Having lots of lovely plants around your house is a great way to not only increase your oxygen levels, but also to increase the beauty of your home. But how to make indoor plants grow faster? What is the best way to encourage your indoor jungle to increase? Let’s find out together!
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How To Make Indoor Plants Grow Faster
It can be disheartening to not notice any vibrant, healthy new growth on your houseplants, right?
Thankfully, there are a few tricks you can play in order to get your plants to burst forth with bushy, healthy growth:
- Increase sunlight. All plants need natural light in order to photosynthesize and thrive. If yours are looking a little gloomy, give them a little more natural light.
- Add fertilizer. All plants benefit from an added dose of nutrients now and then, especially those that live in pots.
- Give them room. Plants that live all squashed and squeezed up together will not grow well – they need room to breathe!
- Prune regularly. Giving your plants a haircut every now and then will encourage healthy new growth.
- Allow plenty of water. Not enough water to drink is a sure fire way to make your plants stunted and tiny.
Once you have figured out how to make your indoor plants grow faster, you will have to get a bigger house to fit your jungle into!
This is a fairly long video, but it is packed with tips to help your plants grow faster:
Why Are My Indoor Plants Growing Slow?
There are a good few reasons why houseplants grow slowly – most of these are to do with the growing conditions, and we can fix these issues fairly easily.
- Not enough nutrients. Indoor plants do need fertilizer in their soil, because the watering tends to leach them away. Dose with an all purpose fertilizer regularly.
- Too much water. Overwatering can cause a lot of issues with plants; in fact too much to drink can stress them to the point that they stop growing!
- Insufficient water. You do still need to water your plants, especially in hot weather. Keeping them hydrated will keep them healthy.
- Lack of light. Plants need light in order to grow well, and a plant that is kept in the dark certainly won’t thrive (although there are some plants who are fine with less light).
- Pest invasion. Creepy crawlies can seriously damage your plants, by eating the leaves and sucking the sap. Keep an eye out for bugs on your babies!
- It is root bound. If you have had your plant for years and never repotted it, chances are it doesn’t have enough space to grow and spread. Check if it’s time for a new home.
- It’s reached its full potential. If your plant is otherwise healthy and thriving, it could be that it has reached the upper limit of its growth.
If your indoor plants are growing slowly, go through our list and see if there is anything you can do to help turn them around.
What Can I Give My Plant To Help It Grow?
To help a plant grow strong and well, you will need to give it plenty of nutrients. A good dose of an all purpose fertilizer is always a good bet to keep your plants healthy and strong.
Keeping them hydrated is another important factor; without enough water your plant will not be able to reach its full potential.
This being said, too much water will also stunt the growth, and can ultimately kill your plant, so take care with your watering can!
Giving them plenty of sunlight will help your plants grow – without adequate light they will not be able to thrive.
If your plant is too big for its pot it will not be able to grow as well, so giving it a new home once in a while is a good idea!
Give it a good check over for pests and creepy crawlies regularly; a plant that is infested with insect visitors will not thrive.
Which Fertilizer Is Best For Indoor Plants?
All plants need a combination of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium in order to grow well.
- Nitrogen promotes the growth of strong, healthy foliage and leaves.
- Phosphorous supports the plants’ ability to make good big flowers.
- Potassium helps the plant to stay healthy and fight off disease.
You will need to check your plant’s individual requirements – some need a higher concentration of one of these things over the others.
As a general rule, a balanced fertilizer with equal NPK numbers is ideal for an all round fertilizing schedule.
You may have some plants which are fussier than others, but there are a great many fertilizers out there and you are sure to find the one that your plant needs the most.
Slow release fertilizers are always a good bet; these do what they say on the tin and will release nutrients over time rather than in one big burst, supporting the plant fro longer.
Water soluble fertilizers are great, because you can simply mix them in your watering can when you water your plant.
Granular plant fertilizers are easy to apply; simply mix them in with the soil and you will know that you are supporting your plant.
You can also make your own home made fertilizers from items you might just have lying around the house!
This article tells you just about everything you need to know about houseplants, including the best ways to feed them.
What Makes Indoor Plants Grow Faster And Bigger?
If you want to turn your pot plants into Triffids, then you just need to give them more of the conditions they love!
- More sunlight. Plants need light to survive, so increasing their light will help them grow bigger and bushier.
- Feed them regularly. A good dose of some all purpose fertilizer will help your plants to reach their full potential.
- Repotting when needed. If you notice roots poking out of the drainage holes in your pots, this is a sure sign that the plant needs a bit more space.
- Pruning may seem counter intuitive, but a good haircut now and then will actually help your plants bounce back stronger than before.
Growing your indoor plants bigger is actually easier than it seems, as you can see. Just be prepared to buy a bigger house when they’ve outgrown your current one!
Once you have figured out which conditions your various indoor plants like the best, you can decide what you can do to maker them happy and healthy.
Making your indoor plants grow strong and vibrant and happy is a great way to establish yourself as a great gardener and be the envy of your friends!
I accidentally broke off the top of one of my Dracaena recently. What can I do to help it grow back faster?
This is a tricky situation – the top is the main growth of the plant. However, Dracaena are very hardy and will bounce back quickly. If you work fast, you can also save the broken-off top by potting it up quickly!