Flower Care Tips from Expert Florist Jerry Rosalia


House plants are the air-purifier you don’t “plug in.”  However, to keep them alive and growing is another story.

The #1 killer of house plants is over watering.  There are several ways to prevent this from happening.  Follow these instructions on how to keep plants alive to keep them green!

Get tips on how to keep plants alive!

1. Dip your finger in the soil up to the first knuckle; if the tip of your finger is moist, the plant is O.K.

2. If your plant has a drainage hole at the bottom, add water until you see it come out of the bottom into its saucer; don’t let water stand there more than a few hours.

3. The weight method: Thoroughly water your plant and lift it to feel its weight. After a few days, if it’s lighter than when you first lifted it, it needs water. Usually, a good rule of thumb is to water a plant every 5 to 7 days, depending on its environment. Heating and air-conditioning can affect how often the plant will need water.

Lighting: If the plant doesn’t have a tag with lighting requirements, the best location (if possible) is from an eastern window. Depending on the weather, don’t place it too close so that it can be burned by the son, or that the leaves may chill or freeze against the glass.

If overwatering is still a problem, try succulents such as cactus of aloe, which can survive without water for weeks without attention.

Have additional questions?  Submit your questions or comments to this blog post and Floral Expert Jerry Rosalia will be happy to answer your questions personally!

Jerry Rosalia Headshot
Jerry Rosalia, Floral Consultant & Florist Relations

Interested in reading more from Jerry Rosalia? Check out his post “How to Save Roses with Bent Necks.”

Author

With over 60 years of floral industry experience, Jerry Rosalia was born with a green thumb. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Jerry is a third generation florist, and has been with 1-800-Flowers.com for 31 years. With a smile on his face, Jerry lends his floral expertise to florists around the country through Bloomnet, 1800Flowers' floral wire network, in addition to writing for Petal Talk. In his spare time Jerry enjoys spending time with his family, being an Usher at his church, as well as eating out, bowling, gardening, and watching sports.

Comments are closed.