3 Easy DIY Ways to Rescue Your Dying Houseplants

Tess Panzer

Your poor little houseplants take a real beating sometimes. From keepers without a green thumb to overly-hot apartment buildings without any airflow, it can be pretty rough to be a living thing trapped in a pot.

Show those babies a little TLC with a few DIY ways to perk ‘em up. After all, life’s rough when you can’t water yourself!

Oatmeal Makes It Better

You know how a big bowl of oatmeal in the morning makes you feel like you could tackle anything? It makes you stand up taller, think harder, and focus more clearly. Well, your plant feels the same. Adding oatmeal to your plant’s soil gives it a burst of nutrients, including iron and phosphorous, that will help plants flourish.

Materials:

  • 2-3 tablespoons Oatmeal

Instructions:

1. Add 2-3 tablespoons of oatmeal to the soil of your plant and water.

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2. Repeat every month.

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Anti-Mildew Spray is Just What the Doctor Ordered

Once in a while, your plants can develop a powdery mildew on their leaves - not a good look. You’ll want an anti-fungal to combat that, and what better anti-fungal than aspirin? It’s just what the doctor ordered.

Materials:

  • 2 Aspirin

  • 1 quart Water

  • Spray bottle

Instructions:

1. Crush two aspirin in a mortar and pestle.

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2. Add to a spray bottle with the water.

3. Spray the leaves of your affected plant, and let the healing begin.

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Related on Yahoo Makers: 10 Indoor Plants that Help You Breathe Easy

Castor Oil is Old-School Awesomeness for Ferns

Castor oil doesn’t seem to be used so much anymore, but we’re firm believers that old-school remedies are often the best. When your ferns need a little lift, because they’re just not looking so hot at the moment, castor oil will give it to them. Think of it as a facelift for your flora.

Materials:

  • 1 tsp Castor Oil

  • 1 tsp Natural Dish Soap

  • 1 ½ cups Water

Instructions:

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1. Combine castor oil, dish soap and water in a just and mix well.

2. Add ¼ to your fern, before watering it. Ahhhh, relief!

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