GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — You can’t believe everything you read on the internet, and that includes the hottest trends and "flavor of the month" tactics to manage your houseplants.
In fact, some of the trends that profess to help your houseplants may actually be killing them.
Here are just a few Grow with KARE wants to dispell.
Watering your plants with ice cubes: Yes, this is okay… although not ideal. For orchids specifically, the ice should never touch the stems or leaves. Other houseplants should never be watered with ice cubes. Room temperature water is best.
Using potting soil for plants that don’t actually need soil: Christmas cactus, orchids, hoya and bromeliads are a popular few in the family called epiphytes. Using an orchid mix is what these plants prefer. Regular potting soil can lead to root rot.
Using spray, mayonnaise or olive oil to make your houseplant leaves shine: If you do this, you're actually killing your plants. These substances clog the pores of the leaves, making it hard for your plants to breathe. Wipe with plain ol' water instead.
Cleaning the leaves with alcohol: Just as bad as mayo, spray or olive oil. Alcohol will dry out your plant.
Adding rocks to the bottom of your pot: While popular for some reason, rocks don't help with drainage. Just use good-quality potting soil.
Lastly, skip those cute succulent terrariums! A terrarium increases humidity for the plants growing inside it, the exact opposite environment a succulent needs. Root rot is nearly unavoidable when succulents are in a terrarium. Choose a more open pot for your succulents instead, and water them sparingly.
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