Rejuvenating House Plants - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Houseplants have a way of becoming part of the family. But even the most devoted plant owner can let things slide - and a few years of benign neglect is more common than most of us like to admit.
For anyone who has looked at their house plants and felt a pang of guilt, there is good news: a full recovery is not just possible, it is easy, cheap, and can be done entirely indoors. The solution is what plant lovers call a "day spa" — a simple, low-cost treatment that combines a warm shower, a wet-towel soak, and a nutrient bath to bring tired plants back to life.
Not every plant wants the same kind of care, so the first step is sorting them into groups. Shade-loving, moisture-hungry plants such as ferns and other rainforest species are prime candidates for the day spa treatment. Succulents, on the other hand, are the opposite: they prefer a bright, dry spot by a window and a simple, regular watering — they do not want or need a spa day.
A third group needs special handling: plants like begonias that dislike getting their leaves wet. These are set aside for a different treatment altogether.
For the humidity-loving plants, the treatment starts with a half-hour shower in warm water. This mimics the humid conditions these plants would naturally experience in a rainforest and gives them a revitalising boost.
The shower does more than just add moisture. It also:
While the plants are showering, prepare a bath — using towels you are not too precious about. Lay the towels flat on the bottom of the bath with the plug in, then soak them until fully saturated with water.
Once the plants are done showering, set their pots down onto the wet towels. Water wicks upward from the towel into the pot, and if the plants are kept close together, they create a shared microclimate of humidity that can sustain them for a couple of weeks, depending on the light and heat levels in the room.
This trick doubles as a handy solution for holiday care — perfect for anyone without a neighbour or friend available to check in on their plants while they are away.
Some plants need more than a shower - they need what is known as a "nutrient bath." This involves filling a container with a few centimetres of water mixed with a splash of indoor plant fertiliser. Plants can sit in this bath for up to 24 hours, slowly rehydrating and soaking up nutrients from below.
This method is especially useful for plants like begonias and African violets, which dislike having water poured over their leaves and prefer to drink from the roots instead.
Once the neediest plants have had their turn, the same nutrient bath can be reused for the day-spa group, and any leftover liquid can be bottled and saved for later use — nothing goes to waste.
Perhaps the best part of this whole process is that it requires no outdoor space whatsoever. The shower, the towel wrap, and the nutrient bath can all be done indoors, making this a perfect solution for apartment dwellers who assume plant care rituals like this are reserved for people with backyards.
Plant owners do not need to make this a weekly ritual, either. A day spa treatment once or twice a year is generally enough to keep house plants healthy, hydrated, and thriving — no holiday booking, and no guilt, required.
Houseplants have a way of becoming part of the family. But even the most devoted plant owner can let things slide - and a few years of benign neglect is more common than most of us like to admit.
For anyone who has looked at their house plants and felt a pang of guilt, there is good news: a full recovery is not just possible, it is easy, cheap, and can be done entirely indoors. The solution is what plant lovers call a "day spa" — a simple, low-cost treatment that combines a warm shower, a wet-towel soak, and a nutrient bath to bring tired plants back to life.
