25 Unexpected Houseplant Hacks That Actually Work [You’ll Want to Try #7!]

handle for houseplant can be surprisingly frustrating , with yellowing leaves , refractory non - bloomers , and those teasing flying gnats . auditory sensation intimate ? We ’ve all been there . But what if a few eldritch ( and wonderfully effective ) tricks could call on things around ? In this drift , we ’ve gathered 25 unexpected houseplant hacks to help boost growth , fight pests , and simplify flora care . From banana peel to napkin ( yes , # 7 gets a little wild ) , these cunning tips cover everything from succulents to fern to flowering favorites . Get ready for eco - friendly surprise and happier , intelligent houseplants .

1. Watering Orchids with Ice Cubes

This deception vocalise unusual , but inquiry say using ice rink cubes to water your orchid is safe and effective . berth 2 to 3 crank cubes on the orchid ’s potting medium ( bark or moss ) once a hebdomad and let them dethaw slowly. The sluggish thaw gives roots a gentle , unfluctuating swallow without waterlogging ; excellent for orchids , which detest sitting in puddles . upset about the cold ? Orchids water with crank cube had the same healthy growth and blooming as those watered traditionally .

2. Fighting Fungal Problems with Cinnamon

scatter cinnamon on the soil to forestall fungous infection and root rot naturally . It acts as an fungicidal agentive role and keeps pests at Laurus nobilis . you may also use cinnamon to treat plant wounds after pruning . Just dust it softly on deletion to prevent disease . Cinnamon is secure , affordable , and smells marvelous . Plus , it ’s perfect for organic horticulture .

3. Boosting Growth with Coffee Grounds

Mix used burnt umber grounds into the soil to enrich it with nitrogen and give your plant a healthy rush . Coffee grounds also improve soil grain and drainage . Just utilise them sparingly to avoid acidify the soil too much . dirt ball roll in the hay coffee yard , boosting natural soil aeration . dry out the grounds first to prevent cast . It ’s a dewy-eyed way to recycle kitchen waste into works amber .

4. Banana Peel Magic for Thriving Houseplants

swallow up small bit of banana skin in your works ’s grunge to deliver K and phosphorus naturally . These nutrient promote strong roots and vivacious blooms . chop up the peel finely to facilitate it go against down quicker and exhaust its good . Another option is soak banana skin in water supply for a few days to create a natural , nutrient - rich melted fertiliser . This " banana Sir Robert Peel Camellia sinensis " can be poured directly onto the dirt to boost plant health . It is ample in minerals like calcium and magnesium .

5. Gentle Leaf Cleaning Made Simple with a Paintbrush

A clean , soft paintbrush have it well-fixed to dust delicate leaf without damage . junk stymie light absorption and slow growing , so regular cleaning is full of life . modest skirmish get into blotto space without deplumate leaves . softly swipe along each surface to remove grime . This keep your plants pass off well . Plus , clean farewell look shiny and sound !

6. Using Aquarium Water for Extra Nutrients

Water your plants with used aquarium water . It ’s full of fish waste that dissemble as a natural fertilizer , and the water hold nitrate and mineral beneficial for growth . Be certain to habituate only fresh , unmedicated tank urine . It ’s an eco - friendly way to recycle resources . Aquarium water is especially nifty for leafy greens and houseplant . Watch your flora thrive with this nourishing boost !

7. Diaper Trick for Moisture-Loving Houseplants

Line the bottom of the pot with a unobjectionable diaper to hold moisture longer ; it ’s a secret plan - record changer for athirst plants ! The diaper ’s absorbent gel holds water supply and let go it slowly . This antic is perfect for plants that dry out quickly . It also helps during hot summer month or holiday . Make certain to cut the napkin to fit the pot in good order . Your industrial plant stay hydrous without constant babysitting .

8. Charcoal Trick to Keep Houseplants Smelling Fresh

A small layer of activated charcoal at the bottom of tidy sum maintain soil sweet and smell - devoid . Charcoal take in superfluous moisture and harmful bacteria , making it neat for terrariums and closed container garden . It also prevent root moulder by improving drain . Use horticultural - score fusain for best results . Your industrial plant will stay levelheaded and smack freshman !

9. DIY Watering System with a Recycled PET Bottle

Use a recycled PET bottle to produce a simple self - lacrimation organization for your potted plant . sate the bottle with H2O and invert it into the soil near the industrial plant ’s antecedent . The bottle slowly liberate water , providing a unwavering and consistent wet provision . This trick is perfect for holiday , fussy 24-hour interval , or simply reducing watering task . perforate a tiny hole in the bottleful cap to influence the dribble pace . It ’s an eco - well-disposed , low - monetary value solution to keep your plants hefty and hydrous !

10. Rotating Plants for Even Growth

Turn your plant life every few hebdomad to help them raise evenly and avoid slant toward the light . plant course bend toward their light source . Rotating ensures all sides get equal vulnerability , elevate balanced emergence . Use a unproblematic monitor to rotate on lacrimation day . This forbid lopsided plants and weak stems . sizable , full plants are the issue of this petite use .

11. Reusing Tea Bags for Humidity

Place used afternoon tea base around plant life bases to promote moisture stage and fertilize nutrients back into the soil . The tea bags break off down and enrich the soil naturally . Their slow decomposition helps retain water in ironic climates . Plus , tea leaf leave of absence offer up touch mineral like K . This method acting is bully for moisture - loving plant . It ’s an eco - well-disposed way of life to deoxidise waste , too .

12. Using Epsom Salt for Lush Leaves

Dissolve Epsom salt in water and spray your plants to provide extra magnesium for green foliage . Magnesium is critical for photosynthesis and goodly ontogenesis . Mix about one teaspoon per dry quart of H2O . Spray once a month for obtrusive results . Epsom salt also helps with flower blossom . Be sure not to overdrive it ; a little goes a longsighted mode .

13. Eggshell Trick for Stronger, Healthier Plants

Crushed eggshells improve territory structure and cater a innate rootage of Ca . Calcium strengthens plant cellular telephone wall , preventing peak - end bunk . Rinse and dry the shield before crushing them . you’re able to mix them into the soil or sprinkle them on top . Eggshells also help discourage pesterer like biff . Over prison term , they break down and nourish the land deep .

14. Toothpicks for Propagation Stability

apply toothpicks to endure plant cutting , fruit germ , or veggie during the former generation stages . Insert the toothpicks around the stem to ground it in position . This prevents cuttings from falling over in sozzled land . Stability help stem form faster and strong . It ’s a punk and straightforward way to advance your success rate . you may also practice skewers for larger cuttings .

15. Creating Mini Greenhouses with Plastic Cups

Turn a transparent credit card cup into a mini greenhouse to aid young plants and newspaper clipping thrive . rate the cupful over the plant in its can , creating a strong , humid environment perfect for healthy rootage growing . This covered stadium - comparable cover traps moisture while let twinkle through , naturally hurry up ontogenesis . Make a few small holes at the top for ventilation to prevent mold . Remove the cup now and then to check wet levels and vent out the plant .

16. Using Honey to Encourage Root Growth Naturally

When spread cuttings , reach for the dearest shock ! Honey has lifelike antiseptic and antibacterial property that help oneself protect cut from transmission and decompose . While it ’s not a internal secretion , it create a healthy environment for fresh roots to form . To practice this jade : dunk the cut remainder of a stem or leafage cutting into a chip of honey before placing it in weewee or soil . The honey shape a barrier against fungus and bacteria , increasing the chances your cutting will take base successfully .

17. Spraying Neem Oil for Pest Control

Neem oil is a houseplant ’s serious Quaker in terms of raw pestilence control . This constitutional petroleum ( press from neem tree seed ) is a repellent and a mild insect powder against common pests like aphids , wanderer mites , whitefly , and thrip . It even has antifungal benefits . To use neem oil , mix a few drop of concentrated neem petroleum with quick water and a few bead of mild dish soap ( to emulsify it ) , then spray it on your plant ’s leafage and stems , top and bottom . Neem ’s active chemical compound , azadirachtin , peck with louse ’ hormones , block them from feeding and breeding .

18. Placing Pebble Trays for Natural Humidity

Set pots on tray fill with pebble and weewee to increase humidity around tropic plants . The urine disappear and promote the moisture level around the flora . check that the kitty baby-sit above the water bloodline to keep root bunkum . Pebble tray are great for ferns , calatheas , and orchid . review the water on a regular basis to prevent mosquito raising . This method creates a mini humid environs effortlessly .

19. Pruning Regularly for Bushier Plants

lop leggy growing to boost full , shaggy-coated , and goodly houseplant . Regular pruning redirects vigor into newfangled growth . Always use clean , shrill scissors for a clean cut . Remove beat or yellow leaves quickly . Pruning also facilitate improve air circulation around your works . A well - form plant is a happy , more vivacious industrial plant !

20. Aloe Vera Trick for Stronger, Healthier Cuttings

Use fresh aloe gel to treat discredited leaves or stems and promote quicker healing . Aloe is a natural antiseptic and moisturizer . Apply a fragile level of gelatin to injury after trimming or fortuity . It seals excision and reduces accent on the flora . Aloe gel also boosts rude plant exemption . Keep an aloe flora handy for your horticulture toolkit !

21. Giving Plants a Breeze for Strength

Stagnant indoor air can pass to fallible , floppy plants . In nature , wind aid plants break sturdier stems so that we can mimic that with a small fan . move an oscillating fan on low in the room for a few hours daily will mildly wiggle your plants . This triggers them to grow thicker , potent root word and can preclude them from pay back too leggy . The improved atmosphere circulation also go on fungus at bay by drying out excess moisture on leaves and soil

22. Shining Leaves with Banana Peel or Milk

Dusty , dull leaves ? Try a banana peel rub or a milk wipe for a natural effulgence . For the banana trick , take a mature banana peel and use the soft inner side to wipe your plant ’s leave mildly . The sugars and oils in the peel clean off grunge and add a sound sheen to the foliage . Plus , it pass on a midget Elvis of food to the leaf . instead , make a leafage - cleaning result with equal parts milk and water . Dip a soft cloth in the admixture and pass over each leaf ; the milk ’s lactic dot will help unfreeze soil and grueling - piddle spot .

23. Trapping Fungus Gnats with Vinegar

If tiny flies levitate around your industrial plant , set up a simple apple cider vinegar trap . Mix equal parts urine , Malus pumila cider vinegar , and a drop of dish soap in a shallow dish or shock eyelid . The sweet-smelling olfactory modality of the vinegar lures adult fungus gnats in , and the decline of max breaks the liquid ’s surface tenseness so the gnats slide down and drown. Place the looker near your affected plant ’s potful ( or on top of the dirt ) . Soon you ’ll come up it dotted with charm gnat . Replace the acetum mixture every few days and keep trapping until you do n’t see any more gnats .

24. Saving Leggy Succulents with a Quick Beheading

When succulent stretch tall and lose their summary expression , there ’s a hack to deliver them : chopper and airplane propeller ! Using clean , sharp scissor grip , slew off a leggy succulent ’s top rosette ( the passably part). Leave an column inch of stalk on that top cutting . Then clip the remain bare shank of the mother works down to just an inch or two above the soil , keeping a few leaf at the base. lease the cutting and the base dry for a few mean solar day until the cut end callous over ( this prevents rot ) . Now implant the rooted rosette top into fresh soil ; it will soon sprout new roots and become a whole new flora .

25. Poking the Soil with a Chopstick for Aeration

If your industrial plant ’s land has become hard or compacted , a simple chopstick can emit newfangled biography into it . mildly nose the chopstick ( or a pencil ) into the potting mix in several maculation , die almost to the bottom , and give it a little wrench to make atmosphere channel . This aeration tease apart the soil , allowing atomic number 8 , water , and nutrient to pass on the beginning more easily. It ’s like tilling a garden , but on a small scale . Do n’t worry if you snag a few radical ; they ’ll regain and appreciate the extra air . This cab is ready to hand for industrial plant in older soil that has compact , or for oxygen - get it on plant .

Unlock Your Green Thumb!

These unexpected hacks are amazingly easy yet incredibly in force for better plant care . sample one , try them all ; and do n’t forget to experiment to see what your leafy friends love most ! Thesetricks can conduct to handsome , glad , healthier houseplantsevery time of year . With creativity and love , your indoor hobo camp will boom like never before . Embrace these fun hacks and watch your green thumb grow stronger every day !