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What really accelerated my plant growth was using aquarium water. I have a large tub with about 5 turtles, and when I do a water change I use their water to water my plants about once a week. You can also use fish water which would be just as good. I also keep my tropical plants near this tub so they can benefit from the humidity.

Summary: 1) <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="19">0:19</a> Change soil at least once a year plus repot to a bigger pot. 2) <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="84">1:24</a> Only water plants when neeed (less is usually more as overwatering leads to rotting roots). 3) <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="155">2:35</a> Try to know the needs of each of your plants individually (sun exposure, soil moisture, nutrience, ...). - Use Google Lens to reasearch your plants! 4) <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="213">3:33</a> Check for pests. (also check for pests as you buying the plant, e.g. spider mites webbings) 5) <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="291">4:51</a> Leave your plants to do their thing - don't fuss with them too often! (moving them over home constantly, overwatering, fertilizing too often, ...) 6) <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="355">5:55</a> Avoid putting plants into direct sunlight. (especially tropical plants will get sun burn rather quickly) 7) <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="424">7:04</a> Prune your plants to remove damaged leaves/party and to get rid of molds and pests. (but not too much and not to regularly) 8) <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="495">8:15</a> Bonus Tip: Turn kitchen scraps into fertilizers! (water your plant with COOLED cooking water used for pasta/rice/vegetables/eggs) Thank you for the lovely video! There were a few things that I did not know before. :)

My mom use banana water for plants and it works amazing. She puts banana peel in a pot and pours hot water, leaves it so sit and that's all. Her water lily growed x5 in a year

Something else that nobody told me about keeping plants (and ended up causing some of mine to rot) is that putting a plant in a pot that is too big can actually cause more harm than good. Put your plant into a pot that is just a couple of inches bigger than the one it is currently in, you can put it in a massive pot once your plant reaches that size.

I’ve a water meter at work but started doing the wood chopstick thing at home. I stick the chopstick into the soil all the way to the bottom and bring it out. If there’s soil stuck to it, I leave it another few days to a week. My plants have improved dramatically. 100% agree that overwatering is a huge detriment.

I really like that you relate human experiences with plants. Like getting a haircut, salting food, sun protection. It all made it very understandable! Thank you so much for this awesome video and great tips

I’ve been using the water from boiling veg to gain nutrients for myself, in sauces, gravy etc. now I’ll be happy to share with my plants.

I’ve kept houseplants and gardened for over 25 years. Your channel is the only one on KZfaq that I watch because I always learn something new from your videos. I always recommend your channel to anyone that asks me about how to care for plants. Something that I wanted to tell you, which you may already know, is that not all succulents should receive direct sunlight because it’s too intense and will burn them. The ones that grow in tropical and subtropical rainforests, such as Christmas and fishbone cacti, grow under the canopy of trees, where they receive filtered light. When grown indoors, these types of succulents should be placed in bright, filtered light.

Love that your plant videos are very “get down to business” and teach us useful facts straight up.

All excellent points! I would like to add and share that old aquarium water or rainwater is very beneficial and that I always let tap water sit 24 hours before using. Also, many plants will grow rapidly with good humidity. Self regulated humidifiers are great and bringing the humidity up at night and than letting fall in the day as well as having a fan for circulation is a great way to help your plants in their growth. I generally keep my houseplants that require or like higher humidity together and regulate the humidity around them. As you pointed out, knowing what your houseplant is crucial in their care and growth, Succulents are going to have much different requirements than Peperomia.

The water from boiling vegetables / eggs fantastic idea. 👍

Im a beginner gardner..... 2years in. The water meter just saved my life! Thank you!

LOVE your no nonsense, to the point advice...and your dry humor! LOL

As an amateur Bonsaï artist I was told to do the opposite of pretty much every step (we obviously do pest control too) : Shallow pot, water daily, prune heavily at least once a year, rotate and fertilize regularly, more sun=more growth (which might be good or bad depending on which phase your bonsaï is in) and my plants are doing fantastically.

I have 200 plants and I water them all about twice a month. They are thriving and beautiful and I don’t ever have any issues of losing any of them. I learned from trial and error that I was actually overwatering them so they all get a very good thorough drink two times out of the month And let me tell you it is beneficial, and in most cases overwatering is the number one reason why plants die. It’s better to go without then take the risk of killing it. Plants are very hearty and I wanna drought resistant than most realize. Are used to hate my new plants because I could never keep them alive, I found out that by not watering them they magically became beautiful. So anyone that thinks my plants are hard to keep alive I am the first to tell you that the fact they are not, it’s just we have us need to think that they need watered more than what they do. I wait until they’re fully dried out and then give them a good long drink. I did transfer every single plant I had including orchids to water and I enjoyed the hydroponic lifestyle for a while, but have since went back to soil. Anyone having issues with orchids my number one tip would be to dump the soil that it’s in and put it in a clear glass for at least one week to two weeks changing out the water every week. Giving it freshwater at least every four days and keeping it in a indirect window. From there you can put it back in better soil in a tight container. I keep all my orchids currently in water and they thrive and do wonderfully . They actually do not do well in any soil that they’ve ever been in and they do not bloom, except only in the water I keep them in. I do give them their food two times a year in the water.

Sometimes when I get a new plant it's over watered but not rotted yet or is creeping out the bottom but not root bound yet. In these situations I take my preferred soil and I lift the plant from the nursery pot, add my soil to the bottom and then place the plant right back in on top. They seem to love this and it helps to dry them out without doing a full repot. Another thing I'll do if I accidentally over water is I'll place a microfiber cloth under the pot. It will suck out the extra moisture rather quickly and has saved my plants when I've been too heavy handed! Also works great if you've got fast draining soil to just put along the edge of the saucer, sucks up all the extra without having to lift the pot and drip everywhere!

The used water idea is brilliant. I enjoyed all,of your practical tips. Some verified what I practice. Some explained some of my struggles. Thanks!

Great tips! On my 3rd year as a indoor jungle plant mom & I’ve finally figured out how to not kill everything I bought lol.. it takes trial & error

You're such a kind plant parent. Thank you for the tips.

The comparison of adding salt without tasting is genius

I find it hard to agree with your point about eggshells/eggs + boiling = calcium rich water. Good on you for conserving water, however, it'll have negligible amounts of accessible calcium. Calcium carbonate in eggshells/seashells/bone requires a chemical reaction (acid) to break down into calcium bicarbonate (available for plants). A physical reaction (boiling water) won't produce the same results, even up to 100 C. A method I've seen: save/wash eggshells, bake them to sterilize, add a vinegar/water mix, and then add to plants.

You have me absolutely shook by the last tip about reusing boil water. Im terrible at fertilizer ratios and have really hard tap water, so I've been buying gallons of water for my plants.... this is a game changer! Thank you!

5 reasons your houseplant has stopped growing 👉 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a6l1ktN2rcqvhmw.html

I use fish tank water. My plants love it! I even used it to heal a damaged patch of grass in my yard.

reusing food waste is such a luxury that so many plant parents overlook!! you can also use old egg shells as a substitute for sand and other medians to cover the soil in your pots to keep pests out. i usually keep all of the shells and then when i finish a carton i put them in boiling water, dry them out and crush them. also save your banana peels! i’ve found it to be a great source of nutrients for my plants by putting some old peels in a gallon of water for 12 hours and allowing each plant to go through one watering cycle with it before disposing of it if there is any left (usually dump it outside in the grass). we NEVER use fresh tap water. we invested in a cute 2 gallon drink dispenser that we take water from to water them and always have two recycled plastic gallons on hand, one filled with water that’s been sitting and another strictly for repurposed water or banana peel water! we have marimos so it’s always needed for us to have so much extra water ready for the plants to make water changing days simpler with the marimos.

I think the main difference between the experts and me is that the experts care for their plants.

I thought I had heard all the classic tips but you've managed to teach me a few new things! You have a new subscriber from the US as of today, I'm looking forward to learning a lot from your videos 😄

I only change the soil if I see the soil is holding on to water for too long or if it's plain peat moss or coco coir. Other than that, I'll keep the plant in the potting mix from the nursery it came from for another year until it's rootbound and needs repotting. To add nutrition, I just add some slow release fertilizer every 2 months.

Love your video. Thank you for the tips! I think it's really important to understand one's plants. Every plant is different! Sometimes, even the Internet doesn't give the right answers, but one's understanding of the plant definitely will. It's also important to keep a new plant in a small pot rather than a big pot, like many here mentioned. From my experience, the plants seem to do well when kept as such.

I’m so glad that me changing the soil was a good move. I’m a new plant parent, but I do as much research as I can. Also learning right off the beginning about pests and leaving. Alone till necessary.

What really helped me is finding good ways to create false bottoms in pots, usually with some aquarium filter floss (stone and sticks works great as well and many other methods). It allows for more care free watering.

Use a moisture meter rather than repeatedly compressing the rootball with your finger…and use worm castings and seaweed extract periodically for micro nutrients.

Excellent channel. I love your plant tips and humor.😁 I fuss over my plants - mostly by telling them how much I love them and running my fingers through/ over them.

This is an amazing video and I love how you explained all the different things. I got into plants not too long a go and I'm still quite insecure.

I live in India (Delhi) Here the summer is so harsh(day temp upto42 deg Celsius ) We have to find ways to keep r plants healthy n happy Aft so many years I have succeeded to grow all kinds of philodendrons pothos n others decorative plant healthy n happy Leaves of philodendron on moss sticks r just like a fat child n I am proud Now I get plants as gifts too It’s quite a learning experience to watch ur channel n learn in the process Thank you

I am so happy to have found your channel. Loving your videos. So informative and simple to understand. Thank you

You can turn bones into bone meal (i've done it with chicken(the worst to much cartilage) beef and pork bones esp rib bones make easy bonemeal), heat them up to at least 350 for a few hours and they will crumble apart, after making a crock pot recipe with bones take the bones out and again dry them in the oven, they crush even easier and can be done mostly by had though a blender will crush most if you heated them long enough in the oven. Egg shell can be cooked and crush into a powder some people clean them first i dont never had a problem, again cook them to kill any bacteria and the heat makes the calcium frail. easier to powder. Mix either of these powders for calcium. Coffee grinds add nitrogen back into the soil, old grind are almost 7.0 ph but fresh grinds will lower ph. When doing any off these DIY amount is the key. You dont want to overdo any nutrient or even have to much of them. Certain nutrients can cause nutrient block in a plant. Think of it like this your in a room with a table almost wall to wall ceiling to floor full of a variety of food, but in order to get to other foods you gotta eat whats in front of you, If all you have are rolls in front of you, you're gonna be full well before you get to anything healthy in the pile.

Best information I have heard on plants , and straight to the point. Thank you so very much.😊

Thanks a lot for all the tips and ticks and off course for your knowledge.Very much appreciated.

Your opening points were brilliant. I’d been following the same belief system without even realizing it. I would have thought that all my “mothering” needs would have been fulfilled by my 8 children. But… no, I was wayyy over mothering my plants. Thanks , I’m subbing!

So glad I’ve found this informative channel. Learnt a lot already. Thanks.

I'm from California, do enjoy your sense of humor and the way you educated me about plants.

My old agriculture teacher from high-school would tell us "Plants grow in spite of us, not because of us" -Albert Eamer R.I.P

The tip about using water from eggs is amazing. Thank you!

I have aquarium plants One of my plants is Anubius nana which is pretty much just a miniature peace lily The flowers look identical but they’re way smaller They’re also a low to medium light plant

Brilliant video, loved the delivery and when you said you lived in Sheffield ❤️🙌🌱🙏 my house plants will be thankful I found your video, thanks again

Excellent points shared.. i use the water from my Aquarium which we take out during weekly water changes and always use that to water my plants.. it avoids me to use the harsh chemicals 👍🏼😄

The analogies you used in this video are spectacular!!

Well I have just discovered you on KZfaq and LOVE your great tips and knowledge! I'm send my friends links to your channel! Love they are short, to the point, but full of great info!! Thank you for being you!!

Mine struggle for the simple reason that my home lacks consistent temperature. Indoor plants are only for people with good windows and doors and modern heating. Plants don’t really care if it’s hot, cold, wet or dry... as long as it’s not constantly changing from one to the other. Despite my troubles I’ve just added my very first Strelitzia to my collection!! I’ve wanted one for so long!

I put stones and gravel on the bottoms of all my pots. I used to struggle with root rot and overwatering. I do this to plants that even need lots of water, as I would rather deal with needing to water every day, than to have root rot. Plus I figure nothing wrong with roots getting more air.

The joke about the hard pruning and new hairstyle really got me. Thanks for the video!

since changing away from typical box store recommended pine bark potting mixes to coir/peat and perlite, havent had plant rot of pest problems for years.

I ended up like you lol I keep moving and over watering 😩, thank you for the advice

Omg no, I stressed out my plant to death I think 😩😩😩 I Just got a bird of paradise from an online store like a week ago. Two days after it came, the leaves started curling in, so I thought it was a humidity thing. First thing I do is repot it because I noticed the soil was draining too fast, and maybe it wasn’t holding water. Two days later, didn’t get any better. So I put a transparent bag with some holes over it and misted the inside a couple of times a day. Two days after, the leaves are still curled, and I start to notice the trunk going brown. So I decided to prune the whole thing and also clean out the roots as it had some rooting there. I have successfully grown 20+ plants since I started being a plant parent 3 years ago, with other tropical plants thriving at home, but this BOP broke me 😩❤️‍🩹

I am new to houseplants and addicted to them. This was so informative, thank you!

I always research where the plant grows originally. That gives me all the info I need. Great info ! ❤

Thanks for this excellently explained and i love that bonus tip

Great advice, just found your channel, you have another new subscriber from the U.S.

Over the years, I have discovered a way to delay changing pots due to lack of space. I stick a long knife and cut the roots from above and just top dress with rich soil. The cut roots will just be a good food source for the plant over time as it decompose.

You obviously have a great sense of humor. 😂Comparisons are hilarious. Thanks for video.

Nice and useful tip, but I do that all and I'm not a pro... also water from cooking is usually useless because I add salt when cooking veggies or rice or even eggs, so - but if someone cooks a non-salty stuff it is very good fertilizer for sure :) thanks for making this video :)

Your video shows succulents here and there, which suggests this advice works them for just as well, but your watering advice isn't cautious enough for them. You suggest essentially watering when the soil is dry, which means that it will be wet more often than not. You also specifically say to avoid "prolonged drought" for your plants, but most succulents WANT a drought period and can rot if you keep watering them every time you notice the soil is dry. Watering them more often might not exactly give them root rot (although it can), but it will at least stretch them out, the same way insufficient light will do. The defining trait of succulents is that they store water inside themselves, so the key is to check how full of water the plant itself is; in most cases, you would check the leaves (which is true of the jade and pickle plants you showed), but some plants store water in their roots or stems, so if you're not sure, look into where your particular succulent stores water. Plump firm storage parts mean your plant has little extra space to store water, which means all additional water you add will contribute to the risk of rot and stretching. If they are softer, wrinkly, bendable, or otherwise seem not full, you could maybe water or you could maybe wait, depending on how full its stores seem to be. When it comes to most succulents, when in doubt, wait it out! (Or as some say, when in doubt, let it drought!)

Very helpful tips .Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I

Thank you for these very useful tips. I'll remember to save the water from boiling eggs for watering my plants. I already use rice water for my orchid which produces lots of hugs white flowers.

I had more of a survival of the fittest and whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger approach. 1. Do more or less everything wrong the first years. 2. Try to correct the mistakes without knowleadge. 3. Cut your losses and keep the survivors. 4. Eventually start correcting some mistakes. 5. Profit. Nowdays it's pretty easy, I just water my plants in the shower without the pots every second week. It cleans the plants and it is an easy way to avoid overwatering by allowing excess water to drain. Slowly most of my almost dead plants have recovered and have survived for many years now. Maytbe I'll l change the soil and move them to bigger pots, I guess they've earned it :).

On changing soil, if you don't want to upsize your pot, trim the roots roots back. try not to cut back more than 50% do this in spring only. ☺

I love the advise with the used cooking water! Thank you

Thank you for these great tips.

You can buy predatory mites for the spider mites. And make your plant harder with the right biostimulants is also a big game changer. I am surprised that nobody does that who like plants

Thank you for sharing. To clarify, adding vegetable water from cooking to your plants - assuming salt is used in the cooking process, is that OK to use on plants? Thank you.

And TY glad I found your channel. I ❤ the bonus, I’ll start doing that, no more down the sink. Texas

wow, reusing the cooking water is inspired!

The food scraps as fertilizer is life changing. I knew it could be done, but nobody has explained it past "you can use it." Thanks so much! Do you have a full video on your channel about it? I'm about to check. Lol

I'm not even a huge plant guy but this is a really well made video

I've had my longest serving plant (Xmas cactus) since 2009, but I still got something out of this video, thanks 💖

EXCELLENT tips here. Bravo.

Over pruning plants is like asking for a little off the top, then they give you a buzz cut.

I use egg and pasta water for plants and was just random lol. Look at me being an expert!

I only have 5 plants right now (killed 3 over the past 2 years), this helped! Thank you

Very good video! I'm happy I to knew everything before but still a good video! :)

I'd add fore more specialised plants, these rules can change. For example succulents: if you water them every time their soil just dried out, they're not gonna be happy. At worst they will rot. As they are plants that evolved in dry areas, they posses water reserves in their stem and/or leaves (and also succumb to rot very easily.. they don't need to be immune to constantly moist soil in their homes). I water my succulents when I, as you said, see they need it- but by then the soil is bone dry for at least days if not weeks. You will see their water storage deplete- leaves thinner, lightly wrinkled, curled inward, soft (but not watery- that's overwatering) to touch depending on the species. Just, remembering that plants are diverse just as animals are and reading up on the specific plants you have will help you a lot compared to treating them all in a generalised manner. You would't feed a tiger and a llama the same stuff, don't water a cactus and a papyrus the same or keep them in the same soil mix.

Reusing the boiled water sounds like a smart idea. Does it pose any risk of mold or attracting pests like gnats? I live in a very moist area, it's a lot like england, so I worry about mold.

I love the Bonus tip! Just subscribed. Thanks man

Your plants are good. Oh yes, my peace lily did not die but it only produced one flower at a time. I had split it in three and my daughter got one.. hers would throw out four , five flowers at once then I soon learned one more thing about my peaceLily.

I love your videos, you're a total pro and you have great, inventive tips and tricks but can we get like an alarm or a warning that flashes on the screen before you are going to show us a close up of bugs and larvae, you're killing me here! 😂

You forgot the most important things: 1. Filter your water. You don't need a Reverse Osmosis filter but you should get a cheap carbon filter to remove excess chlorine. 2. Get a PH sensor and an EC sensor. You can use PH strips for PH but the EC sensor will last you for years and it is a necessary item if you spend more than 50 euros on plants a year. It will save you money in the long run.

Million thanks..am new in this plants thing..am in need of these precious advices

I'm from Sheffield aswell! Hopefully see you around one day 🍃 your tips are so helpful! I've lost a love for looking after my plants recently as it's coming to winter and I've seemed to have acquired fungus nats. I will start getting back into it soon because when my plants are happy, I feel happy to.

This gentleman sounds like Forrest Gump with a british accent.

I’m definitely guilty of the fussing thing OK I’m gonna try to stop

So Clear thanks

Thanks for sharing ❤️

some of the tips are okay but using bark based potting mix is the secret to having return customers. it is the worst media. with regular weak fertilization you would normally have salt build up. you need a potting mix that is impossible to overwater, so you can regularly flush the salts, without the media becoming mush and also a breeding ground of fungus gnats, which always happens in pine bark based media. Use peat and perlite or coir for big pots. Media contains stuff all nutrients and this should be so, as well as being sterile, so as not to introduce pathogens. Use a weak complete fertilizer (such as <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1220">20:20</a>:20 +Trace elements) but you will need to separately supplement calcium and magnesium, as these are not in fertilizers and badly needed in potting mix, which contains zero minerals. you can mix in a dash of dolomite when preparing the mix, and occasionally top up with hydroponic CalMag. Monitor ph and if necessary, sometimes throw in a pinch of sulfur or gently use a ph down solution, adjusting slowly towards a generic acceptable ph 6-6.5.

I also supercharge my potting soil by tossing it back in the compost bin & mixing it with everything else, as a brown element to absorb the green element.

Gardener here, you don't need to spend money on a moisture meter, just pick the pot up. Anyone who had ever had a glass of water know how much water weighs.

Love your presentations on plants. I'm learning a lot.

Thanks for sharing 👌

- [<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="19">00:19</a>] 🌱 Changing soil: Regularly changing the soil prevents root-bound plants and boosts nutrient levels for healthy growth. - [<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="85">01:25</a>] 💧 Watering when needed: Only water plants when necessary to prevent overwatering, root rot, and stress. - [<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="156">02:36</a>] 🌿 Understanding: Research your plants' needs to provide appropriate care, avoiding common mistakes like placing them in unsuitable light conditions. - [<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="213">03:33</a>] 🐜 Checking for pests: Regularly inspect plants for pests like spider mites to prevent damage and deterioration. - [<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="290">04:50</a>] 🚫 Fussing: Avoid over-fussing with plants by constant moving, watering, pruning, or fertilizing, as plants prefer stability. - [<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="355">05:55</a>] ☀ Direct sun: Place plants in indirect sunlight to avoid burning, especially for tropical plants accustomed to dappled sunlight. - [<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="425">07:05</a>] ✂ Pruning: Prune plants to remove damaged parts, improve air circulation, and encourage stronger growth. - [<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="496">08:16</a>] 🥦 Bonus tip: Reuse nutrient-rich cooking water from kitchen scraps as a natural fertilizer to boost plant growth without the risk of over-fertilization.