**Welcome to Day 1 of our houseplant beginner mistakes series. One mistake per day, all week. Let's get into it.**

When I bought my first plants, I picked up a bottle of fertiliser thinking it was the secret to turning them into big Instagram-worthy giants.

I followed the instructions, fed them religiously, and waited.

And waited.

A year went by and I still wasn't seeing the results I wanted.

Turns out I'd put my faith in the wrong thing.

Fertiliser on its own will not make a plant grow bigger or faster. Not a chance.

The only thing that truly drives growth is light. Fertiliser gives the plant food in its belly so it can grow as it's meant to. But if it's sitting in the shadows, all the fertiliser in the world won't make a difference. You can actually get away without fertilising for a while as long as the plant is sitting in good, strong light.

And this is where "bright indirect light" becomes a problem. A spot two feet from a north-facing window and two feet from a south-facing window are completely different worlds.

Pull up a compass app on your phone and check which way your windows face. Then pay attention to where the shadows fall. If direct sunlight never touches the leaves but the room still feels bright, that's what "bright indirect" actually means. And don't be afraid to move things around. I shift plants around my house constantly.

​That's exactly what the lighting module inside Houseplant SOS is designed to do. It covers why lighting matters, how to create the right conditions, and what to do if your plants simply can't get access to the sun. The whole course has been freshly updated with brand new videos for the first time in a couple of years, and it comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee. If it's not for you, email me and I'll refund it. Simple.

80% off this week. $37 instead of the usual price.