Now, I’ll admit, I’ve been known to baby my plants more than I care to confess. There’s something about shiny leaves that makes me feel right, almost the same as getting a new haircut or buying a very comfortable pair of shoes.
Once you know how to shine the leaves on your plants, you’ll never stop. It’s so quick and easy to do and the results are amazing. You need to try this 😊
Today, I’m going to share my tried-and-true method to get your leaves sparkling so bright, you’ll need to wear sunglasses to look at them…
1. Taking care of the basics
A plant’s leaves will struggle to shine if the plant isn’t healthy on the inside, so it’s important to take good care of it.
Good watering habits, proper light, and a little fertilizer (like this instant plant food) now and then can do wonders for your plants.
I also recommend removing dead leaves and blooms when you see them.
Get the basics right, and you’ll cruise into the next steps to sparkle!
2. Wiping down with a damp cloth
This step isn’t necessary if you use sprays or wipes, which I’ll discuss in a bit, but it’s a good habit to get into and helps your plants a lot, so I still choose to do it.
If you have the time, try washing the leaves by hand.
Simply wet a cloth with a little water (feel free to add a little Dawn dish soap, which can help with these pests too), to make it damp.
Next, support the underside of the leaf with one hand as you wipe over the top of the leaf from the stem out toward the end of the leaf. Repeat this on all the leaves on your plant.
Here’s a little tip I’ve picked up over the years: Get a clean cloth and fresh water every time you start on a new plant. That way you don’t run the risk of transferring bugs or diseases from one plant to another.
This won’t make your leaves shine brightly per se, but it will make them look clean and help to keep the plant stronger and healthier.
By the way, this works inside and out – you can and should wash your indoor plants fairly regularly, at least once a month or so, but you can also hose down your outdoor plants if they’re looking dusty or dirty.
3. Add milk every now and then
About once a year, I like to give my plants a wash with milk (this is an old gardener’s trick and it’s a goldie).
Just mix equal amounts of milk and water in a bowl, dampen a cloth with the mixture, and wipe down the leaves.
The proteins in the milk give the leaves a soft sheen without any chemicals.
This “milkman method” works best for plants with broad leaves, like your fiddle leaf fig or monstera.
4. Use plant wipes for convenience and hygiene
If you haven’t tried them yet, plant wipes like these could very well be your new best friend.
Plant wipes come pre-moistened with a gentle formula made especially for plant leaves. They’re designed to remove things like dust and water marks on a plant’s leaves, and they help plants to photosynthesize better for peak health.
All you need to do is grab a wipe, rub it over each leaf of a plant, and voila – instant shine minus the fuss of water or homemade concoctions.
Use a new wipe every time the one you’re using looks dirty or whenever you start cleaning a new plant (that way you won’t spread anything from one plant to the next).
Wipes work best on indoor plants that collect dust, and they’re perfect for a quick clean-up before company comes over.
5. Are banana peels nature’s polish?
Let me start off by saying that I haven’t tried this myself, but I’ve heard that some gardeners swear by it so I included it for you to decide if you want to give it a go…
Next time you eat a banana, don’t throw away the peel – rub the inside of the banana peel on a plant’s leaves before wiping the leaves down with a damp cloth.
The idea of wiping leaves clean with banana peels probably comes from a mix of folk wisdom and practical observation. Bananas are rich in potassium and natural oils that can give plant leaves a gentle shine, which apparently, they do!
While there’s no scientific research proving any of this, the idea persists so perhaps there’s some truth to this yellow tale.
6. But sprays make cleaning leaves a breeze!
If you want maximum shine for minimum effort, then a shine spray is the answer. No matter how many times you wash and wipe down a leaf, it will never have that lustrous tropical shine that you’ll get from using a spray.
There are two kinds of sprays on the market to choose from:
· Aerosol Sprays
Aerosol sprays like this one are great if you’ve got a lot of indoor plants, want to make your silk plants look new, or need to cover a large surface area quickly.
Shine spray users never stop telling me about how well these sprays remove dust and keep their plants looking beautiful and clean for weeks on end.
It’s best to take your plants outdoors before spraying them (always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the application). If you can’t get outdoors, cover items around the plant with a towel or sheet so they don’t get shiny along with your plants (remember to cover the carpets and furniture).
The first time you do this you’ll be blown away by how shiny your plants can look. After that, you simply won’t want to live without it.
· Premixed Sprays
Premixed sprays come in handy for an easy and more controlled application.
They’re less aggressive than aerosols, a bottle goes a long way, and they are ideal for when you want to give individual leaves a little shine without risking overspray or making your plants feel greasy.
Sprays with mineral oils in them should be used sparingly on plants that get a lot of direct sunlight, or they might burn in the sun.
Here’s a great leaf shine spray from Miracle Gro that’s odorless and water based (but also contains some mineral oil), working best on hard-leafed plants.
The only “downside” to premixed sprays, I’d say, is that you need to manually apply them, leaf by leaf, with a cloth. So if you don’t have the time or the patience for this, then aerosol is the better choice for you.
And there you have it: a simple method to keep your plants’ leaves looking shiny and fresh, like a tropical paradise!
