiliser for foliage plants and palms) with a fertilising mixture strong in nitrogen will give these types of plants strength for growing and luscious green leaves.

Do not forget to repot your plants regularly either. For flowering plants Floragard Zimmerpflanzenerde (indoor plant soil) is ideal. Since foliage plants and palms on average need repotting less often, you should use Floragard Grünpflanzen- und Palmenerde (foliage plant and palm soil) with its stable structure for these plants. Through the fir tree bark which it contains, this soil keeps a particularly good pore volume over several years to ensure optimal air circulation.