I pinky promise you’ll have happy houseplants if you avoid the ‘gap of death’ that’s killing them – fixing it is easy
A GARDENING expert has shared a quick solution to a gap problem responsible for killing houseplants.
She explained that once the plant gets to a certain stage, it’s difficult to get its health back up.
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Mandi (@happyhappyhouseplant) shared the gardening tip in a viral Instagram reel.
She called the space between a plant’s potting max and planter the “Gap of Death.”
“It happens when the plant is seriously underwatered,” she explained.
“Once it’s there, it’s almost impossible for your plant to get the moisture it desperately needs.”
Mandi urged viewers not to fret, however, as she had an “easy” fix up her sleeve.
She pulled her potted houseplant out of its planter, showing off how dry and compacted the soil was.
The gap, she explained, caused any water she added to run down the sides and right through the drainage hole, instead of nourishing her plant.
To rehydrate her plant, she re-potted it in a pot without a drainage hole.
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Next, she saturated the soil completely with water and plant food and let it soak for at least 30 minutes.
She drained the excess water and over the course of a time-lapse, showed her dehydrated plant coming back to life.
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Mandi explained that once the soil was properly rehydrated, the plant could be watered like normal.
“You do not need to repot!” she wrote.
Other seasoned gardeners shared additional advice to avoid compacted soil.
“Or just aerate your soil with a chopstick,” they said.
Easy gardening tips to save money, maximize space, and repel pests
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- Banana peels, vinegar, and coffee grounds are often recommended as natural fertilizers.
- Dollar Tree sells four packs of seeds for $1.25.
- Try a vertical planter like Amazon’s Mr. Stacky 5 Tier Stackable Planter, $35 to make more use of a small space.
- Use netting like the Garden Netting Pest Barrier, $8, from Amazon to keep away bugs that eat your vegetables.
- Try sacrificial planting to reduce the use of pesticides and keep pests away from your garden. Deliberately growing certain plants to attract agricultural pests can keep them away from the plants you want to protect. Examples include marigolds, lavender, catnip, and chives.
- For pesky weeds in your garden, the Grampa’s Weeder – The Original Stand-Up Weed Puller Tool with Long Handles, $45, from Amazon is a helpful tool you can use without having to bend over.
They explained that simply drenching the plant in water is not enough to fix the root of the problem.
“If this is happening your soil is probably compacted and not enough oxygen is getting to your plant’s roots,” they added.
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Instead, using a tool like chopsticks to break up the compacted soil will prevent water from being wasted.
“Poke holes in the soil and not only will your roots get more oxygen but the water won’t run off the sides and to the bottom,” they said.
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