Houseplants need attention

It's time to get them ready for summer growth

- Ruth Hayes

OUTDOOR plants aren’t the only vegetation to start growing as we see the back of winter. The longer days, warmer temperatures and improved light levels have sparked houseplants back to life, as many will have been dormant through the winter.

I have far too many houseplants, though to be fair we are fostering several of them for younger family members currently on their travels.

Luckily most of the plants are good natured and tolerate my benign neglect, responding well to a hasty watering when they start to look limp.

But now the seasons are turning warmer, anyone with houseplants needs to be more proactive about their care.

I have been making sure ours are healthy and getting them ready for summer, re-potting some, top-dressing others with fresh compost, and restarting the spring and summer feeding and watering regimes.

When it comes to houseplant food, I find that general purpose plant feed such as you use on garden plants gets great results. There are a few exceptions to this rule including orchids, which will do better if you use an orchid food or spray, and carnivorous plants which don’t need feeding because they will catch house insects.

In fact, fertiliser will kill insectivorous plants as they thrive in poor soils, though they do need to be kept damp and watered with rainwater.

Most houseplants do best on rainwater, and if you don’t have access to a water butt or barrel, fill a jug with tap water and let it stand for 48 yours before watering to let the chemicals dissipate. Mist leaves with water every few days to raise humidity around the plants, but don’t do this to furry-leaved plants as it will mark their foliage.