Spring Clean Your House Plants
This post was adapted from Spring Clean Your Houseplants originally published on the Wild Interiors blog.
Spring is here, and we’re so excited about warmer weather after a long winter in the Midwest! As you start to notice buds on trees and flowers popping up from the soil outside, take some time to help your own indoor plants grow stronger this season. Most indoor house plants are ready for pruning in late winter or early spring, so now’s the perfect time to do it if you haven’t yet.
Prune Plants for Healthy Growth
Pruning helps conserve energy that your plants are sending out to dying or damaged leaves so that they can focus on new growth instead.
If your plant has leaves that are droopy, yellow, dried out, or otherwise damaged, cut off the affected area with clean scissors or shears (sterilize them first to reduce your plant’s exposure to bacteria and fungus). If the whole leaf or stem is affected, cut it off at the base but don’t cut the main stem of your plant! Typically, you should cut at a 45-degree angle.
For succulents, remove damaged or dying leaves from the bottom up, and avoid removing the top of the plant. If you give your succulent leaves a gentle pull, damaged or dying ones should come off easily. You can also cut the leaves from the stem with a sterilized knife.
Clean Leaves for a Healthy Shine
Our homemade recipe for leaf cleaner is so easy anyone can put it together in a snap.
You will need water + a clean cloth.
That’s it. Using anything with wax or oils can clog your plant’s pores and make it harder for them to breathe, and using food products like milk can invite unwanted bugs and pests into your plant. A gentle dusting with a microfiber cloth can remove dust, and plain water is all you need to give leaves a healthy shine!
Use Plants in your Spring Cleaning
As you start the time-honored tradition of spring cleaning, spruce up your home with your favorite Wild Interiors® indoor plants from Heinen’s for a touch of lush greenery while you wait for the final spring thaw.
Plus, more plants means cleaner air, and who doesn’t want that? They’re practically a cleaning supply.
Have a Happy Spring
Good luck with your spring cleaning, and get outside for some sunshine! We need it as much as our plants do.