2 Easy 5 Minute Weekly Tropical Plant Care Routines

Some plants like Musa (Banana Plants), Fern, and Calathea (Prayer Plants) take extra time and attention as they need filtered water vs. tap, a couple checkins each week, and have very specific light and humidity needs. This is especially true for rare tropical plants like Spiritus Sancti (the Holy Grail plant). But don’t stress, it is easy to build a routine that becomes second nature so you can keep your houseplants healthy and thriving.

Below you’ll find two 5 minute plant care routines that become second nature for afterwork and on the weekends. The larger your plant collection is, the longer this will take, but 5 to 10 minutes is all that is needed for most plant parents.

We’ve also included some general tips for hard-to-care-for plants that need a bit less attention because they’re in self-care environments like fish tanks, terrariums, or have self-watering pots. 

Curious why we’re only talking about tropicals? 

It’s because tropical houseplants can be less hardy outside of rainforests and humid regions. Cacti, Succulents like Sansevieria (Snake Plants), and Tillandsia (Air Plants) do not need regular care like watering, and tend to be very hardy. 

Regardless of your routines, make sure to do the following for your tropical houseplants:

• Keep a humidifier in the room and have a monitor for 50% to 60% humidity as this range tends to be good for most tropicals.

• Do not place them anywhere near vents, air conditioners, or doorways as the temperature fluctuations and drafts can cause damage and change the humidity levels around them.

• Set a reminder on your smart phone or smart assistant like Google Home or Amazon Echo for the days of the week you’ll be checking on them.

• Have a separate water container you fill each time you finish a routine, this way you always have room temperature and filtered water available. 

Pro-tip: Letting water sit overnight so chlorine can evaporate is something still recommended and can be found in articles like this one.

While water treatment has improved and many times you don’t need to let it sit, if you notice your plant has brown tips or discolored spots, it could be the water. Our recommendation is to always use a water filter if you have plants like Calathea and Orchids that have specific water needs. 

One thing we recommend is setting enough time in between the plant care routines by doing Tuesday and Saturday or Thursday and Sunday routine. This way it is an easy-chore that is enjoyable and not a daily task. But this is for smaller collections.

If you have a larger plant collection, you may want to divide up the collection in half and make watering a weekday task for Alocasia, Monstera, and Stromanthe, and a weekend task for Maranta, Syngonium, and Philodendron. The reason for dividing the watering and care routine in half is that leaves may wilt by week’s end, and this way at least half the collection is always perky and the entire grouping shines.

Weekdays are for watering and easy-to-do tasks that let you destress after work. That’s why we recommend the basic tasks so you can relax and enjoy your plants vs. stressing over any potential problems.

• Dip your finger into the potting mix 1 to 2 inches and see if it is dry. If yes, water, if no, leave it alone until next week.

• Check to see if the variegation has begun turning green, wilting, or browning meaning they are not getting enough light or they are getting too much. This means you need to move your plant closer or further away from the light source.

• Wipe any dust or debris off of leaves and stems with a clean cloth.

Most plants can go for a few extra days without water, and tropicals only need watering when the potting mix is dry about two inches deep. The finger test lets you get a quick gauge on when they need watered, making it a quick and easy week day task.

Now look at the foliage. The sun changes its path throughout the year, so certain spots may end up receiving more or less sunlight meaning you need to move your plants to a new location.

If the coloring on a variegated plant is turning to green, your plant is producing more chlorophyll because it needs more sunlight to create energy. Move it close to the light source or add in artificial lighting. If the tips are browning and getting crispy, this is a sign of leaf burn. Move the plants a bit further away from the light source. 

Lastly, take a clean cloth and gently dust off the leaves and foliage. Removing the dust lets more sunlight reach the leaves for photosynthesis, clears the stomata (pores that release gasses and moisture like the pores in our skin), and stops pests like spider mites from hiding where they can become an infestation. 

The weekend routine is where we recommend checking for health issues and doing tasks that require a bit more attention to detail. Much like us, you’re likely tired after work and the last thing you want to have to do is concentrate. That’s why these tasks are perfect after you get a good night's sleep on the weekends.

• Prune any brown, crunchy, or dead leaves to the nodes (notches by the stems) or base depending on the type of plant you have.

• Check under the leaves and around the base of the plant for mold, mildew, and infestations. 

• Sniff test for root rot.

Pruning your plants helps them to redirect energy to new growth, for photosynthesizing, and for blooming during reproductive cycles. Some types of plants like the Spiritus Sancti, Christmas Cactus, Fiddle Leaf Fig, and Bonsai can use it as a way to shape the plant as it matures. 

Next, look for signs of mold, mildew, and pest infestations. If you find sticky substances (honeydew), this is a sign of sap-sucking bugs. It can also gather and collect black sooty mold that stops sunlight from getting to the plant and starves it. Treat all of these immediately when you detect them, and if you need help identifying them, we have this guide to pest infestations to help. 

A last quick check is a sniff test to detect root rot. Root rot lives under the potting mix for the most part and literally rots away your plants' roots starving them. Give a sniff by the base and try to detect a musky, mildew smell. This is the telltale sign your plant may be infected. Here’s our guide to detecting and treating root rot. 

If you detect any health issues with your plants, click here to view our plant care guides broken out by the species and specific types of plants if they have unique needs. 

Creating a plant care routine is easy, it is a matter of setting a reminder and dividing up the tasks. There’s quick and easy to do ones that don’t need concentration making them perfect for weekdays. Tasks like pruning that need more attention to detail are perfect for the weekends.