3 Ways to Refresh your Houseplants this Spring

Charleston is in the thick of Spring and the gardens around town are in full bloom! Many people are out in their yard cultivating and tending to their spring plants in this beautiful weather. Even if you don't have a garden to get planting in, you can still join the gardening fun this season because spring is the perfect time to prioritize your houseplants!

Spring is still considered the 'growing season' even for your indoor plants! Obviously, your indoor tropicals are not going through seasons like your outdoor perennials. You'll never have a philodendron flower in the spring and loose leaves in the winter, but the days are getting longer and the temps are getting warmer so your houseplants are pushing out new growth more frequently this time of year! Many houseplant parents choose to do all routine maintenance during the growing season so that their plants can recover better (they tend to be sensitive!) and so they have everything they need to thrive!

Now that you know why it's the perfect time to handle houseplant care, here are 3 ways to refresh your houseplants this spring!

1. Repot your plants. This may seem simple, but it has the biggest impact! Like we mentioned earlier, houseplants can be sensitive and some plants become "stressed" when being handled (i.e. repotted). That's why spring is the best time to tackle all repotting! As your plant grows, their roots grow too and eventually need more space and soil to thrive. You'll know your plant needs to be repotted when it needs water more often, the roots are coming out of the drainage hole, or growth seems "stalled." We recommend repotting plants into a pot with a diameter about 2 inches larger than its current pot. If you give your plant a pot that's too big, excess soil will stay wet and eventually lead to root rot. Giving your plants a new, larger home sets them up for optimal growth all season.

2. Add support with a trellis or moss pole. While not all plants need additional support, many popular houseplants options like monsteras and philodendrons will benefit from a structure to grow on! In their natural habitat, many tropical plants are found growing up trees. If you can mimic that same growth pattern in your home with a trellis or moss pole, you'll be rewarded with faster growth, larger leaves and improved fenestrations.

3. Plan a spa day. Whether you have a few plants or a few hundred, doing multiple plant chores can be overwhelming. Manage that stress by scheduling a day to romanticize plant care and complete all of your plant tasks at once! We like to think of this as a spa day for your plants! Grab yourself a treat, put on a movie or your favorite album, and savor the process or caring for your babies. Spring is a great time to handle a wide variety of plant tasks! Invest in a quality houseplant fertilize to apply during your spa day, clean and dust off your plant's leaves with a neem or hort oil (bonus: this acts as a preventative pest treatment too!) and prune anything that is yellowing and leggy to promote healthy growth. You and your plants will feel rejuvenated by the end of the day!

Ready to get planting this spring? Stop by and talk a stroll through the greenhouse and grab all the tools you need to refresh your houseplants this season.