What Should I Do With A Dish Garden?

You might have received a dish garden for a special occasion and the plants were gorgeous. With occasional watering and an area with bright indirect light, the plants are easy to care for and look great for several months. However as time passes you start to see dead or yellowing leaves and one plant that just droops more times than not. The plants have lost their compact shape, with several stems that seem to be stretching awkwardly upwards.

Not all plants need the same growing conditions, and will eventually show signs of stress when needs are not met. Some people have the knack to maintain dish gardens for years, but in my experience, the best way to maintain the health of the plants is to separate them into individual pots.

This dish garden was received as a gift about eight months ago ago. It was really gorgeous with healthy vibrant plants. But as time has passed, leaves have turned yellow, stems have died and the plants are crowding each other.

Separating the Plants

Since it was an overcast day, it was perfect for replanting outside. If you have a large tarp, you can lay that on the ground first so you can spread the plants out. The tarp makes cleanup easy too.

Many dish gardens come in containers that don’t drain, which is one of the reasons plants will show stress. You can see when they are removed from the container, the roots have been growing around the bottom. These plants are ready to be separated. Fortunately, the roots have not intertwined excessively and each root ball separates quite easily.

What a nice selection of plants and all survivors! Dead stems and yellow leaves were removed, and roots inspected to assure they are healthy.

Indoor Plant Soil Mix
from: Perfect Plants Nursery

Plants Repotted

If you are concerned about the cost of pots for these new plants, consider the nearest dollar store. I had purchased these from the dollar store for a previous project and they worked perfectly. Just remember to create drainage holes in the bottom before planting. You can always replant them into new containers when budget allows.

The Philodendron and Prayer Plant shared existing planters. If space is in short supply, consider combining two or more plants with similar care requirements in the same planter.

Houseplants are such a nice way to connect with nature. I hope this will inspire you to save plants from your dish garden too!

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