It's January 1, 2021 and I'm banking on not being the only one to wake up with a sore head and a heap of "goals" for the New Year. But before I start on failing to do things like "watch less TV" and "start running four days a week", we thought it might be a good idea to share a list of some easy, achievable, plant care resolutions to kick of the New Year with a Plant Parenthood A+

1. Chat plants, especially to your local plant shop staff

Plant people know plants, so don't be afraid to ask for advice or tips. Buying the plant is just the first step, step 2 is getting it to thrive, and plant shop staff are best equipped to provide you with the knowledge to make that happen. Best thing about this resolution is you might even make a friend out of it. If you need to find a local store, we can recommend a few on our Stockists page.

(Side note - we love talking plants too! Feel free to message/email through your plant q's!)

2. Get feeding

If you haven't been doing this already, now is the time to start. Fertilising your plants regularly will mean stronger, healthier and fuller plants. For indoor, we recommend a quality liquid feed for faster results. 

3. Repot on the regular

Easy to avoid, but potting up (or simply repotting) your plants each year will allow them more space to grow, give them access to fresh nutirents and help prevent things like root rot and other diseases, or becoming pot bound. It's also a great opportunity to propagate by division.

When potting, try to select (or make yourself!) a potting mix best suited to your plant. 

4. Spring, (and Summer, Autumn and Winter) Clean

Plants get dirty too. Cleaning your plant's foliage monthly (or even better, fortnightly) will keep them dust free and allow them to photosynthesize better. We like to get our plants in the shower (size permitting) and give them a good rinse each month, then follow up with a NeemLeaf Shine to give them a beautiful shine while soaking up the Neem's proteins, vitamins and trace elements. 

5. Get a routine going

Be it every Thursday after work, or first thing Sunday morning - having a dedicated 'Plant Care' Routine where you cover your watering, health checks, pruning and feeding means you won't accidentally forget to water one week and you'll be able to prevent any  pest and disease issues before they become a problem.

6. 'Listen' more

Plants talk. They let you know when things are not quiet right and give you signs to let you know what they need (think droopy leaves, brown tips on leaves, slower growth). Eventually you'll have them covered before they even know there's a problem! If you only adopt one one of the resolutions on this list, make it this one.