#I‘m now up to over a dozen plants with thrips and it’s been a MASSIVE pain in the ass

[ventresses]

The BIGGEST piece of houseplant advice I wish I’d known sooner:

Use a soil moisture meter!

It’s a LIFESAVER to quickly check whether a plant needs water yet or not. (Usually it doesn’t yet!*)

Many plants have their own “tells”** that you can learn to read with experience, but it’s just SO much simpler (and more accurate) to check (or double/check) using the meter. I cannot stress highly enough how much easier it makes taking care of your plants when you can remove that guesswork.

That said, there are two things to keep in mind while using a soil moisture meter:

1. If you get a cheaper one ($10 or less), in my experience it may wear out and become unreliable after a few to several months. You may be better off spending a few more bucks for one that will last longer.

2. If you have a lot of plants in different rooms or stories of your home, I highly recommend getting more than one for the sake of convenience.

3. Wipe or rinse off the meter probe off in between each plant! Houseplant pests can leave larvae in the soil, which can then be spread to whichever unlucky plant you use the moisture meter on next. (I learned this the hard way!)

* My golden rule is: When in doubt, wait a few more days. With very few exceptions, most houseplants will tolerate and bounce back from underwatering (too-infrequent watering) whereas overwatering (too-frequent watering) is often be a death sentence. Most houseplants (especially succulents, cacti, snake plants!) prefer to have their soil dry out completely or almost completely in between waterings.

** often things like its leaves that are drooping, curling, or wrinkling, or they’re feeling/looking thinner and more pliable. Or the soil looks and feels dried up, the pot feels lighter, etc.

#random plant posting #wipe 👏 off 👏 the 👏 meter 👏 #houseplant care #don’t be like me 🤡 #this post is brought to you by my suffering from the consequences of my own mistakes #I‘m now up to over a dozen plants with thrips and it’s been a MASSIVE pain in the ass #not to mention gross #plant advice #that total doesn’t include the few that I had to give up on and throw out #my plant quarantine zone is taking up half of my living room #plus now I’m paranoid and having to check my other plants and squinting at any random specks I see on them #houseplants #houseplant tips #plant tips #not Star Wars #plant posting