Indoor Plant Guide

Plants don’t have to be confined to the outdoors in the garden, they also make a wonderful addition inside your home. Whether your style is fiddle leaf figs, or maidenhair ferns, creating your very own indoor oasis is the perfect finishing touch to your living spaces. 

Choose plants that suit the theme of your home to liven up empty spaces, tables or shelves. There is no limit to the area of your home you can add a house plant to. Houseplants are also known to add oxygen and purify the air space, contributing to a healthier home.

Prepare

The better the soil, the better your indoor plants will grow. Healthy soil is especially important when growing in a limited area. Choose a potting mix that is free draining like Tui Indoor Plant Mix, specially formulated with the right blend of nutrients to give your indoor plants in pots and containers the best start.

Mix in containers dries out quicker than soil in the garden. Apply SaturAid granular soil wetter every season to further enhance water absorption and retention.

Choosing the perfect pot

Select a container that is a suitable size for your plants. Ensure the container has enough capacity to house the roots of the plants you want to grow. Drainage is also essential, so keep this in mind when choosing your perfect pot. If your chosen pot doesn't have a drainage hole you can add some pebbles to the bottom of the pot. The bigger the pot the bigger your plant will grow.

Be creative with your choice of containers and style them to suit you’re décor or space - upcycle containers, fill glass bowls, dress up plastic pots - slip them into something more attractive, like a vase, copper or wicker basket, ceramic pot, hessian or a cloth pouch. 

PLANT

The right plant in the right place is the secret to healthy indoor plants. Read the plant label for the best indoor location. Most plants enjoy a bright well-lit spot but not direct sunlight. Leathery-leafed plants will withstand more heat and direct sunlight.

Indoor plant options:

The trick for indoor plants is to include easy to care for options that will cope well inside, and also add style where you want it.

• Larger plants/trees: fiddle leaf fig, monstera, weeping fig, rubber tree, drasena maginata, mother in laws tongue, alocasia.
• Smaller plants: string of pearls, Ceropegia woodii - 'Chain of Hearts' (hanging plant), maidenhair fern, ivy, Boston fern, peperomia, goldfish plant (columnea), sansevieria lotus, African violet, peace lily. Cacti and succulents are easy plants to grow as they’re able to tolerate more neglect than most other plants.

Directions for potting your plants:

• Water plants thoroughly before potting and allow to drain.
• Partly fill your container with Tui Indoor Plant Mix.
• Gently take the plant from the current container, loosen the root ball and remove any loose or dead plant material and roots.
• Position the plant in the centre of the new container and fill with Tui Indoor Plant Mix up to 3cm from the top.
• Gently firm the mix around the plant. The mix should be at the same level on the plant as it was in the previous container.
• Water your plant well and continue to water regularly.

Indoor plants should be re-potted into containers of fresh potting mix every 2-3 years.

NOURISH

Feed your plants and they will reward you. Tui Indoor Plant Mix contains a starter fertiliser to provide instant nutrients and prevent transplant shock, along with a controlled release fertiliser for sustained feeding for up to six months.

Continuing to replenish nutrients will ensure your plants remain healthy. Feed your indoor plants every two weeks with Tui Enrich Pour & Feed fertiliser, a premium formulation designed with vital nutrients to promote healthy green plant growth. The convenient ready to use formula means no mixing is required.

Tui Enrich Pour & Feed Indoor Plant fertiliser is developed for ferns, ficus (including fiddle leaf fig), devil’s ivy, dracaena, peace lilies, palms and peperomia. If you’re growing orchids and bromeliads indoors, use Tui Enrich Pour & Feed Orchid & Bromeliad fertiliser, and for cacti and succulents indoors apply Tui Enrich Pour & Feed Cacti & Succulent fertiliser.

For sustained feeding for up to six months use Tui Enrich Pots & Containers controlled release fertiliser.

Regular applications of Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic will promote healthy plant and root growth making plants more resilient to common problems including temperature fluctuations, pests and diseases.

Watering

Plants grown in containers require regular watering in summer and less frequent watering in winter. Touch the surface of the mix and if it feels dry, water.

Regularly mist the leaves to increase humidity or place the plant in a saucer of damp pebbles, this stops leaves browning on the tips.

Controlling common insects
If insects including aphids, caterpillars, whitefly, thrips and mealybug, are a problem use Tui Indoor Plant Insect Spray to control. Apply when infestations are first noticed and then weekly while insects are active.

Discover more top tips to caring for your indoor plants >