10 tips to make your houseplants grow faster

The days are getting longer, and so are the stems of your Monstera deliciosa. Every morning, you wake up hoping for a new leaf or a flower. But even in spring, it feels like nature is taking its time. Do you dream of seeing your fake philodendron grow as fast as Jack's beanstalk? Discover 10 tips that will speed up the growth of your houseplants.

#1 Water Like a Pro

Personally, I've never managed to water properly with this type of watering can. Photo by Teona Swift / Pexels

Plants grow faster with regular, appropriate watering. A plant that's lacking water slows down its growth, and new leaves are smaller. It may also adapt—for example, by developing surface roots to capture more water. This adaptation comes at the expense of the foliage.

On the other hand, sufficient and consistent watering promotes flowering and leaf growth. But there's no need to break out your watering can too often! Overwatering doesn't help plants—quite the opposite! Excess water causes the roots to rot and kills the plants.

Rainwater is the best choice. It contains nutrients not found in tap water. Do you have a freshwater aquarium? Its water is a real rejuvenating treatment for your plants. It's low in calcium and rich in nitrates and phosphates—elements found in fertilizers. When you change the water in your aquarium, save it to water your indoor jungle.

#2 Let the light in

With a grow light, it's always summer for your Monstera. Photo by Volonteertoday / Wikipedia

Plants also feed on light. Solar energy, converted through photosynthesis, allows them to grow. So you need to make sure your plant gets enough natural light to thrive.

Each variety has its own preferences. Some plants, such strelitzia reginae, cacti, and succulents, thrive in a bright spot. Others, such as aglaonema 'Silver Queen' or goeppertia picturata, prefer partial shade. However, light levels are generally lower indoors than in nature. If you want your Stromanthe sanguinea to keep producing new leaves, place it near a window. But be careful not to expose it to light that's too strong—it can scorch the leaves. If the light is too intense, hang a curtain or move your plants away from the window.

Plants generally require 18 hours of daylight and six hours of darkness. A ratio that's hard to achieve in December… To help your houseplants grow even faster, you can invest in a grow light. It mimics sunlight and provides maximum light all year round.

#3 Remember to Fertilize

Unlike this woman, be sure to use the correct amount of fertilizer. Photo by Valerii Honcharuk / Canva

Plants don't thrive on just sunlight and room-temperature water. Nutrients are essential for their growth. In nature, the soil is enriched by earthworms and the decomposition of plant matter. In pots and indoors, the soil isn't renewed and becomes depleted. Your houseplant can no longer get the nutrients it needs and stops growing.

You need to fertilize during the growing season (usually between April and October) to remedy this. Liquid fertilizers, like solid ones, provide the plant with what it needs. However, liquid solutions produce results as soon as they're applied. When mixed with water for watering, the nutrients are absorbed immediately. Fertilizers in stick or granular form, on the other hand, must break down before they release their benefits. As you can see, if you're in a hurry, it's best to choose a liquid product!

You must follow the plant's specific needs. Fertilizing too often or using too much can damage the foliage and roots. Also, be careful when choosing a fertilizer. To promote:

ð¿ foliage, choose a fertilizer rich in nitrogen;

ðº flowering and fruiting, choose a fertilizer rich in phosphorus;

ð« the roots, choose a fertilizer rich in potassium.

#4 Prune your plants so they grow faster

Just like our hair, plants grow faster after a good trim. Photo by Mikhail Nilov / Pexels

What if shortening the branches of your Dieffenbachia 'Camilla' helped it gain a few centimeters? It may seem counterintuitive, but pruning is undoubtedly the best tip for making your plant grow quickly.

If you're afraid of making a mess with your pruning shears, start by removing dead leaves and flowers. Are you growing your plant for its decorative foliage? Remove the flowers. And if you want to enjoy the blooms, remove the wilted flowers before they go to seed. The process drains the plant's energy.

Then, muster up your courage and prune the branches. How much to remove depends on the species and the result you want to achieve. But you should always cut above a node. That way, the plant will produce new branches. Most varieties, such the Crassula ovata, produce two branches from the cut, where there was previously only one.

Pruning isn't the only way to work wonders. Pinching the tip of a stem also encourages branching. With hypoestes phyllostachya or fittonia albivenis, this simple step results in bushy plants in just a few weeks.

You need to follow a few rules to ensure effective pruning. First, use a clean, sharp tool to prevent the spread of disease and promote healing. Next, prune at the right time. This is usually in the spring. But sometimes, you'll need to wait until fall or after flowering has ended.

#5 Repot your plants to boost their growth

There's no need to fertilize your plants in the weeks following repotting. Photo by Anna Shvets / Pexels

Your houseplants need room to grow and develop their foliage. But not just on the surface—they also need space inside their pots. You can't see it, but their roots are growing. After a few years of good care, they'll have completely filled the pot and can no longer spread out. And their growth suffers as a result.

So you need to perform repotting on your plants regularly to support their growth. Some varieties need repotting every year, while others need it every two or three years. When you change pots, choose one with a diameter slightly larger than the old one. Two to four centimeters is sufficient for small containers (less than 30 centimeters in diameter). For larger ones, you can increase the diameter by five to ten centimeters. In any case, don't go too big! Lost in a 50-centimeter-wide pot, your Inch Plant won't be able to absorb all the available water. It will end up sitting in soggy soil and wither away.

Repotting serves a dual purpose. You give the plant more space and refresh its substrate. These two factors will help it grow faster than you can say “Jack Robinson.”

#6 Take Your Collection Out into the Fresh Air

Succulents generally thrive in full sun.

Living indoors isn't natural for our plants. While they adapt to our homes, they prefer the great outdoors. The wind caressing their leaves blows away dust, the air is less dry, and—most importantly—the brighter light boosts their growth.

So, when the nice weather returns, treat your plants to a vacation outdoors. You don't need a garden for your plants to thrive. Your balcony, patio, or even your windowsill will do just fine.

The transition should be gradual to avoid scorching the foliage. Start by moving your pots into the shade for a few hours. Gradually increase the intensity and duration of their exposures to sunlight. After a few days, your plants will be able to spend both day and night outdoors, if temperatures allow. But stay vigilant! No plant variety—except for a few cacti—can tolerate direct sunlight at its peak. Always check the recommended exposure by consulting our care guides.

#7 Introduce Them to Some Friends

Plants grow better in groups. Another good excuse to expand your collection. Photo by Wellness wildflower / Flickr

Grouping your plants together naturally improves humidity through evapotranspiration. But that's not the only reason plants grow faster when they're together. Mature plants release more oxygen than young ones. By placing your cutting next to its parent plant, it benefits from better air quality and grows better. This also works if you place two different varieties side by side.

Certain combinations are particularly beneficial. In fact, in nature, some species coexist to help one another. Epiphytic plants in the Bromeliaceae family, such as Tillandsia, thrive in the company of orchids. They like to absorb the water released by their neighbors.

You can simply place the pots next to one another. But some gardeners put them all in the same container. Before you get started, make sure the plants have the same needs in terms of substrates, exposure, and water. Also make sure they'll all have enough room to grow.

#8 Provide a support for your climbing plants

Relieved to have found something to cling to with its tendrils, the plant will continue to grow. Photo by Ruth Hartnup / Flickr

This tip works for climbing plants that are sometimes grown as hanging plants.

A plant that's used to clinging to a support instinctively looks for something to hold onto. It extends its aerial roots until it finds what it's looking for. And while it's busy with its roots, it neglects its foliage. If you want your Pothos to produce leaves rather than roots, give it a support stake.

#9 Remove suckers as soon as possible

Our English-speaking friends call these offshoots “suckers” because they suck the energy from the main plant. Photo by Max Wei / Flickr

We all love discovering suckers at the base of our Chinese coin plant. But these little growths require a lot of energy to grow and survive. They slow down the growth of the main stem.

To help your plant focus on its development, remove the suckers. You can remove them as soon as they appear. But you can also wait until they reach three or four centimeters tall and have developed their own roots. That way, you can take cuttings from them and expand your collection.

This advice does not apply to monocarpic plants. After flowering, the pink quill, aphelandra squarrosa, and guzmania zahnii will die, no matter what you do. Wait until the offshoots are at least one-third the size of the parent plant to successfully repot them and keep your favorite bromeliad going.

#10 Choose fast-growing varieties

Pothos is one of the fast-growing plants. Photo by Proflowers / Flickr

Plants are like people. Each one grows at its own pace. If you're impatient, go for fast-growing varieties. Not sure which ones to choose? We've put together a selection of 16 fast-growing houseplants for busy gardeners!