A-Z Plant Care Guides

Unlock the trade secrets for plant growth indoors. Discover each houseplant species' care requirements, facts, figures, history, folklore, and personalized real world tips for each plant species. Following our plant care guides ensures that your green companions thrive, rather than just survive. The images below represent each plant species, click them to explore detailed care instructions for your favourite houseplants.

Aloe Plant Care

Agave Plants

Aglaonema Plants

Alocasia Plants

Spider Plants

Epipremnum Plants

Ficus Plants

Hoya Plants

Monstera Plants

Peace Lily Plants

Philodendron Plants

Scindapsus Plants

Tradescantia Plants

Dieffenbachia Plants

Houseplant Propagation

For those of you with bulging houseplant collections and a desire to snip up your plants, join us as we explore every single way to propagate houseplants.

We detail each technique with pictures and a full step-by-step guide for each propagation method. Our guide is beginner-friendly, so don't worry if you've never taken cuttings before. We will walk you through the entire process, from selecting healthy cuttings to how to cut and grow the new plant.

This article takes a deep dive into the different techniques that you can use to clone your houseplants, including stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, air layering, root division, and how to propagate corms or bulbs. We explore each propagation technique in detail, showing you the best ways to propagate your houseplants and exploring the needs of different plant species.

This article explores the different mediums for propagating cuttings, including water, soil, perlite, LECA, clay balls, coco coir, vermiculite, sphagnum moss, and more. This propagation guide walks you through the entire process to grow cuttings into mature, healthy plants with vigorous roots and healthy shoots.

Our houseplant propagation guide also explains how to propagate houseplant pups when your mature plants have babies! It's always rewarding when our plants show us we're doing a good job by reproducing. It's such a joy to see our plants happy and thriving. Join us in this exciting journey of plant propagation!

Epipremnum cuttings in a test tube propagation station

Houseplant Fertilizers

Choosing the right food for your plant can be overwhelming, and you may not know what all of those numbers and letters on the bottle mean. We explain how to determine which fertilizers are appropriate for different plants by understanding the fertilizer needs of high and low light species, and we detail what NPK means in fertilizers and how to understand the numbers on the labels. Once you've read our guide, it will be like looking at a calorie label—you'll instantly know if it fits the needs of your plant.

We go through all the great fertilizers that you can use for your houseplants and where to buy them. We also list the best biofertilizers, which help your plants by improving soil health and structure with good microorganisms and trace elements. Next, we dive deep into organic fertilizers and soil amendments, and how they can help your houseplants grow.

This guide fully explores how to get great soil, both in fertility and structure. We cover how to add beneficial microorganisms like mycorrhizal fungi and trichoderma. We explain what micronutrients and macronutrients are, why your plants require trace elements, and the correct NPK ratios for each type of indoor plant. Later in the article, we look at what to do when you suspect that your soil has a build-up of fertilizer, and how to correct it. Towards the end of the article, we take a deep dive into the flood and drain watering technique to mimic wild conditions for plants and how this is beneficial to growth.

Join us as we delve deep into the world of plant fertilizers, covering how to feed your plant, how often to give your plant fertilizer, and troubleshooting nutrient burn when you've overdone it. Let's get those plants fed and those roots wet!

Watering can with young plant on fertile soil

Make Your Own Self Watering Moss Pole

Are you fed up with spraying down your moss pole? Are you struggling to keep your moss pole moist? We were too, so we made a few prototypes and worked out the best method to make our own self-watering poles.

After trialling 12 types of poles, we settled on a design and kept refining it until we managed to get one that didn't flood the plant pot with water, but kept the pole moist. We've perfected this method before writing this how-to guide, so we hope you love our DIY self-watering moss pole.

We've included tips, troubleshooting, where to buy the materials, and our real-world experience to help you make the best moss pole possible for your plants. Join us as we delve into how to keep the moss moist, the best materials to use within the pole, and the best ways to attach your plants to it. In our step-by-step guide, we've recommended the same products that we use ourselves here at the shop, so you can be assured that they've already been tried and tested for you.

Our signature self watering moss pole

Houseplant Pest Removal

Eventually, every plant keeper runs into some sort of issue with pests. Often, it's not a reflection of your skills as a plant parent, but rather an inevitable invasion from outside your home. Pests frequently come in through windows, open doors, or even on your clothing, and invasions can happen even when you haven't purchased any new houseplants. It can be hard to identify houseplant pests, so we've included pictures to help you work out what is hurting your plants.

That brings us to the next topic in the article: buying plants and how they can bring pests into your home. We discuss quarantine, preventative treatments, natural pest treatments, and more. Sometimes, even the most reputable garden centres can bring unwanted guests into your home. When shops have both indoor and outdoor areas, it's easy to accidentally transfer outside pests to houseplants, so this is much more common in larger retail stores. When we get pest invasions, the adult pests can lay eggs in our walls and floors, making it very difficult to get rid of pests from your house.

Pests are sometimes an inevitable part of keeping plants, so we've listed every effective method to eliminate pests to help when you have unwanted guests! From strong, nuclear treatments that prevent pests from returning to gentle, natural options for more delicate plant collections, this pest treatment article covers it all. Learn which pests can be targeted with different treatments, and which ones can be used together.

At the bottom of the article, you'll find a comprehensive list of every pesticide and insecticide available in the UK, along with information on where to purchase them.

Red Spider Mite magnified close up, as they're barely visible to the naked eye

Houseplant Grow Lights

We've written a comprehensive guide to houseplant grow lights, covering everything from how to turn regular household lamps into grow lights, the best grow lights for ceiling fixtures, stand-alone grow lamps, and affordable LED grow lights for houseplants.

We explore topics such as the appropriate wattage needed for indoor plants, the ideal LED grow light distances from plants, the best light colours for houseplants, and how different light colours influence plant growth. Our guide aims to help you achieve optimal plant growth indoors.

Additionally, we discuss how to recognize and address signs of light stress in houseplants. Learn about the symptoms of burning and bleaching, and when it's necessary to move your plants away from the grow lights. We provide troubleshooting tips and recommend some great, affordable grow lights to get you started on your illuminated houseplant journey.

LED grow light in a normal household fixture

The Ultimate Moss Pole Guide

From why to use a moss pole to how to make one yourself at home, we've got all aspects of moss pole care covered in this comprehensive moss pole guide. We've included sphagnum moss poles, coco coir poles, kratiste poles, bamboo canes, metal stakes, and self-watering moss poles. We explain why each pole is good and which one is best for houseplants.

This article dives into aerial roots, whether you should prune them, and why they are beneficial. We discuss how to use them to help plants grow stronger and produce larger leaves. We talk about how moss poles help to size up leaves for species like Monstera, and how to attach your plants to the moss poles. Join us as we take an in-depth look at moss poles for plants.

Moss pole for a young Philodendron Silver Sword plant

How To Get Rid Of Fungus Gnats

You're sipping your drink, then, all of a sudden, a fungus gnat flies into it. Boom. You're angry. We've all been there. It's incredibly frustrating.

We've compiled every effective method to treat fungus gnats. We've checked the safety data for all the treatments and determined what can be used together and in what order to maximize effectiveness.

So, if you've tried “everything,” try this. We guarantee that you've never seen a fungus gnat removal guide like this before. It will be the last one you ever need. Period.

Close up of a Fungus Gnat

How To Make Houseplant Soil

We've crafted the perfect recipe to make your own multipurpose houseplant soil, suitable for most general houseplants. Our versatile mix is designed to cater for a wide range of species, but we've also included tips for tweaking it to meet the specific needs of different plants.

Dive deep into the fascinating world of soil ingredients, discovering what each component brings to the table and where you can find them. From the must-have essentials to those obscure ingredients you never knew you required, we explain their vital roles in nurturing your houseplants. You'll learn why each element is essential and how it contributes to the overall health and vigor of your plants.

Our ultimate guide to making your own houseplant soil not only demystifies the process but also empowers you with the knowledge to create the perfect growing medium. Whether you're looking to boost root development, improve drainage, or enhance nutrient composition, our houseplant soil guide covers it all.

Fresh houseplant soil mix

How To Make Aroid Soil

We've spilled the secrets of our signature Aroid soil recipe that we use for all of our plants here at the Houseplant Shop. We love this soil mix and highly recommend it, as it will get your plants growing to their maximum potential. When we use this soil mix, we see fast growth, healthy development, strong roots, and great foliage in the plants that we grow using this Aroid soil recipe mix.

Our balanced Aroid soil mix is packed with organic nutrients and offers excellent moisture retention, yet it's also chunky and airy to allow roots to breathe and receive oxygen. We've included large chunky bits for Aroid roots to wrap around, encouraging them to grow by giving them something to cling to—it's like a signal of safety to the plant roots, signalling to the plant that they've found a good spot to grow and to produce mature, sized-up foliage as fast as possible, which is particularly helpful with fenestrated plants like Monstera, Epipremnum, and some Philodendron species.

This ultimate guide to Aroid soil not only explains the entire process of making your own soil from start to finish, but it also empowers you with the knowledge to create the perfect soil tailored to your Aroid species. This soil recipe is exceptional for drainage, root development, and providing essential nutrients and trace elements. Our Aroid soil recipe is designed for both plant growth and soil health.

Aroid houseplant being repotted with fresh Aroid soil

How To Make Cactus Soil

Cacti are a firm favourite not just in Britain, but worldwide. We've shared our favourite cactus soil recipe for multipurpose cactus soil that we use for all our cacti here at the Houseplant Shop. We've also included tweaks for different cactus, Agave, Aloe, and succulent species.

Join us as we dive into all the components you need for a healthy cactus soil mix to help your plants thrive in an indoor environment. Cacti are often intentionally left pot bound to keep them in smaller containers, so it's crucial to refresh the soil periodically to replenish the nutrients that the plant has used up over time. Eventually, the soil will crumble to dust, and you'll have a pot full of bare roots. You'll know when this is starting to happen, as your cactus will always be dry. That's when you'll know it's time to pot up.

Our ultimate guide to cactus soil takes you step by step through the whole process of making your own soil, from where to buy the ingredients to how to mix it up and how to repot your plants. Join us as we take a detailed look into the world of cactus soil.

Cactus repotted with fresh cactus soil

How To Sterilize Soil

When purchasing soil, it can sometimes be contaminated with pest eggs, seeds, weeds, and other unwanted organisms. This contamination can occur during various stages of production and distribution, and it is not always the fault of the manufacturers. Even sterilized soil mixes can become infested due to improper transportation, storage conditions, or the presence of ventilation holes in the packaging that allow pests to enter.

Due to the prevalence of this issue, we recommend sterilizing soil and soil components as a preventive measure.

We've compiled a comprehensive list of soil sterilization techniques, ranging from basic to advanced methods. Our guide includes every possible approach, even those used by professionals.

Our ultimate soil sterilization guide will help you maintain a pest-free environment for your home and houseplants. Join us as we explore the scientific methods of soil sterilization and how to keep your houseplant soil free from pests, fungi, bacteria, and mould.

Bag of sterilized soil mix, ready for use

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Expert Plant Care

Comprehensive plant care guides for nurturing your favourite houseplants to thrive rather than survive.

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Hoya Fungii