By Duncan Hilder and Dominic Hooghuis, co-founders of The Plant Runner
If you’re new to the indoor plant scene, knowing how to establish a successful plant care routine can be overwhelming. At The Plant Runner, we’re on a mission to simplify plant care with our custom range of plant food and jargon-free advice.
Here are our six top tips for first-time plant parents looking to build a regular routine.
1. Chat plants, especially with staff at your local plant shop
Passionate plant people have green stuff flowing through their veins, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. Buying the plant is the first step, but ensuring it thrives is the most important part of any plant journey. Plant shop staff are best equipped to provide you with the knowledge you need to make that happen. You might even make a new friend! We love talking plants too, so if you’re in need of more immediate advice, send us a direct message on Instagram.
2. Get feeding
Regularly fertilising your plants will help keep them strong, healthy and lush. For indoor flora, were commend adding a quality liquid feed to your watering routine like our Melbourne-made Indoor Plant Food. Bursting with plant superfoods like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (N.P.K) and seaweed, they’ll love you for it!
3. Repot on the regular
Although it’s easy to avoid, potting up (or simply repotting) your plants each year will provide them with more space to grow, access to fresh nutrients and prevent things like root rot and other diseases. It’s also a great opportunity to propagate with the trimmings. When repotting, try to select (or make!) a potting mix best suited to your plant. At The Plant Runner we offer a range of bespoke soils including our best-selling general formula as well as custom mixes for aroids and cacti and succulents.
4. Spring (summer, autumn and winter) clean!
Plants get dirty too. Cleaning your plant’s foliage monthly (or even better, fortnightly) will keep them dust free and allow them to better photosynthesize. We like to get our plants in the shower (size permitting) and give them a good rinse each month, then follow up with our Neem Oil Leaf Shine to give them a beautiful glow while they soak up the Neem’s proteins, vitamins and trace elements.
5. Make time
Whether it’s every Thursday after work or first thing Sunday morning, having a dedicated ‘Plant Care Day’ is a great way to keep your plant responsibilities in check and help form regular habits. Setting time to complete your watering, health checks, pruning and feeding will keep your plants looking and feeling lush, and prevent nasty pests and diseases from becoming a problem.
6. ‘Listen’ more
Believe it or not, plants talk. They let you know when things aren’t right (think droopy leaves, brown spots, and slower growth), so pay attention to their needs. By carving out a regular routine and using quality products, you’ll have them covered before they even know there’s a problem! If you only adopt one resolution from this list, make it this one.
For more plant care information, tips and tricks, head to theplantrunner.com or follow us on
socials at @plantrunnertruck
