Indoor plants are a fun and healthy hobby and while a trending pastime, it has never really gone out of fashion and unlikely to decrease in popularity. While the plants bring a great deal of aesthetic and health benefits, they can damage your precious flooring, whether it be carpet or hard flooring. Here are few tips to keep your plants happy and floor safe.

Watering your plants

Try not to overwater your plants to the point of overflow. If your plant prefers a big soaking, it may be a good idea to take your plant to another space (such as a veranda, the laundry, the bath etc.) for watering then returning it to its place. Yes, for bigger plants it will be a hassle to move them each time you water and may not be even possible. In this instance, a smaller amount of water then checking the soil for dryness, or the tray underneath for overflow before adding more.

Barriers between the floor and the plant

There are many beautiful pots available from nurseries and homewares stores at the moment. There’s also a variety of trays, trivets, plant stands and other hanging mechanisms to lift the pot off the floor. For most varieties of plants, drainage (i.e. a hole in the bottom of the pot) is beneficial for the plant health, making a tray or other option necessary to catch excess water. If water seeps out the bottom, you may not know about it until you go to move the pot months later and seeing the damage water sitting on flooring for long periods of time will do. Also, be careful moving pots around, they can scratch the floors. Felt pads are a great idea here for protection.