Plant Care Guide

This guide is written for Indian homes, balconies and seasons. Most plant-care advice on the internet is written for cooler places — here the heat reaches 45°C, monsoon takes the sun away for weeks, and winter nights turn cold suddenly. Care has to change accordingly.

Buying a plant for the first time? Start with Plant Care for Beginners.

The first 48 hours — after your plant is delivered

This is the most important section. A new plant arrives stressed from transit, and what people do at this point is what kills it.

  • Open the box straight away and take the plant out. Every extra hour in a dark box does harm.
  • Don't put it in direct sun. Somewhere bright but indirect — a shaded corner of the balcony, or a little back from a window. Going from a dark box straight into harsh sun is a double shock for the plant.
  • Check the soil, then water. Push a finger 2 inches in. Water only if it feels dry, and then water until it runs out of the bottom. Don't add water to wet soil.
  • Don't repot immediately. Wait at least 2-3 weeks. A plant can't take transit stress and repotting stress together.
  • Don't fertilise immediately. Feeding a stressed plant doesn't help it, it burns it.
  • Some leaves may drop or yellow — that's normal after transit. Panicking and increasing the water is the commonest mistake.

If the plant looks clearly damaged, broken or dead, report it within 10 days.

Light — how to measure the light in your home

"Bright indirect light" sounds fine but doesn't mean much. Here's a simple test — during the day, hold your hand where the plant will go and look at the shadow:

  • Sharp, clean-edged shadow = direct/full sun. A south or west facing balcony, an open terrace. Only for sun-loving plants.
  • Soft, blurry shadow = bright indirect light. Best for most indoor plants. Near a window but out of the direct sun.
  • Very faint shadow or none = low light. Only low-light tolerant plants will work. "Tolerant" means it will survive, not that it will grow quickly.

Indian context: the midday sun in April-June is very harsh — a plant that was happy in full sun in winter can burn in summer. Move plants back a little in summer, or put up a shade cloth. In monsoon it's the opposite — weeks of cloud, so bring light-loving plants to the brightest spot you have.

Rotation: turn the plant a little every 2-3 weeks, otherwise it leans to one side.

Watering — the finger test and the seasons

The finger test: push a finger 2 inches into the soil (1 inch for a small pot). Feels dry — water it. Feels even slightly damp — wait and check again tomorrow. That's the whole rule. A fixed schedule ("water every Sunday") kills plants, because a plant's need changes with the season.

Overwatering kills more plants than underwatering. The reason: in permanently wet soil the roots get no oxygen, they rot, and rotted roots can't take up water — so the plant looks like it's drying out. People then add more water, and the plant is finished. So when a plant looks wilted, check the soil first — if it's wet, the problem is not a lack of water.

How to water: pour slowly until it starts running out of the drainage hole. Tip out water collected in the tray after 15-20 minutes — leaving the pot standing in it is a direct route to root rot.

By season

  • Summer (March-June): soil dries fast, check more often. Water early morning or evening — not in harsh midday sun. Small and terracotta pots dry out quickest.
  • Monsoon (July-Sept): high humidity, soil dries slowly — cut down the watering. Plants kept outside are getting rainwater; don't add more on top. More plants die of overwatering this season than any other. Check the drainage; water mustn't stand in the pot.
  • Winter (Nov-Feb): growth is slow, less water needed. Stretch the interval. Don't pour cold water straight in — room-temperature water is better.

Soil and potting mix

Don't fill a pot with garden soil alone — in a pot it compacts into stone and the roots get no air. A simple general-purpose mix:

  • Garden soil / loamy soil — structure and nutrients
  • Cocopeat or leaf compost — to hold moisture
  • Sand, perlite or cinder — for drainage and aeration

The ratio differs by plant: succulents and cacti need a sandier, fast-draining mix; ferns and leafy plants need one that holds more moisture. The single most important thing is the same for all — the pot must have a drainage hole. Don't plant directly into a decorative pot with no hole; put a plastic pot inside it and lift it out to drain after watering.

Fertiliser

  • Only feed during the growing season — in India growth is generally active after the monsoon and in spring. In winter the plant is resting and doesn't need feeding.
  • Small amounts at intervals — staying lighter than the dose on the packet is the safe approach. Too much fertiliser burns the roots.
  • Never fertilise dry soil — water lightly first, then feed.
  • Don't feed a stressed plant. A newly delivered plant, a just-repotted plant, one fighting pests, or a wilting one — these need recovery time, not fertiliser. This is the commonest mistake: the plant looked unwell, people added fertiliser, and it got worse.
  • Compost, vermicompost and cow-dung manure work slowly and carry little risk of burning — good for starting out.

Repotting

When it's needed: roots coming out of the drainage hole, water sitting on top and going down slowly, the plant looking far too big for its pot, or growth stopping even though light and water are fine.

How:

  1. Water lightly a day before — the soil comes out of the pot more easily
  2. Take a new pot only 1-2 inches bigger. A much larger pot means more soil, more moisture, root rot
  3. Rather than pulling by the stem, tip the pot over and slide the plant out while supporting it
  4. Loosen the root ball slightly and cut away black or rotted roots
  5. Plant into fresh mix, press lightly, water
  6. Keep it in shade for a week after repotting and don't feed it

The best time to repot is the growing season. A newly delivered plant should only be repotted after at least 2-3 weeks.

Pruning

  • Keep removing dry, yellow and dead leaves and stems — it saves the plant's energy
  • Use clean, sharp scissors. Clean them after cutting a diseased plant, or the infection travels to the next one
  • For bushy growth, lightly pinch the top of the stem — side branches will come out
  • On flowering plants, removing spent flowers brings new ones sooner
  • Don't cut away a large part of the plant at once

Common problems — cause and fix

Leaves turning yellow

The commonest cause is overwatering — check the soil; if it's wet, stop watering and let it dry. Other causes: no drainage, too little light, or nutrients missing for a long time. One or two of the oldest leaves at the very bottom yellowing and dropping is normal ageing.

Brown / crispy leaf edges

Usually dry air, harsh sun or a lack of water. Most visible in summer. Give the plant some shade, check your watering interval, and raise the humidity around it if needed. Brown edges won't turn green again — watch whether the new growth is coming through properly.

Plant drooping

Check the soil. Dry — water it; many plants stand back up within hours. Wet — this may be root rot; stop watering, and if possible take it out of the pot, cut away the rotted roots and replant in fresh mix. A plant suddenly moved into harsh sun also droops at midday and recovers by evening.

Leaves dropping

A sign of sudden change — moving it, transport, a temperature shock, or a change in watering pattern. Some leaf drop after delivery is expected. Settle on one spot for the plant and let it adjust; don't keep moving it. New growth should appear within two or three weeks.

Pests (mealybug, aphid, spider mite, scale)

  • First job: isolate the affected plant, or it will spread to the others
  • Look at the undersides of the leaves and the stem joints — that's where pests hide
  • Light infestation: wipe off with a damp cloth or wash off with a jet of water
  • After that, a neem oil spray or mild soap-water solution — in the evening, not in the sun, or the leaves will burn
  • Repeat 2-3 times at weekly intervals — a single spray doesn't kill the eggs
  • Cut off and throw away badly damaged leaves and stems (not into the compost)

White or green crust on the soil

Usually a sign of too much moisture and too little air. Scrape off the top bit of soil, water less, and move the plant somewhere with better air circulation.

One small thing

Every home is different — light, airflow, water quality, the direction your balcony faces. This guide is general guidance; results in your home may differ. Watching a single plant closely for 2-3 weeks teaches you more than any guide.

If you have a question, write to support@plantsgram.com.