Spring brings a chance to rejuvenate our indoor gardens, focusing on the essentials of plant care. Dusting, pruning, soil changing, and proper watering are key steps to awaken our green friends from their winter slumber. See our tips for repotting and nurturing your botanical buddies!
WITH THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING, it's time to pay attention to our indoor plants, giving them the care they deserve after a long winter: cleaning the leaves, changing the soil and ensuring our plants are well-watered and nourished. To make plant care enjoyable and effective, we recommend stylish and functional tools from brands like Vitra, Skultuna or Audo Copenhagen. See our tips for repotting your indoor garden, ensuring your plants not only survive but thrive in their new homes.
1. Dust off
Begin your plants' spring rejuvenation by liberating their leaves from dust, as it not only makes them look dull and gray but also makes photosynthesis more difficult. Give your leafy companions a gentle, warm shower or a wipe their leaves with a moist cloth, breathing life back into their vibrant hues. It's advisable to wipe off dust at other times too, perhaps during cleaning day, or to mist them regurarly with a spray bottle to keep the dust away. We recommend gathering your plant care tools in Vitra's Toolbox, your ally in this nurturing quest, making each swipe and spray a breeze.
• Vitra Toolbox >
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2. Prune the leaves
Trim away the winter weariness from your plants by snipping off yellowed or drooping leaves with the help of a sharp knife or pruning shears. The elegant Pallarès x Audo Copenhagen collab is essentially designed for the garden, but the collection's plant shears or more robust pruning shears are also perfectly suitable for indoor plant care.
Tip: Don’t overlook the opportunity to propagate, as those trimmed twigs could be the start of a new green life. Nestle them in water or moist soil and watch them grow! If you place them in water, we recomment a vase in clear glass.
• Pallarès x Audo Copenhagen plant pruner >
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3. Change the soil
Most houseplants benefit from moving into fresh soil every spring. This also offers the perfect opportunity to check their roots: if they're looking cramped, consider upsizing the plants' homes. For your larger plant pals, however, changing just the topsoil might suffice – experience has taught us that repotting a giant Monstera isn't quite as simple as you might think!
Many flower pots, like the Arabia Puutarhurit pot, don't have a hole at the bottom. For these solid pots without drainage, a layer of pot gravel at the base promises a breath of fresh air to roots, ensuring moisture and breathability coexist harmoniously.
• Puutarhurit plant pot >
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4. Water thoroughly
Quench the thirst of your newly potted plants with a thorough watering, encouraging the shy roots to stretch and grow in their new home. For the forgetful among us, technology in the form of watering globes or self-watering pots offers a helping hand. A beautiful watering can also help increase your enthusiasm for watering: for example, Skultuna's Nurture watering can by Ilse Crawford is the ideal addition to your watering ritual, turning a simple act into a moment of zen.
• Nurture watering can >
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5. Light and nutrition
Post-soil change, your plants are primed to feast on light and nutrients. Begin fertilization about a month later, catering to the appetites of diverse flora: the rule of thumb is that nearly all potted plants benefit from fertilization, but not all need it equally. For example, it's advisable to get a milder fertilizer specifically created for orchids.
After a long winter, the right light can transform your plants from surviving to thriving. Elevate your greens onto pedestals and stands like Design House Stockholm's Botanic Pedestal, ensuring they bask in their preferred spots of sunshine.
• Botanic Pedestal planter >
• All plant stands >
6. Dive deeper
For those yearning to deepen their bond with their botanical buddies, the Green Home Book by Riikka Kantinkoski and Susanna Vento awaits. It’s a treasure trove of care tips and styling inspiration, ready to transform your space into a verdant haven.
• Green Home Book >
• Read also: Fill your home with houseplants and make them flourish >
+1: Embrace effortless greenery
For those seeking the calming presence of plants without the commitment, why not explore the effortless beauty of cut flowers or air plants? The latter are low-maintenance companions, asking nothing but a cozy corner to thrive in. Air plants don't need to be planted at all, as they absorb the moisture they need from the air through their leaves, allowing them to be placed in a glass bowl or a terrarium, or perhaps Fundamental Berlin's Air Trophy stand, an elevated throne for your ethereal air plants.
• Air Trophy plant holder >
• All indoor gardening products >
See also:
• Indoor gardening at Finnish Design Shop >
• Read also: How to choose the perfect planter? Introducing six beautiful pots >
Text: Emmi Ratilainen Images: Manufacturers