You don’t have to have a green thumb to beautify your house with greenery. Houseplants thrive on very little TLC. By understanding the needs of individual species, your plants can make you the envy of the neighborhood.
Houseplants are not tricky to keep healthy, but it’s easy to love them too much. Three basic practices will keep your plants happy and healthy. First, establish a flexible pattern for watering and feeding them. Second, apply smart potting and repotting techniques. Third, make sure they have the appropriate light and warmth fluctuations.
Watering and Feeding
Use plant-specific fertilizer to feed your plants regularly, following the directions on the container. Feeding your plants is a necessary part of successful plant care. Fortunately, you generally only need to apply plant food once every four to eight weeks. Most houseplants respond well to an all-purpose nutrient mix, like Miracle Grow or plant food spikes. African violets, orchids, and other specialty plants require a different balance of these nutrients, so it’s a good idea to buy them their own specialized food.
Watering is something all houseplants need. Establish a flexible pattern of watering when the plants need it. You can’t schedule in fill-ups at the gas station for your car, and similarly, you need to be attentive to when your plants actually need watering. Telltale signs that plants are thirsty include drooping leaves, discolored and crumbling leaves, and dry soil. Plants don’t like their roots to be constantly wet and can develop mold if they aren’t allowed to drain thoroughly.
Here’s a green rule of thumb for watering: When the top inch or two of the soil is dry, it’s time to water. Give it as much water as the soil can soak up. Even for tropical plants that need more humidity, don’t overwater them. Instead, place an inch of gravel or pebbles in a shallow pan, cover the rocks with water, and set the whole potted plant in the pan. This will ensure humidity-loving plants get the moisture they need.
Potting and Repotting
How well a plant utilizes the water it receives depends, in large part, on how it is potted. Choose a container that’s big enough to hold all the roots, plus space for one season’s growth. (One exception is orchids, which must feel squished and be allowed to creep their roots out of the pots.) Cover the hole in the bottom of the pot with broken pieces of pottery or large pieces of mulch to ensure proper drainage.
Invest in a quality potting soil mix. Not only will it retain the right amount of moisture, but good potting soil will also be free of pests, mold, and disease. While most plants thrive in similar soil, specialty plants require different potting mediums.
For instance, orchid types may need fine or coarse orchid mix, while African violets, aloe, and other cacti prefer specific aeration and drainage. In fact, some commercial soils don’t even have real dirt in them—hydroponic grow gel is also used in some cases. Just remember: potting soil is not one-size-fits-all.
Lighting Requirements
Likewise, not all plants require the same amount of light. Indirect light sources are fine for most plants, but bright window light can become too intense for some and burn their leaves. Too little light can stunt plant growth or cause them to become spindly as they reach toward the light source.
If you’ve noticed a plant struggling, and you’ve ruled out watering, feeding, and potting issues, try adjusting the light intensity it receives. Research your plant species, as they each have different light requirements. Some, like orchids and ti trees, develop deep, dark green leaves when they don’t receive enough light. Their leaves can turn yellow or brown if exposed to direct window light. Other plants, such as philodendrons, will exhibit the opposite reaction—leaves yellowing or blanching in the shade, and turning a healthy forest green in ideal lighting.
Dusting your plants gently a couple of times each season will help them appear more beautiful and allow them to photosynthesize more efficiently. Be mindful of where you place your plants. Resist the urge to increase small plants’ visibility if it means sacrificing their access to sufficient light. Large plants can create a canopy that steals light and air from smaller specimens.
Fluctuate Temperatures
No matter their size, plants cannot tolerate extreme cold or heat. Keeping houseplants warm, between 65 and 85 degrees, is crucial. Plants that get too hot can become dehydrated, while those that get too cold won’t develop properly.
Houseplants tend to thrive in the same temperature range that humans do. There are, of course, specialty varieties with specific requirements. Seedlings, for instance, prefer warmer soil. But in general, houseplants will appreciate the same temperature that their keepers enjoy.
Plants are natural creatures, and all houseplants have wild relatives growing somewhere in nature. In the wild, temperatures fluctuate between day and night. As a result, many houseplants won’t rebloom unless they experience similar temperature changes. A difference of about 15 degrees is typical. In the wild, air cools off at night, so you don’t need to drastically lower the temperature at a specific time of day. Instead, plants simply need one large block of time when it’s cooler than the other. For practicality, set your thermostat around 15 to 20 degrees cooler when you leave for work in the mornings. Even though light from your windows will heat the house a bit, plants will respond to this cooling-off period.
Caring for houseplants is fairly simple—although it may seem otherwise. Water them enough, but never too much. Give them soil and light appropriate for their needs. Feed them occasionally and simulate a natural atmosphere with humidity and temperature control. Once you establish a routine, your plants will require very little attention. Over-fussing will only be counterproductive. After all, did you acquire houseplants because you have too much time on your hands? No way. Enjoy the tranquil beauty plants add to your home by loving them from afar.
