David Domoney provides advice on popular houseplants
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Most houseplants require minimal care, perfect for those with busy schedules. If you’ve heard about shaking houseplants as a new plant care tip, you’re probably wondering if it really is such a good idea. We’re always told that houseplants hate being moved around or disturbed in any way – surely shaking your plant will just make it ill? Well, houseplant enthusiasts are saying that giving your houseplant a gentle shake now and again will stimulate growth and make stems stronger, because it mimics the natural movement of the wind.
Richard Cheshire, plant doctor at Patch Plants explained to Gardening Etc that there really is no need to shake your houseplants.
He said: “Most tall houseplants don’t need to be shaken in order to keep themselves upright as they grow.
“There is really no need unless you are putting them outdoors.”
Anyway, for those putting their plants outdoors for the spring and summer, there’ll be some real wind to do the shaking for them.
There is scientific evidence that plants benefit from a phenomenon called thigmomorphogenesis, which refers to plants responding to the many forms of ‘mechanical perturbations’ they experience in the wild.
These do include wind, but also rain drops and being brushed or nibbled by animals as they pass through the forest.
Over millions of years, plants have evolved to respond even to gentle touch, which activates different survival mechanisms in the plant leaves.
So, if you want to do this, touching your houseplants now and again will likely do them some good.
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Although if you’re regularly spritzing them with water, they’re probably getting enough stimulation from the droplets.
There is, however, one plant that really can benefit from being shaken rather than just touched.
This houseplant is the ever-popular fiddle leaf fig.
The fiddle-leaf fig is a popular indoor tree featuring very large, heavily veined, and glossy violin-shaped leaves that grow upright on a sleek trunk.
A fiddle-leaf fig is perfect as a focal point of a room if you can situate it in a floor-standing container where the plant is allowed to grow to at least six feet tall.
However, they are sensitive to changes in environment and will take some time to adjust to their new home.
Richard said: “Fiddle-leaf figs in particular, can grow quite weak and do not support themselves very well as the lack of wind indoors means that they do not strengthen over time.
“It is always a good idea to give them a good shake from time to time.”
For those who do have a fiddle-leaf fig at home, shake away.
All other houseplants will be happy with just a gentle stroke or spritz now and again.
To spritz houseplants add tepid water to a spray bottle, this also helps to avoid overwatering and increases humidity levels for the plant.
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