Looking after your houseplants at all times of the year can be a tricky task, but it becomes even tougher during the winter months.
With the temperatures dropping and your plants becoming more prone to damage, there is a method which can help plants achieve the needs they require.
Gardening YouTuber, Jacintha Webster from the channel, Pass That Plant, advised a hack for people to try on their plants.
She said: "This gardening hack will help keep your houseplants happy and healthy."
The hack will leave your houseplants feeling happy and healthy
GETTYJacintha explained the steps behind the bathtub method which is an excellent way of keeping your plants hydrated and useful if you are leaving home for long periods.
She said: "I have been using this method for over four years now. I have left my houseplants for 25 days [and the plants are still fine]."
The expert explained that for this method to work, it is important to use the correct plants. Those who are prone to root rot will not benefit from this hack but the expert advised plants such as begonias, maranata, ferns, pilea peperomias, scindapsus and philodendron will do well.
Jacintha said: "Arrange your plants in the bathtub, keeping them fairly close together. This will create a humid environment. Once you have your plants arranged, you can add about an inch of water to the base of the bath.
"This is enough water to keep your houseplants hydrated for about four weeks but is not so much that it will cause issues such as root rot. The reason this will not rot your plants is because the water level stays at the very base of your pot.
"Unless you have a particularly root-bound houseplant then the roots should not be submerged the whole time. This method encourages deeper root growth as the roots reach down towards the water. This will make your plants stronger in the long run."
The content creator added that the method will only work if particular requirements are met.
She said: "All of your plants need to be in pots with drainage holes. If your houseplant is in a planter with no drainage holes then this method will not work but I encourage you to repot it into a planter with drainage holes. The majority of my houseplants are in nursery pots which have ample drainage holes. The few that are in decorative planters, do have plenty of drainage holes."
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The method will "create a humid environment" which helps your plants
GETTY"The second must-have for this technique to work is natural sunlight. Houseplants really need natural sunlight to thrive. Keeping them in a dark wet environment is not going to end well. As well as sunlight, you need ventilation. Keep the windows open just a crack to make sure that there is airflow.
"Add a mesh round on the drain of your bath which captures any soil or debris that is being washed away. The mesh rounds are so helpful, I use them both when I'm watering my plants and I also put them in the base of a lot of my houseplants. This keeps the soil in your plants and helps to prevent soil degradation."
There is the worry of your bath getting scratched from the pots on the basin but the YouTuber explained this concern can simply be solved by adding a towel at the bottom of the bath.
She said: "If you are worried about your bath getting scratched [from the plant pots], you can add a towel to the base before you put your plant in. This is just a preventive layer in between your plants and the bathtub."
