Are your plants dying?Suffer no more and read these tips that every plant lover should know.If you want to flood your house with color, we give you these tips.(Illustration: iStock)Plants are living, complex, sentient beings, with the ability to communicate with each other.Some reasons why they fascinate us is that they have an enormous capacity for adaptation, they transmit us peace, hope, beauty and contemplation.But how can we improve plant care?We recommend: Plantlover?We explain why indoor plants are addictiveSome facts that you may not have known about plants is that, for example, the longest-lived tree known to date is a Patagonian cypress that is at least 5,000 years old (although it may be 400 years older) and lives in Chile.The largest plant — grown by autocloning — is a 180-square-kilometre seagrass meadow, 4,500 years old, off the coast of Australia.Trees share nutrients, rival each other and alert each other to potential threats through a complex network of fungi that grows in and around their roots and connects them to other trees.And then, why are my plants dying if they are so resilient?Being in a place outside their natural habitat, they are more fragile, because they lack the survival strategies they have in their environment.You must sharpen your senses, especially your eyesight, to detect in time the signals that can be sent to you so that you correct aspects such as the substrate, the pot, the irrigation or its exposure to the sun.If you are just starting out in this world or you have been trying for some time but the plants always die, these tips are for you.When we buy a plant in the nursery, it is necessary to transplant it with its appropriate substrate (it is the material or mixture of materials where it will germinate and grow), which will provide it with moisture, food and drainage.The most common mistake we make when we start –and the first reason why our plants die– is that we generically use black soil with some leaf litter, but that is not the case.The same substrate is not used for a cactus, an orchid or a succulent, to name a few.For example, the cactus substrate must be porous, it is recommended to use tezontle or tepojal, a type of rock that does not retain much moisture.The substrate of the orchid requires pine bark that is characterized by absorbing heat and humidity, it does not carry any soil (in addition, its pot must be transparent because the roots need light).Succulents carry a mixture of porous stone or mineral such as tezontle, organic material such as vermicompost and black earth.Every six months you have to loosen the substrate in the pot with your hands, a fork or a shovel because it compacts, which makes it difficult for roots to grow and drain.A consequence of excess moisture favors the growth of bacteria and fungi that make the plant sick.We recommend: How to make a pollinator garden?Regardless of the material, the container must favor drainage, because as we have already seen, excess moisture can kill the plant.The pot should have holes through which excess water drains.Another aspect is that it should not be excessively large because it will lend itself to the plant being attacked by bugs, but neither should it be too small because the root will be compressed and cause stress.The material from which the pot is made not only has to do with looking nice or matching the decoration of the house, it must contribute to the well-being of the plant.Plastic is not very aesthetic, but it retains more moisture, it can work very well with tropical indoor plants such as ferns, ficus, anthuriums or monstera, while clay does not retain much moisture and can be used for cacti, sansevierias and succulentsThe important thing about irrigation is that the water reaches the root of the plant.Both in outdoor plants, planted in the garden, and indoors, which are found at home, it is recommended that the stem or leaves not get wet when there is sun because they can burn.If the plant is in a pot that can be easily carried, ideally submerge it in a container of water and remove until the substrate looks and feels moist.In this way, the plant absorbs water until it is satiated.When to water?The answer is not simple, because in the same plant the period varies according to the season of the year.For example, succulents can be watered every 15 days if they are in cold and humid places;in temperate and warm places it can be once a week.Here you will have to test your capacity for observation and experimentation.Essential processes such as photosynthesis, which provide the plant with energy, occur with its exposure to the sun.Only that the requirements vary according to the species, some can be exposed to the sun all day, there are others that only require about three hours a day and there are others that need a lighted place but with zero direct sun.Do not get overwhelmed, it does not mean that you should change their place to another newspaper, you just have to place them in the right place and be attentive to the color they acquire.Some signs that can alert you to the lack of sun are that both the leaves, the flowers and the stem are decayed, that they take time to grow, to bloom or take on a yellow hue.In the case of succulents, when they need more sun, the stem elongates, a process known as etiolation.Another aspect to consider is that throughout the year, the position of the sun changes and at home the plant may suddenly be receiving too many rays or less, perhaps at some point it will be necessary to change its location due to this.You go to the nursery and all the plants are blooming regardless of the time of year, but you take a specimen home and in a couple of weeks the charm wears off.It is normal.In the nurseries they usually provide them with fertilizer all year round so that they look radiant.You can buy fertilizer in nurseries and even in the supermarket —although it is not highly recommended because these chemicals contaminate the soil and the aquifers— or you can make it at home.The banana peel is wonderful, you can let it dry and then bury it next to the plant or place the peel in pieces in a bottle of water until it turns brown and water with that liquid.When you soak lentils, beans, chickpeas —and then cook them—, that water contains nutrients that vitalize plants.You can also use infusion residue, crushed eggshells, or coffee grounds residue.Just remember, everything goes underground, nothing above ground to attract bugs or potential pests.A post shared by 🌿𝑨𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒏 𝑭𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔🌿 (@arowenflowers)When a pest invades your plant, it is because some of the above aspects have failed: perhaps you are not using the correct substrate, the plant is stressed due to lack of space, it receives too much or lacks sun, or it receives more water than it needs.The most common pests are aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, thrips and spider mites.There are home remedies that are very easy to put into practice, such as removing the bugs with your hands or with a damp cloth in the affected area.If the problem persists, biodegradable detergent dissolved in water can be placed on the leaves and stems (without letting the sun's rays hit them because it burns them) and leave for a week.The onion is a good ally against pests and fungi: it is crushed in a mortar, placed in water and allowed to ferment for ten days and this liquid is placed on the leaves, stem and substrate.If the above didn't work, it's time to turn to department store insecticides and fungicides.In other words: look for a support network that will help you talk about plants and exchange advice and tips.Although gardening is a solitary activity that allows you to connect with yourself, reflect, learn through trial and error, or simply contemplate the plant, it is also an opportunity to share with others.You can go to the botanical garden of your state and consult its program of activities.In these places they always have workshops, conferences and legal sale of native species.There you can ask an expert your doubts.They also have rescue programs, for example, the Botanical Garden of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has an adoption center for Mexican plants in danger of extinction.When you buy a copy you are registered as an adoptive father or mother, you receive a certificate and a card with care advice.In social networks there are groups, there are very general ones on Facebook such as Gardening and reforestation tips, or very specific ones such as Orquideófilos, Agaves de México, Echeverias, Lovers of cacti and succulents.On these sites you will find other plantlovers willing to share their knowledge.Have these tips helped you? Have other strategies worked for you?Tell us.Google seeks to help startups in the region.(Photo: Google)Yuri Franco, financial consultant and co-founder of Money Save gives us his best advice.(Photo: iStock)We tell you more about this branch of law.(Photo: iStock)Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 South Col. Tecnológico CP 64849 Monterrey, Nuevo León Tel. +52 (81) 8358-2000Tecnológico de Monterrey CONECTA Transfer Tec Sounds Terms and Conditions Privacy NoticeTec Review is a publication of the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, with address at Av. Eugenio Garza Sada No. 2501, Col. 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