Too many Houseplants? How to make houseplant chores easier

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It’s easy to get carried away at the garden center. If you buy one succulent, you might as well buy seven. All the minutes spent tending to your new companions can add up to hours. Here are some tips on how to make houseplant chores easier.

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Group plants with similar care requirements

Group plants with similar watering requirements in one place. This makes it easier to remember how much to water and how often.

Generally, plants fall into three groups based on their watering needs. Succulents and cacti need very dry soil and minimal watering. Tropical plants like monstera, ficus, and philodendron need water once the top two inches of soil are dry. Ferns and peace lilies are very thirsty and need constantly damp soil.

You should also group plants with similar humidity requirements. Get a mini air humidifier and place it next to those that need very high humidity levels. This will save you having to spritz them with a water bottle every couple of days.

Use a plant care app to schedule chores

Download a gardening app that will notify you to do your gardening chores. WaterMe reminds you when and what to water. Gardenia offers a task reminder feature. Vera has a customizable gardening schedule for many different garden chores with the bonus of a plant journal where you can document your growing collection.

You can also cut back on chores by buying only plants that naturally grow best in your indoor environment. The Florish app offers quizzes that will help you find the best plants for your space.

Select striking easy-care plants

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Many impressive-looking houseplants need minimal care. Chinese Evergreen and Red aglaonema come in deep red shades that inject color into your space without much maintenance. Tradescantia have striking silver, purple and green striped leaves that flourish with just a bit of sun, watering, and even occasional neglect. With medium to bright sunlight and very little watering, Kalanchoes reward you with dense floral bouquets.

Make a closed terrarium

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If you have very many small humid-loving species, plant them together in a closed terrarium. This is a closed glass container for housing plants. With soil, plants, and a bit of moisture, it forms a perfectly balanced, self-sustaining water cycle.

Terraria are a good way to display ferns, arrowhead vines (Syngonium podophyllum), and nerve plants (fittonia abbivenis). Packing these together under glass creates a high-humidity bubble, which these moisture-hungry species will appreciate. Check out our detailed guide on how to make a terrarium.

It is important to position your terrarium in a partially shaded space. The glass will concentrate any sunlight that it receives. This will easily damage many terraria species that prefer damp, shaded spots.

Buy self-watering planters

Watering is one of the most important gardening chores and remembering to do it is only half the battle. It also time-consuming to remove plants from planters or saucers and wait for the moisture to drip out before replacing them.

A self-watering pot lets you avoid all this hassle. The planter sits on top of a water-filled container. The plant draws up water only when moisture levels in its stems and leaves drop.

Set aside a day and time to complete seasonal chores

There are certain plant care chores you'll need to do at the start of the growing season in spring and before your plants enter dormancy at the start of fall. Set aside an hour or two at the start of each season to complete essential tasks. This will make the gardening season ahead much easier because your plants will be that much healthier. Early spring is the best time to repot, prune your plants, and propagate. Here is our guide on getting your plants ready for fall.