Autumn Plant Care Tips

As there is less sunlight, plants aren't growing as quickly. This means you'll need to reduce your watering sessions. Only water if the soil is dry 1 - 2 inches deep. Always check the soil before watering using the finger test.

Perform the finger test

Place your finger in the soil, 2 inches deep. If the soil is dry, then you are fine to water. If the soil is moist, then do not water and check on your plants in a few days time. The biggest killer of houseplants is overwatering, therefore it is better to underwater them than overwater them. Little and often is not advisable. You should be watering thoroughly and at once, letting the plant soak up the water and then drain properly in a sink or into a decorative planter.

Make sure you empty any excess water from the decorative pot/planter before leaving your plant. If you let your plant sit in water, it will get "wet-feet" aka root rot.

Consistency is key for keeping your houseplants happy. Try not to be super inconsistent with how you water. For example, if it is advised that your plant be watered weekly. Habitually check on your plant weekly, however don't always water it! Always perform the finger test when checking on your plant. You'll soon find that some of your plants take longer in autumn to soak up the water from the previous session. Some other species however, might be placed closer to a window or brighter spot in your home. They'll be using the energy from the sunlight to produce energy, so may soak up the water more quickly and you will find you'll want to water thoroughly.

Each houseplant is different and requires individualistic care. Always refer to your plant care instructions when buying a plant from Leaf Envy. If in doubt, get in touch with our Plant Guru who can help you with specialised plant care knowledge and advice.

Dust build up over the summer months will mean that plants are less able to absorb sunlight and create energy via photosynthesis. Removing this dirt gives your plants the best chance possible of producing energy for growth.

Just use a damp cloth when wiping down the leaves. If you discover white bugs on the underside of the leaves, this could mean you have one of four bugs: whiteflies, spider mites, aphids or mealybugs. Purchase a bug control spray from our site and wipe down your leaves with this.

As it's colder indoors, you'll soon start putting on the radiator or heater. This means that the air becomes a lot drier and lacks humidity. As your houseplants are tropical plants, they'll suffer from a lack of humidity.

You'll need to start misting more regularly. There's no such thing as over misting the majority of houseplants. Only houseplants with very delicate / paper-thin leaves do not enjoy their leaves being directly hit with water spray. But, most enjoy it! So, feel free to mist to your hearts content.

When misting, make sure you are misting the air around the plant, not directly onto the plants leaves - especially with Alocasias for example. They enjoy the air around them being misted, rather than their leaves directly.

The majority of houseplants enjoy a room temperature of 15-25 degrees celcius. If your room temperature drops much below this or much above this, you run the risk of shocking your plants.

Typically, you'll start seeing their leaves get browing tips or edges. This usually is a sign of lack of humidity. If they are too moist - you will start to see yellowing leaves/ tips/edges. Their leaves will start to look soggy and mushy.

Less sunlight means less growth, which also means that you should cut back on any fertilisation you were doing in the spring and summer months.

This time of the year is essentially "downtime" for your plants. You'll see that they don't grow as quickly and you'll see them loosing leaves and perhaps looking a little sadder. Don't dispear. This is just the natural way of nature, especially with the seasons.

Just keep them as healthy as possible during this time and wait until the days start to get a little warmer in the spring. As soon as spring comes around, you can start back up with your fertilisation technique.

Spring is also the best time to repot your plant to replace any nutrients in the soil and get it growing again!