Four plant ownership myths busted

The world of houseplants can seem quite complex; it’s often full of conflicting advice and methods and for those new to the hobby it can be overwhelming!

But thankfully it doesn’t need to be this way and in fact, most of the reasons people can be put off owning plants are usually misconceptions and myths. So, at Lazy Flora we thought it time to set the record straight and bust those pesky plant ownership myths…

1. Plants need a strict watering schedule

Plants need an environment that mimics the natural world. And if there's one thing we all know about the weather, it's that it's unpredictable. Plants from all over the world have evolved to cope with the unpredictability of nature, and they don't keel over if you don't happen to water them within 10 minutes of their weekly allotted watering time.

Each plant is different and requires a different level of water and humidity. As long as you don't completely forget to water them, most of them are really quite forgiving. And if you don't trust your own ability to remember to water plants, look for things like the ZZ plant, Snake plant, or Devil's Ivy, which are basically plants of steel. (You can find these in our 'Unkillables' section.)

2. You need to repot them all the time

This is another myth that's simply not true - and in fact, again, the opposite is true!

Plants need stability and repotting them frequently can actually be quite stressful for plants. When you first receive your new Lazy Flora plants, we actually recommend you unpackage them and allow them to acclimatise in their new home in their plastic pots for a week or so before repotting them.

As for repotting further down the line… if your plant seems happy enough, there’s probably no reason to repot it at all but once a year is plenty, if at all.

3. All plants need to be on a south-facing windowsill

We all know that light is essential for plants to survive but different plants need varying amounts of light to survive, and actually some plants can tolerate, and even prefer, very low light levels.

A lot of people think all plants need to be in a bright, sunny spot but this can be detrimental to some and can even dry them our or scorch their leaves.

In most cases, bright indirect light on a north or east facing windowsill is adequate or filtered sunlight.

4. You need to have a 'green thumb' to care for plants

We’re letting you in on a little secret: you can look like you have a green thumb by simply choosing plants from Lazy Flora’s ‘Hard to Kill’ range! They're the ultimate low-maintenance bunch and can thrive in a wide range of conditions - great for getting started, or for building confidence.

And it’s important to remember that even the most seasoned gardeners kill plants - it's part of learning. If you kill a plant from time to time don't blame yourself. No one has the entire knowledge of all plants and species, so we all have to learn from experiences and from others at some point.

That’s why if you’re ever unsure or run into any hiccups with any of your plants you can email us at help@lazyflora.com and we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction.

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