Plant Care is Self Care
The internet can be a very noisy place when it comes to looking after your green pals.
There is a lot of conflicting and confusing information out there alongside some really useful information too.
hugo & green want to make Plant Care as simple as possible and welcome you in store where we will happily chat through the information you need over a cuppa from our in house cafe.
Knowing it can feel daunting and sometimes like you need 10 years experience to be a proud plant owner; we work from a ‘keep it simple, stupid’ concept so whatever a plant needs, we want to make it as accessible as possible for you to keep a plant alive in your house.
Houseplants have been taken from the wild and cultivated in cosy greenhouses for generations; therefore far removed from their Tropical origins.
Selectively bread to survive normal household humidity and light levels in Europe.
Although plant owners can ‘get it wrong’ sometimes or feel confused, we want to break it down into 3 sections to make it simple take care of your plants.
Positioning
One of the first things to think about when buying a plant is; where is it going in your home?
Perhaps you have redecorated a room or you’re looking at your space thinking a bit of greenery would bring it to life.
A key question here is: What are the light levels like in this space?
It’s not about buying a plant that works for a bathroom or a bedroom or an office. It’s about buying a plant that will work in the light levels of YOUR specific space.
So thinking about the position you visualise a plant sitting, buying a plant that suits that light level is the key. Every single house will be different and a simple indicator is; if you struggle to read a book in that light - the plant will struggle there too.
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Seasonal Positioning & Light Levels
Wonder why leaves go yellow or brown? This could be down to the light levels. Most plants like bright or shady spaces, not hot direct sunlight as leaves can burn.
Plants don’t enjoy being baked through glass in the midday sun in the height of summer so you may need to move your plants seasonally. In the cooler months, your plant will want to be close to what little sunlight we do have around.
If you put a plant in a room with no natural light it will struggle to live; natural sunlight can be substituted with artificial grow lights (available in store).
We've divided plants in to three categories of light requirement:
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Sun Lovers: These plants can cope with or need the cost direct sunshine indoors.
- Succulents
- Cacti
- Chinese Money Plants (Pilea)
- Bird of Paradise (Strelitsia Nicolai)
- Ponytail Palms (Beaucarnea recurvata)
- Euphorbias
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Inbetweeners:
- Monstera
Shady Ladies:
- Calethea
- Philodendrons
Q: "Do plants need to be in a room with sunlight?"
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A: Do Monsteras grow in caves? c'mon, of course they need sunlight!
Watering
There is no specific schedule plants work to.
Your plant needs watering with as much as it needs, when it needs.
Watering your plants on a weekly basis with the same amount of water each time (which is super common) may not be what they need. Your plants needs differ throughout the year depending on the seasons, heating, cold spells; so it will consume different amounts of water or water will evaporate and not be used by the plant based on these things.
Caring for your plant is an intuitive art as much as it is an environmental science.
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Before you water your plant you should be able to lift your plant out of its decorative pot to feel the weight of it and so you can tell whether:
- there is water sat underneath causing root rot
- it is really dry at the bottom
- the roots are poking out or bound in its pot
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Push your finger into the soil up to the knuckle to feel the moisture levels. If the soil sticks to your finger it is wet.
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If you are unsure, don't water your plant - it is easier to recover a plant that is under watered than one the has been over watered.
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Heavy Drinkers:
- Carnivorous plants
- Asparagus ferns
- Fittonias (Nerve plant)
Binge lovers:
- Monsteras
- Philodendrons
- Pilea
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Lightweights
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Think about the origin of the plant - if we tune into how their natural environment would serve them and aim to recreate this in their plastic & ceramic worlds at home, we begin to emulate better ways of watering.
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I know it can be tempting to give your green pals a little bit of water every day; but for the love of plants - don't!
Feeding
Yes, plants need food! Some plants are hungrier than others. Plants are housed in a pot with a finite amount of compost which contains nutrients that slowly get used. Over time you need to replenish those nutrients, and by doing so you'll furnish the soil with all the goodness for it to grow gorgeous leaves and sometimes flowers.
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We used cold pressed seaweed because it works for a whole range of plants. Here's why we love it (available in store)
- It encourages foliage growth
- It gives plants a broad range of nutrients
- Allows them to grow and flourish to become the best version of their plant self.
- Doesn't overburden them with complex chemicals
- All natural - simply cold pressed seaweed sourced in the UK
- Won't get yellowing leaves when you use it in every watering session
- It's just the BEST thing to feed your plants.
