Spring is not far away but the current cold weather is making everyone a little less likely to get out into their gardens. Why not bring some colour into your home with a trend that’s sweeping the nation?
Houseplants are easy to look after, are said to be great for cleaning the air and can be an effective way of bringing a splash of colour to your home. They’re also bang on trend and on every interior designer’s shopping list at the moment.
In this edition of Can You Dig It, Roger shares his tips on looking after houseplants including how to re-pot them when they start to grow:
In the first edition of valleys. magazine Roger shared advice on how to grow and take cuttings from a Jade Plant, or Money Tree. Whether you followed those tips or are just starting out with a new plant, March is the perfect time to re-pot it into something that suits both your home and the needs of the plant.
What you’ll need:
- A jade plant
- Houseplant compost
- Sand
- A trowel
- A larger pot with lots of holes underneath for drainage
Method:
Before re-potting any plant, I’d advise you leave it go slightly dry. This means that the roots shrink back a little so it’s easier to get the plant out of its pot.
Jade plants need soil that drains well. I would suggest mixing one-part sand to one-part houseplant compost. If you don’t fancy mixing it yourself, you can buy cactus compost from most garden centres which is the same thing.
Use a trowel to scoop your mixed compost into a large pot with lots of holes underneath for drainage. Once there’s a layer of compost at the bottom, add in the jade plant. The top of the plant should sit around 1cm from the rim of the pot.
Add more compost around the sides of the plant and at the top to secure it in place.
TOP TIP: PLANTS CAN’T SWIM.
When it comes to watering, for the first few months it’s important to stick to the area closest to the base of the plant. The compost at the edges doesn’t have any roots in it yet, which means there’s nothing to suck up any water. This could lead to the compost rotting if you overwater.
Lightly water your plant when the soil feels dry.
Why not check out last year’s video and remind yourself how to take cuttings from your jade plant so you can pot them up. These would make a great, cost effective gift for a friend or neighbour.