Summer plant care - tips and tools to take care of your indoor plants!

Summer is around the corner and of course that makes us very happy! But for your houseplants, there’s no such thing as a summer break. When summer comes around, your indoor plants need a little extra care and attention. Especially when temperatures rise and days are getting longer. In this blog we will share some great tips and tools on how to take care of your plants in summer.

Watering tools

In summer, and especially during real heatwaves, we advise you to let go of your water schedule a bit. The heat will evaporate the water faster than usual so you will notice that the soil dries out quicker and your plants need water more frequently. Always check the top (2 centimeter of the potting soil) with your finger. If it feels dry, it’s time to give your houseplant a sip! Luckily there are some great tools that you can use when you need to water your plants!

Water meter

This water meter is the perfect tool to ensure that your plants stay in top condition. This water meter shows you whether your beauty has had enough water or needs it and lasts about 6-9 months. It is super easy to use. Simply insert the water meter vertically into the soil. The colour of the meter will turn blue when the plant has had enough water. When the colour turns white again, your friend is thirsty.

Naomi plant sensor

This plant sensor is a little more advanced than the water meter, but is also a great tool to check your plants needs. The plant sensor indicates whether your plant needs water, but also measures the amount of sunlight, nutritional value of the soil and the temperature! With an app on your smartphone you get a precise insight into the needs of your green beauty! With a database of over 6.000 plants, the app knows the perfect conditions for your specific plant. With all the information provided in the application, you can easily anticipate. How handy?!

Tip from PLNTS: going on a short summer trip? These super handy tool to keep your plant hydrated while you are enjoying some time off. Plant parenting can be really intense, we know…

Terracotta Water Dripper

This pretty water dripper is a super handy system to regulate the watering of your beloved plants! It’s super easy to use and the ideal solution for when you’re on holiday! Fill up an empty bottle with water, slide the terracotta water dipper on the top of the bottle and carefully turn both upside-down. Then you can put the water dripper, with the water bottle, in the potting soil. The water will fill up the water dripper but all this water will not reach the soil because of the amazing function of terracotta. Terracotta is known for her super power to absorb a lot of water. It then slowly evaporates through the wall and gives your plants the right amount of water.

Humidity tools

As we all know, summer heat can lower the level of humidity in our houses. Some indoor plants, especially tropical plants like ferns, like higher humidity and can really suffer if the humidity level drops. Time to increase the humidity! A few simple hacks to increase humidity are to mist your plants regularly using one of these great tools or make a DIY humidifier with a saucer or tray with pebbles and water!

Plant sprayer

Plant sprayers come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Which one you choose, doesn’t really matter! As long as you keep misting the area around your plants to increase humidity, your plants will be super happy! Which plant sprayer do you like the most?!

Geurwolkje humidifier

Another great way to increase humidity is a Geurwolkje diffuser and humidifier! This diffuser can be used as a humidifier that will ensure that your plants will grow up in a room with a good climate as it improves the humidity in your room. Besides being good for your plants, the diffuser is also good for your own health. She purifies the air and it keeps the humidity up! What is your favourite colour?

Pests and bugs

Plants are a bit like us, we like a fresh, cool breeze when it’s getting hot outside. You can provide them with a breeze by opening some windows during cooler times of the day, but be careful for bugs and pests that can get carried inside by drafts. If you have a window screen, we advise you to use it! Did your plants catch a plague anyway? Luckily, there are some ways to save your plants!

Biological pest control

If you want to get rid of the plague as efficiently and quickly as possible, we recommend using biological pest control. With this method, you literally introduce the natural enemy of the plague, which will go to work and get rid of all those pesky bugs. It sounds a bit sad, but it’s the same way as it goes in nature. You can read everything you need to know about biological pest control on our blog!

Fungus Gnats catchers

Do you regularly have flying friends coming over and settling down on your green friends? These Fungus Gnats Catchers ensure that these insects won’t be able to lay eggs in the soil of your plant anymore. The package contains 10 fly traps that are made of recycled plastic and have to be placed in the soil of your affected plant. The traps are covered with foil on both sides. Once you remove the foil, there will be a layer of glue where the flies will stick on to. This way, the pests can no longer reproduce.

Leaf love Gloves

Has your plant also been collecting quite the amount of dust? We get it, it can be quite time consuming to keep these leaves free from dust. But with the Leaf Love Gloves you wipe away this dust in no time. By doing this you will give them more room to breath and become even happier and healthier than they already were. Besides, the leaves will become nice and shiny again, which is only more beautiful in the light of those beautiful sun rays!

Tip from PLNTS: not sure what plague you are dealing with? Check our PLNTSdoctor page to identify the plague!

Fertilizing tools

Summer is here and that means it’s time to grow, grow, grow! You have to fertilize houseplants when they are actively growing (during spring and summer). With the longer days, plants are exposed to more sun, and require additional growth nutrients to stay healthy and create new growth. Our PLNTS Nutrition contains everything your plants need for a happy growth. Want to know everything about fertilizing your plants in summer? Check our blog ‘Why do my plants need nutrition (during the warmer months)?’

Tip from PLNTS: growing season is usually the ideal time to fertilize your green friend but during a heatwave your plant goes into surivival-mode! With these temperatures, she needs all her energy to cope with the high temperatures instead of taking nutrients. We advise you to wait until the heatwave ends before fertilizing!

Growing tools

After fertilizing your beauties, it’s natural that they will grow into even more beautiful and big plants. Some plants can grow super fast during Summer and sometimes may need a little support! Support can come from many things, but we like to give our growing beauties a strong, handmade Moss Pole or a fancy Plantstake. What’s your favourite?

Repotting tools

Growing up usually means that your plant is growing inside the pot too! Summer is the perfect time to start repotting your plants. You can repot your plants into a bigger pot with or without a nursery pot. Our PLNTSdoctor tells you exactly how to do this in our video ‘Repotting plants: tips for when and how to repot your indoor plants!’.

Ready to repot? These great tools make the job a lot easier!

Tip from PLNTS: Summer is usually the perfect time to repot your plant, however during a heatwave your plant will go into survival-mode! She needs all her energy to focus on coping with the high temperatures, so repotting will cause too much stress. We advise you to wait until the heatwave ends before repotting.

Let the summer begin!

We hope that these tips and tools will help you and your plants through summer! As a final tip, we advise you to check your plants regularly during summer, so you will always be first to know if your plant needs anything. You can always consult our PLNTSdoctor or send us a DM on Instagram if you have any questions regarding summer care for your houseplants!