All plants need light. But not all plants need direct sunlight. As a general rule, plants with flowers, vegetables, and fruits need sunlight to do well. A window that gets direct sunlight or outside where the plant gets the morning sun for at least four hours is best.

Plants like snake plants and spider plants do well as long they are not in the dark.

Other plants, such as elephant ear, need light but don’t like direct sunlight.

The best is to read the tag on the plant when you buy it so that you can decide where to put it. The tag should give essential information such as light requirements, watering instructions, etc.

Plants are green because that is the wavelength of light that they don’t use. It is reflected.

LED light is a good substitute during winter months. Make sure that it has between 5000 K and 6500 K (known as kelvin temperature) because this mimics natural sunlight. Also, the brightness is important. Brightness is measured in Lumens. Aim for a light that gives at least 3000 Lumens.

I have been overwintering my plants, like hibiscus, geraniums, and so on with good success for about 10 years now. For example, I keep my tomatoes in pots and harvest well into January every using these lights. And I live north of Toronto.

Just like with light, all plants need water. But too much water is not good either. The roots can drown if they are submersed in water for a long time. The roots need to breathe. (Unless it is a water plant and even then there needs to be oxygen in the water.)

That’s why it is important that the pot has drain holes. Most plants like it when the soil is not always soaking wet and feels dry between watering. But don’t leave it dry too long. Follow my plant care calendar.

One trick that I use is to touch the soil with my finger. If the soil feels moist, I don’t water it and I check it again in a couple of days. If the soil feels dry to the touch I water it just enough so that there isn’t much excess water coming out of the drain hole.

Remember that the soil dries from the top downward because of evaporation. So, even if the soil feels dry on the top, it probably still has moisture in it below the surface.

Overwatering and forgetting to water are the two most common reasons why plants wither and die.

The way that this works is that the water is absorbed by the roots. Using capillary forces,, the water is pumped up through the stems and into the leaves where it evaporates into the atmosphere. As the water travels through the plant it carries nutrients from the soil into all parts of the plant.

Water evaporates in two places. First, from the plant itself, primarily through the leaves. This is good as promotes circulation in the plant. And, secondly from the ground around the plant. This evaporation is not useful to the plant and it reduces the amount of water available to the plant in the soil.

This is where Liquid Mulch helps. It forms a permeable barrier that greatly reduces the amount of evaporation from the soil. Therefore, there is more water for the plant throughout the day, even if it is a hot dry day. The result is healthier plants that are less stressed.

The food is carried into the plant through the roots as the roots absorb water. If the nutrients are not dissolved in the water they will not be available to the plant.

You need two things for healthy and happy plants. One is food that is already bio-available. That simply means that it is ready for the plant to use. And the other are microbes in the soil near the roots that convert nutrients which are not bio-available into bio-available nutrients. These microbes exist naturally in the soil and they help the roots absorb the nutrients from the soil.

However, often the soil in potted plants is sterile. The soil that you buy from the store to use in your pots is sterile on purpose. That is to make sure that there are no diseases and no weeds in the soil.

Our “Natural Seaweed Fertilizer” is an excellent source of the nutrients your plant needs. It has all of the micronutrients and macronutrients that your plants need, whether they in pots or in the garden. Not only does it contain the nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus but it also contains the minerals, polysaccharides, sugars and hormones that help your plants stay healthy,

And our “Natural Liquid Mulch for Potted Plants” will provide the beneficial microbes. This way the plant can also use the nutrients that are locked in the soil.

Soil is an important part of successfully growing plants. Not every plant grows well in all types of soil. For example, some plants, like cactus, prefer sandy soil. Others, like snake plants, like light loamy soil that drains well. Still others , like roses, prefer soil rich in organic content. Check out the requirements in our Library by Plant.