It’s funny, but one of my most commonly asked questions here on the blog is about our plants! It never fails that I’ll get messages or emails about plant care when I share a room that has one in it. Today I’m sharing the biggest mistake I find so many are making when it comes to their house plants.
I shared my tips on how to care for fiddle leaf trees here. I have a BUNCH of them and have figured out what makes them tick. They are much easier to grow than you’d think!
Over the years of honing my plant growing craft, I’ve figured out the one bit thing that keeps our fiddles and other house plants thriving:
See the master bedroom reveal here!
Sunlight is important of course! That varies quite a bit depending on the type of plant.
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Fiddles love sunlight — I’ve read many times over the years that they don’t love direct light, but mine have thrived in it:
I find fertilizing isn’t necessary in most instances — I don’t do it a lot. Maybe once or twice a year, if that? In general ours do better in the summer months and slow down in the cloudy, winter months.
I also don’t add anything special to the soil to help it drain — half the time I leave the plant in the pot it came in for a year or so!:
Here’s the most important tip! I think you’ll be surprised at what’s killing your houseplants…
I know many think the more water the better, but you’re probably watering them way too much. People are always shocked when I tell them I only water my fiddles every two to three weeks…sometimes longer!
And each time I don’t give them as much as you’d think. My largest plants get two cups of water at the most:
Smaller plants get much less.
If you’re having problems keeping your plants alive, I’d be willing to bet the amount of water you’re giving them is the culprit. I know it goes against what we feel is right — it just feels good to water them often, right?
But overall indoor plants will do much better when you either wait longer between waterings, or water much less once a week. Your houseplants will thank you!:
Huge DIY fabric bulletin board
Once I learned how little the fiddles needed, I started putting all of our plants on the same watering schedule and guess what? They THRIVED.
It really hasn’t mattered what plant it is…they’ve ALL done much better with way less water:
That ivy is growing like crazy!
The only plant I’ve found that needs to be watered more than every two to three weeks is the fern. I find them to be finicky, but overall even with those I water less than I used to.
Pretty earth-shattering, eh? I think most plants do much better when you ignore them a little bit. Of course they like to be talked to once in a while. 😉 I think we tend to care for them too much and that’s the biggest reason we fail at growing healthy houseplants.
Do you have any great plant growing tips you’ve found helpful? Do you water your plants a lot or a little?
P.S. Did you know you can purchase fiddle leaf plants on Amazon? Of course if you don’t have a green thumb, faux is the way to go!
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If you love the fiddle leaf, be sure to check out this post with bunch of fiddle leaf care tips:
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