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How to care for tropical plants

Plants need regular attention: food, water and light. But just like all of us, if you want your plants to thrive you need to show them some love.

Read on to discover that it is really pretty easy to care for tropical plants. We show you how to meet those essential needs, spoil your plants and even apply first aid when they aren’t doing so well.

Plant care for tropical plants

Most tropical plants your see at your local garden centers originated in a rainforest environment. This means that they love having a rich moist soil with lots of organic matter, high humidity and warm temperature. In this environment only the tallest trees get full sun. The rest of the plants get partial shade or dappled sunlight as they sit under the canopy.

How to care for tropical houseplants

Most indoor plants are tropical plants. Homes and offices have bright indirect light and reasonably consistent temperature and humidity. Tropical plants are quick to adapt to the indoor environment so they are pretty easy to care for. The two biggest success factors for tropical indoor plants are light and water. The good news is that these are actually easier to manage than you might think.

The following are general instructions that apply to most plants however it’s always a good idea to check the individual requirements for your plant just in case it needs some special care.

How much light do tropical houseplants need?

All plants need light and water to produce energy. Most indoor plants give the best results if they have bright indirect light. That means they need to be in a room with lots of natural light, or very close to a window that gets minimal or no direct sunlight. Some plants will be able to tolerate 1-2 hours of direct sunlight in the morning. If your indoor plants get direct sunlight you’ll need to monitor them for brown leaves, a sign of sunburn.

If you don’t have a room that has bright light you can always provide artificial light using a grow light. These are more expensive than a regular lamp but are better for your plants. This is because they give off light in the correct wavelengths for your plants. Grow lights are especially useful in winter months when there are fewer hours of daylight. Foliage plants respond to light in the ultraviolet spectrum. Conversely, flowering plants do best with light in the infra-red spectrum. The best grow-lights will have both spectrums of light.

How much water do tropical indoor plants need?

The most common cause of death for indoor plants is over-watering or under-watering. If this is a challenge for you there are some great options that will help to prevent mistakes. Self-watering pots have a reservoir of water that maintains the correct moisture level for your plant. Your plants will be much happier with a consistent moisture level that having to deal with a soaking and then drying out. If needed use a spray bottle filled with water to mist the leaves of plants to replicate the humid environment.

If you use regular pots you can use your finger or a soil moisture meter to to check the moisture level in the potting mix. Make sure your plants always have well-drained soil by keeping them in pots with good drainage. If the pot has just one drainage hole make sure you elevate the pot so that water can drain away freely.

What fertilizer is best for indoor plants?

Plants in pots need regular application of slow-release fertilizer. In most cases this is in the form of small pellets that mix into, or sit on top of, the potting mix. Moisture slowly dissolves the nutrients into the potting soil where they are absorbed by the plant roots. Generally you should feed your indoor plants slow-release fertilizer in late winter, late spring and late summer. You can reduce or skip the late fall feed as growth slows in winter.

If you use liquid fertilizer it can run straight through the pot without being absorbed. A tip for using a liquid fertilizer is to let the pot sit in a bucket that has about 5 cm/2 in of fertilizer solution for no more than an hour. You can’t use the same strength liquid fertilizer that you would use in your garden as it may cause root burn so make sure you dilute it to half strength. If it is a fertilizer specifically for potted plants you can mix it according to the manufacturer directions. The best time to apply liquid fertilizer is at the start of the growing season, usually when the warm weather starts.

How to care for outdoor plants

Plant care advice will vary depending on your local climate, particularly the winter temperatures. Find out what the plant hardiness zone is for where you live by using a guides such as the USDA zone in the USA. Other guides are available for countries such as Canada, the UK, or Australia,

Tropical plants aren’t restricted to tropical climates. Some tropical plants can be grown in a colder climate if they receive extra care such as covering them or moving them indoors in winter. If this isn’t an option there are plenty of tropical plant substitutes that can give you a tropical look as they have similar features like large leaves, bright colors and exotic shaped flowers and glossy green or colored foliage. See our plant selection guides for help with choosing the right plants for your home or backyard.

Pests and diseases

Unhappy plants give off chemical signals that signal to pests that the plant’s normal defenses are weakened. This means pests like spider mites, aphids or mealy bug are more likely to attack your plants. Healthy plants are much less likely to have issues with pests and diseases.

General purpose sprays for pests include white oil or horticultural oil, neem oil, and insecticidal soap.