Indoor trees look great and warm up any space. And, whether they are live or artificial, their needs for maintenance will vary. It’s important to understand the needs of your specific tree to keep it in the best possible condition.
With these tips, you can take better care of your live or artificial indoor trees.
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First and Foremost, Know the Water Needs of Your Indoor Tree
If you have a live tree indoors, you need to evaluate the tree to understand its water needs.
For watering indoor trees properly, you should evaluate the soil for many of its properties, make sure you have a large enough container for the tree, and know the effects of overwatering.
If a tree requires good drainage, you may have to add something to the soil, such as sand or gravel, to help the water drain better. To evaluate your soil, using a soil moisture meter is the best idea.
It’s even better when the soil meter measures both the pH and the water content of the soil.
If the container for the tree is too small, it can cause the plant’s roots to sit in water, and this can promote root rot. Be careful about overwatering.
Some plants will get more brittle when they’re overwatered or develop yellow streaks. Be sure you know the signs for your specific variety.
Both overwatering and underwatering indoor trees can cause problems for the plant.
For your artificial trees, the soil doesn’t need water, but the plant might.
Occasionally clean your artificial tree with a damp cloth to keep it looking good. Artificial plants tend to build up dust, and periodic cleaning can rid them of it.
If it’s a large tree, it can even be placed in the shower for a complete cleaning.
Know How to Properly Feed and Fertilize Your Indoor Tree
Each species of tree has its own fertilizer needs, so it’s important to know what kind your live tree needs, how much of it, and how often it needs it.
If yours needs monthly fertilizing, doing it at the beginning of each month can help you to remember.
You can also set up individual notifications on your calendar app or on your smart speaker.
A number of apps can help you figure out which fertilizer to use. These apps help you understand multiple aspects of tree care.
With PictureThis, you can identify a tree if you don’t remember what it is called then get fertilization and other tips for it. Planta allows you to set your watering and fertilizing notifications right from the app.
PlantSnap is another app that can help you to identify your tree.
Gardenia and Vera can each help you by delivering many tips and instructions for different species.
Flourish delivers tips and instructions as well as helping you with placing your container in just the right place for the aesthetics.
If you have an artificial tree, it obviously won’t need fertilizing, but it is a good idea to look it over every once in a while to see what condition it’s in.
If your tree is fading in the sun, you might need to move it to a less sunny spot, and dirty artificial tress will need to be cleaned.
Also check your tree periodically for damage. Sometimes pets like to use indoor plants as a chew toy.
Different Indoor Trees Require Different Levels of Sunlight
Every live indoor tree will need some level of sunlight. Your tree’s particular variety will determine how much sunlight it needs. Some trees will thrive on partial sun or shade while others need full sunlight.
Getting too little or too much light can cause a plant a lot of stress. Understand whether your indoor tree needs low light, indirect light, or bright light.
One of the reasons so many people choose artificial indoor trees is that they don’t need any sunlight. For that reason, they can be placed anywhere inside a home without worrying about where the windows are or how much light they allow in.
However, if artificial trees are placed in direct sunlight, it’s best to spray them all over with a UV protection spray to keep them in good condition.
Sunlight can cause their colors to fade, so checking their color every once in a while can help you to keep them in better condition.
Remember to Rotate Your Live or Fake Indoor Trees
Whether you have a live tree or an artificial one, you need to rotate them regularly. This ensures that every side of the plant will get equal lighting.
Live trees will grow in the direction of the light, which means they will often grow unevenly. Rotating them helps to even out the growth. If your tree requires bright light, it can generally be rotated every few months.
If it gets low or medium sunlight, consider giving your tree a turn about every month.
Taking care of fake indoor trees can also require rotation. Artificial plants are often made to be fade-resistant, especially if you buy a high-quality plant.
But the sun is powerful and will eventually cause your tree to fade. Rotate your artificial trees as well so that one side doesn’t get too much light and the color looks more natural.
Store Your Artificial Indoor Trees Properly When Not Using Them
The great thing about artificial trees is that you can use them for a while and then store them, meaning you can change things up for different seasons.
When you need to store your artificial trees, make sure you clean them first. Use the damp-cloth or shower method and make sure they dry thoroughly before you store them.
Next, cover them with a bag to keep dirt, dust, and grime from reaching them while they’re being stored.
You can use regular garbage bags, or, if you want something nicer, you can use Christmas tree bags to cover them.
Whether you have a live or an artificial indoor tree, it will need some care. Make sure you get to know your tree, so you know the type of care it will need and how often.
What is your favorite tip for caring for live and artificial indoor trees?
Let us know in the comments!
