What else is needed?

Want to learn more about What else is needed?

Get individual care schedule and reminders for your plant with our app Planta. Never kill a plant again!

Plants can survive for quite a while with only water, but if you want to be a really good plant parent, you should also consider doing this:

Fertilizing

Adding fertilizers to the soil is not something that is crucial for your plant's immediate survival. However, without sufficient nutrients it will gradually produce less or smaller growth, develop nutrient deficiencies, or, in the worst case, die.

Relying on yearly repotting for a nutrient boost is not enough. On average the nutrients available in the pot run out in about 4 weeks after being freshly repotted. This time is also dependent upon factors such as the soil quality/type, soil quantity, pot size, watering frequency and the plants need for nutrients.

How does the watering and fertilizing schedule work in Planta?

Our default fertilizing schedule is intended to be used with a liquid fertilizer that is dissolved in water. When a fertilizing task is completed, it also counts as a watering task. Depending on your plant's individual needs, roughly every other watering is replaced with a fertilizing task in order to help prevent overwatering (i.e. the two different schedules work in conjunction with each other).

Repotting

All plants will eventually need to be repotted. They will outgrow their pot, become root bound and in time, the soil will become poor.

The repotting frequency is dependent upon your plants age and what type of plant it is. Some plants grow faster than others, and therefore need a more frequent repotting schedule. On average, most plants need to be repotted once per year, with a few exceptions:

Old plants and big potted trees can last up to 5 years in the same pot - without any ill health effects.
Cacti also don't need to be repotted every year, and they have a high risk of developing root rot when being repotted.

Based on these factors, Planta calculates a suitable repotting frequency for your plant and will remind you when your plant needs repotting. You will also get help with picking the right soil and get a guide on how to best repot your plant.

Misting

Misting is not really needed to keep your plants alive, and there are some mixed opinions as to whether misting really helps to raise the humidity - which is one of the most common reasons for doing it. But, regardless of the potential increase in humidity - there are other benefits to misting your plants. Misting keeps the leaves clean and clean leaves means your plant can absorb sunlight more easily.

Planta will remind you when to mist your plants, but if you prefer not to - you can turn these reminders off under settings.

Pruning

There are a few different types of pruning and reasons why they should be done. Planta will notify you when it's time to:

Remove flowers to keep your plant focused on leaf production This is mostly for vegetable plants where you eat the leaves, or for plants where the flowers are not the main attraction
Pinching off spent flowers and leaves During the growing season Planta will remind you to deadhead your plants and remove dead material. This is to to keep your plant healthy, pest-free and looking their best
Cutting off dead branches and leggy growth This is called deadwooding and is usually done once per year, the reason for this type of pruning is to help your plant look fuller and grow in a way that's more visually pleasing
Removing suckers on tomato plants This is optional and depends on the cultivar and how you want it to grow. Leaving suckers on will give you a bushier and wider plant that takes up more space, removing them makes the plant grow higher and slimmer. However, keep in mind that a very dense foliage might increase the risk of tomato diseases. Bonus tip! You can use the suckers as cuttings - just pop them in water and you'll get more plants. (Unless it's too late in the season)

Overwintering

For plants located in pots outdoors, Planta will remind you when it's time to prepare them for winter.

Many plants that we keep in our gardens or on our balconies are not suitable for the outdoors during the colder months. It's crucial for the plants survival that you protect them from the cold, harsh weather.

Planta can currently help you with two types of overwintering:

For plants that need a bright, cool site during the winter. This is for plants that keep their leaves all of the year, for example citrus trees, olive trees etc. These plants will need to be watered a few times during the winter.
For plants that only need a cool, frost-free site. For these type of plants the light doesn't matter since they drop all of the foliage before going into dormancy

Cleaning

Keeping your plants clean helps them absorb light, which is crucial for photosynthesis - the process of the plant using energy from light to convert water and CO2 into oxygen (in short).

During the winter months it's extra important to keep the plants leaves dust free, since the light is already sparse.

Planta will send you reminders when it's time to clean your plants.

And remember if you have any questions about the app or your plants, you can always contact us in support.

From all of us at Planta - Happy planting