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Indoor plant hacks: keeping your plant babies alive!

Sponsored by Yates

We all know indoor plants have never been more on trend. I know, how can something from nature be in fashion exactly? But you know I’m right! Every magazine, blog and Instagram account is teeming with images of towering Fiddle Leaf Figs, impressive trailing specimens of Devil’s Ivy and String of Pearls, and mighty Monsteras.

They look beautiful, they add that je ne sais quoi to an interior, heck, they even make your air healthier. Not to mention the harder to prove psychological effects (like the smug feeling that comes with actually keeping them alive).

In the last couple of years, I’ve gone from black-thumbed disaster to proud as punch plant baby mama. But it’s hard work. And when you’ve got human babes to keep fed and watered (and the rest), a business and a household to run, it’s sometimes easy to neglect the leafy variety until you suddenly panic when they’re all looking a little dusty, and shove them in the shower for a good drink and drain! Phew! They lived to see another day!

I call this one the Beanstalk! Photo by Jacqui Turk.

There was a time I didn’t even know plants needed to be fed. You may be the same and you’re not alone (no judgment here!). Yes, plants need water (obviously!) but they also need food. It was cottoning onto this nugget of plant care wisdom that changed everything for me and means I now have greenery everywhere! Not just in pots, but propagating on every window sill! I started adding Yates Thrive Houseplant Liquid Plant Food to my watering can a couple of years ago (around the time I got my first Fiddle Leaf and with it, a real sense of plant mum responsibility) and it made a real difference.

But now there’s an even easier way to feed your plants, and there’s even one just for orchids, which are as easy to kill as they are an elegantly beautifully piece of decor in their own right! Orchids aren’t cheap, so while you can tell yourself it’ll last way longer than a bunch of cut flowers, that doesn’t ring true if you kill it after three weeks, does it?

With the new Yates Thrive Indoor Plants & Ferns Drippers and Yates Thrive Indoor Orchids Drippers, you’ll be well on your way to plant mum smugness with minimal effort. You simply write the date on the back of the dripper, snip the end off, stick it in the pot, and sit back knowing your plant baby is getting all the nutrients it needs for four weeks. Even if the liquid disappears from the dripper quicker than that, fear not, you’re still good for four weeks. This is set and forget for your indoor plants and orchids. Of course, you do still have to water them!

It’s such an easy way help you have healthy, happy looking indoor plants pepping up your interior. And because your plants will now all stay alive and you won’t need to buy anymore (apart from, it’s an addiction!), you can spend some of that extra cash on some of the many gorgeous planters, pots and hangers available these days.

Find out more about Yates Thrive Indoor Plants & Ferns Drippers and Indoor Orchids Drippers at the Yates website, where they have a handy instant chat service.

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Outdoor & Exteriors RENO ADDICT

Sure-fire ways to keep your garden alive over the holidays

With temperatures set to reach record heights this summer, it’s important to prepare your gardens for the hot, dry conditions to protect both your investment and home value.

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For many Aussies a huge amount of time and money is spent in creating and maintaining the alfresco areas, so if you’re set to go on holiday, what precautionary measures can you take to ensure your lawn, trees, flowers and shrubs are still thriving when you return?

Here’s what Angie Thomas, horticulturist at Yates, recommends:

1. If you don’t have a neighbour who can tend to your garden while you’re away you should set up a watering system or soaker hose on a tap timer and mow the lawn before you leave, but not too low as longer grass dries out less and stays greener during summer.

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2. It’s important to protect trees and plants by spraying them with a protective polymer spray to reduce water loss from the leaves. Using a soil wetting agent around the root zone in garden beds will help get water where it’s needed by breaking down the waxy water-repellent layer that can develop on soil surfaces.

3. To provide slow release nutrients and limit moisture loss you should spread organic plant food and a 5cm layer of organic mulch on garden beds and around trees

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4. Group potted plants together so watering is easy if someone is minding the garden, and move tender plants into a shaded spot where they will benefit from natural rainfall. Saucers should be placed under delicate potted plants, like hydrangeas, to catch excess water which they can draw on during hot days.

5. Ensure your indoor collection doesn’t wilt by gathering them in a well-lit bath or the laundry sink, water them well and place a wet towel under the base of pots to maintain moisture.

For more information.