Weekly House Plant Checklist

Weekly House Plant Checklist

• Watering: I use a water meter to check all my plants and see who needs water that week. Most of my plants I will wait to water until the meter reads a 3 or 4 close to the stem of the plant. I do stick the meter all around the stem to see if it is evenly dry or moist because I don’t want to over-water.
• Bug-check: Spider mites and fungus gnats have been my biggest nemesis with house plants. Fungus gnats are easy to spot because they’ll drive you crazy but spider mites are a bit trickier. I like to hold the plant up to a light and look for tiny webs with little specks on them. They are usually in crevices and leaf folds when they start out. I do this weekly because they can spread to other plants and get out of hand quickly if not stopped. Other pests to look for are thrips, mealybugs, and scale.
• Light check: It’s fall and all my houseplants are now indoors (some I take outside in the summer). With that comes less light so every week I like to watch and see who is doing well and seems to be getting enough light, and who is struggling. I look for leaf drop, discolored leaves and overall plant sadness.
• Fertilizer: I do this when I water. I add fertilizer EVERY time I water. Because I only water when my plants are dry, I like to give them a the food and nutrients they need then as well. I use and love Happy Happy HousePlant Food. It’s incredibly easy to use and there’s no overthinking necessary. Just drop some in your watering can (or dollar store pitcher in my case) and water away. I use a full dropper per pitcher (about 2 quarts).