Rotating your plants is an important but often overlooked aspect of plant care. Rotating your plants is an important step to keep them healthy and happy, and a variety of benefits come with rotating them.
Did you know that even artificial plants should be rotated? Let’s explore the benefits of rotating your plants and show you exactly how easy it is to do it!
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What does rotating your plants mean?
Plants have a tendency to grow toward their light source, which happens thanks to a phenomenon called phototropism. This ensures that the plant gets enough light to conduct photosynthesis, but it also means its auxin molecules gather on the side that does not receive as much light.
An excess of auxin causes plants to lengthen in search of more light, and this makes potted plant rotation necessary to ensure balanced growth. This is achieved by rotating your potted plant on its axis every two to three months to uncover the areas of the plant that are not getting enough light.
This not only helps the plant stay healthy on all sides, it keeps it symmetrical and aesthetically appealing.
What conditions would influence the rotation of plants?
While making sure all sides of your plants get enough sunlight is one reason for rotating them, keeping them well-hydrated also comes into play.
- Light: This is the main condition that influences the need to rotate your plants. As mentioned above, if a plant is left to its own devices, it will naturally seek out more light from the side that receives less.
This results in a bent, craned look that can leave them prone to breakage and even death. Rotating your plants is important because it ensures they get an even amount of light, which results in growth that is stronger and sturdier.
- Water: Direct sunlight dries out the soil in your plant’s pot very quickly, resulting in a lack of water for your plant. If you notice that your plant’s soil appears to be drier than usual or that its water is being drained very quickly, this is a sign that you need to rotate your plant.
Are there benefits of rotating plants?
There are many benefits to rotating your plants. You want to make sure that your plant stays healthy and happy, but you also want it to look its best and not obstruct other plants.
This is a possibility if a plant is left to its own devices and not rotated with regularity. It is also possible that once your plant is bent out of shape, you will never be able to restore it to the way it was before.
Rotating your plants gives every side an equal chance to grow and makes it stronger overall.
Should you rotate artificial plants?
Just like you rotate your live plants, it’s important to rotate your artificial plants every two to three months. Why? Because artificial plants will fade over time in direct sunlight.
If your artificial plant is in an area that gets a lot of direct sunlight, it may fade quickly. Rotating your plant means that one side won’t end up looking bright while the other is a dull, faded color.
If you think you will forget to rotate your artificial plants, a great time to rotate them is when you are cleaning. Then you can dust the plant, rotate it, and you are all done.
If you notice that your artificial plant has already started to fade, rotating them anyway ensures that the plant will fade evenly. Another trick for remembering to rotate your artificial plants is to do it at the same time that you rotate your live plants.
Last, if you are worried about your artificial plants fading, you can get an artificial plant that is UV-resistant or buy UV protective spray.
We hope you benefited from these tips on how and why it is important to rotate live and artificial plants! Please share any tips you have for rotating live or artificial plants in the comments section!
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