Plant Care 101: Ingredients your plant needs to thrive — Soil and Nutrients

Not only a place for worms, soil is critical for the health of your houseplant! Soil provides plants with nutrients, water storage, and a way to anchor itself using its roots. Different species of houseplants have evolved to depend on certain soil types.

Soil

Sandier mixes are for desert adapted plants, because the soil retains less moisture. Soils high in organic matter are for moisture-loving species, because the soil retains more moisture. Additionally, some houseplants such as orchids and bromeliads need special soil mixes (often no soil at all and just a moss variety).

Luckily, with Welltended you are covered! Your houseplant arrives potted already in its optimal, hand-blended soil medium. When your plant eventually outgrows its pot after 1–2 years, you can order a new potting kit from us that includes fresh soil-again optimized for your houseplant!

Fertilizer

In addition to light and water, houseplants need nutrients from the soil such as nitrogen and phosphorous. These nutrients help the plant grow robust leaves and flowers. With small pots containing little soil, houseplants can quickly use up all of their available nutrients and have stunted growth. Fertilizers are used to add back essential nutrients to the soil.

However, fertilizer not properly administered can be harmful for houseplants. Owners often give too much, causing fertilizer burn (discolored leaves, leaf drop, and root death). To prevent fertilizer burn, houseplants should only be fertilized in the summer months when they are growing rapidly and should also be given reduced doses of fertilizer.

With knowledge of light, water, humidity, temperature, and soil/nutrients, I hope you are now able to care for, an more importantly, to understand what your houseplant needs to thrive! As always, send any of your questions to dan@welltended.com.