13 Must-Have Tools To Keep Your Plants Healthy
We all have our own favourite tools of the trade, and mine happens houseplant tools.
I love plants and I have over 100 of them in our home. As of the date of this blog, I have 109 plants to be exact!
Nedless to say, I spend a lot of time caring for my plants, and over time, I’ve built an arsenal of tools to keep them healthy.
Here are my top 13 tools that are essential for the basic plant maintenance and ensuring their health.
1. micro-tip pruning snips
Pruning snips are a fundamental houseplant tool to have around the house.
Even though pruning should be done in spring, there are always decaying leaves, blooms and branches that are worth snipping away!
In-fact, pruning decaying parts is very important to divert your plant’s energy into new growth, no matter the season.
Plants still put energy into decaying parts, so why not divert all that good energy towards a healthy growth?
Snips those yellow leaves!
I use the Fiskars Micro-Tips Pruning Snips. I find them very sharp and precise!
2. repotting mat and tools
A repotting mat is amazing to have when repotting plants!
If you are like me and do all your houseplant repotting on the kitchen counter, this folding mat keeps all the dirt from spilling all over the counter.
The houseplant tools are quite handy too. I consistently use a few of them when repotting plants.
I always carry this kit with me when I make house calls to help with plants, and it is incredibly useful, easy to carry and clean!
You can buy the mat and tools separately, but it is actually cheaper to buy the set on Amazon. That’s where I got mine.
3. liquid plant food
Liquid plant food is not a fertilizer.Â
There is a difference between plant food and fertilizers.Â
Plant food is a natural product made by plants that encourages plants’ growth, while fertilizer is a manufactured product also used to encourage growth.
I prefer using plant food.
I can use it more frequently without damaging the plants.
In most cases, I use plant food on all plant once a month, year round.
This is a great product that can be safely used on many houseplants.
4. terra cotta pots
Another essential item for the health of your plant is terra cotta pots.Â
Proper drainage is critical for the health of the roots.Â
I find that terra cotta pots are good for any indoor plant as the porosity of terra cotta allows the soil to breath and to dry out at the perfect rate.
Plastic pots can retain too much moisture, even with drainage holes. In many instances, too much moisture can lead to root rot, which can be lethal to plants.
You can buy terra cotta pots pretty much anywhere, but nothing beats the convenience of receiving them at your door step!
5. plant drainage eco gravel
As mentioned before, plant drainage is critical for your plant’s health.
It is handy to always have pebbles, gravel or small rocks in your housel plants tools kit.
Whether you are planting in pots without drainage holes, creating a pebble tray or setting up a terrarium, pebbles are essential to ensure proper drainage and prevent excessive moisture.
Sometime I even add pebbles at the bottom of a terracotta pot with drainage holes. The decision to do so depends on the plant your are repotting and its soil requirements.
I like the Arqlite Smart Gravel because is it light weight and made with recycled plastic.Â
6. horticultural charcoal
I use horticultural charcoal a lot.
I use it every time I plant in pots without drainage holes, (because I do that with certain plants!), and when I build both open and closed terrarium.
Horticultural charcoal can also be used as a bottom layer when repotting plants in pots with drainage holes as a an extra measure against root rot.
In-fact, charcoal is great at cleaning and flushing toxins that accumulate in the soil and at absorbing excessive moisture.Â
Horticultural Charcoal can be purchased in specialized greenhouses or on Amazon.
Hey Midlife Mom!
Reclaim 10 Hours in Your Day With My 5 Day E-Mail Guide Without Sacrificing Family Time, Even If You Are Already Multitasking From 5 am Till Midnight
7. horticultural perlite
Perlite is an other essential item to keep in stock in your home.
You need it every time you repot your plants!
I use perlite in all my plant’s mixes, regardless of the plant and the type of soil I use.
Perlite is great to add drainage to any soil.
I always use a 1:4 ratio; one part perlite to four parts soil.
During plant repotting, I keep a large bucket next to me so that I can dump the soil and mix it with the pserlite.
Perlite is sold in many big box stores and greenhouses or online on Amazon. I like this particular organic brand.
8. velcro ties
Velcro ties are a great tool for many houseplants.
I use them to either tie together stems that would otherwise flop towards the ground, such as Strelitzias, or to tie the main stem of a plant to a central support stake, as I do for Pileas, Rubber Plants, or young Monsteras.
These Velcro ties come in different widths to accommodate different plants’ sizes, and they are green, making them discreet and not very visible.
I buy my Velcro Ties on Amazon, as they supply different widths and lenghts.
9. yellow sticky traps
With over 100 plants in our home, I go through a lot of these yellow sticky traps.Â
Luckily, they work really well!
I use them to trap adult Fungus Gnats.
Trapping adult Fungus Gnats is a significant accomplishment since the fewer adults flying around, the fewer eggs they can lay.
Click here to learn the complete Fungus Gnats cycle and how to naturally combat them without using chemicals.
I like these Yellow Sticky Traps because they are an environmentally-friendly insect repellent product.
10. moss pole for climbing plants
When I was a Plant Beginner, I didn’t know I needed to have climbing poles handy.
As I watched my Monstera grow, I quickly realized I needed a coco coir pole to train it.
Training a Monstera, or any climbing plant, means helping the plant grow around a central pole, rather than a trellis.
Monsteras are well known for this.
I started my Monstera on a 15″ pole, and I slowly upgraded to a taller pole, until I started struggling to find the height I needed for my ever-growing plant.
This is when I learned about stacking coco coir poles.
They are quite smart because you can start with one short pole, and as the plant grows, you can stack a second section on top of it.
You will need to initially fasten your plant to the pole with Velcro ties.
I particularly like this two 15″ stackable coco coir pole set because it can be used in different stages of the plant growth. It comes with a 65′ twist-tie to hold the plant in place, but I still prefer Velcro ties to do the job.
11. watering stakes
Watering stakes are a must-have houseplant tool for traveling plant parents or for people who are often away for work.
I’ve been using this system since I was a kid, (yess, I have been a plant lover that long!), and it works like a charm.
I still use these watering stakes on my most susceptible plants when I am away on vacation for extended periods of time.
So, how does it work?
You place the terra cotta stake deep into the soil, (make sure the plastic top stays out).
Fill a jar full of water and place the end of the plastic supply hose at the bottom of the water jar.
As the water from the jar is drawn into the terra cotta cone and absorbed by the dry soil, it creates a vacuum effect, pulling the water through the supply hose.
These water stakes are available on Amazon in 3, 6 and 9 Packs.
12. plant mister
A plant mister is really necessary if you are keen on maintaining high humidity for tropical plants such as Alocasias, Marantas and Calatheas.
There are many rare plants that would not survive in the average humidity of a home without a humidifier, unless you live in the tropics, of course!
Despite employing other efforts and strategies to increase the humidity around plants, such as grouping them together, using pebble trays filled with water, and regularly misting them, certain plants require humidifiers!
Investing in a good humidifier is a fantastic idea, and your plants will be grateful!
13. hand trowel
A good and sturdy hand trowel that can hold and move a significant amount of soil is essential to have when repotting large plants.
I not only use it to transfer soil from the bucket of mixed soil and perlite to the pot, but I also utilize it to move soil to the large bucket where I mix my soil before repotting.
Being able to handle substantial quantities of soil saves a lot of time, particularly when dealing with large plants!
I really like this Fiskars Xact Hand Trowel because it is sturdy enough to remove stubborn rootballs even in the garden.
And this is it!
I could not care for my houseplants the way I do without these essential tools.
However, I am always on the hunt for good items to use or for products that can help my plants. I am also eager to learn from other experienced plant parents.
So, if you have any particular tool or product that you love and highly recommend, mention it in the comment below!
Disclosure: This Blog contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no cost to you, if you make a purchase after clicking my link.
Hey Midlife Mom!
Reclaim 10 Hours in Your Day With My 5 Day E-Mail Guide Without Sacrificing Family Time, Even If You Are Already Multitasking From 5 am Till Midnight