How to Care for Houseplants

Houseplants bring the beauty of the outside inside. The challenge of this is not only do houseplants require conditions similar to the outside, many require conditions similar to a tropical climate. While most houseplants thrive in tropical-like environments, most will survive if you properly care for their light and water needs. If you go a step further, you can give them an environment to thrive in.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Consider your home environment and lifestyle and choose plants you can adequately care for. Take note of the windows in your home that could accommodate plants and think about how often you are available to consistently water your plants. Research houseplant varieties and choose the ones that match up with what you have to offer.

2. Provide adequate light. Houseplants vary from needing low to high light. For high light, place plants in front of a south or east window. For medium light, place plants a short distance from an east window or in front of a west window. For low light, place plants in front of a north window or away from windows in a well-lit room.

3. Water consistently. Establish a watering cycle to give plants consistency and help you remember to water your plants. For instance, water your tropical plants every Sunday and your succulent plants every other Sunday. Most plants adapt well to receiving water once a week.

4. Give plants the right temperature. Most plants do well in temperatures of 65 degrees to 80 degrees F during the day and from 55 degrees to 65 degrees F during the night. If you can not duplicate this fluctuation, plants will adapt adequately if given a constant 70 degrees F.

5. Take care of your plants' air. Heavy drafts of wind harm plants. An occasional light breeze is fine. Place your plants away from any space where smoke, gas or kerosene could flow.

6. Fertilize houseplants during the seasons they actively grow, which is usually spring, summer and fall. Use a well-balanced fertilizer consisting of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and follow the dosage requirements on the package. Remember to water plants at the same time you fertilize them.

7. Repot plants when their roots have wrapped around the bottom of the pot. Some plants need to be rootbound, but most do not. Place plants in the next size bigger pot and fill the empty space with potting mix.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose a growing medium labeled "potting mix" not "potting soil" or "garden soil." Potting mix contains a mix of compost, peat moss, perlite and usually necessary nutrients.
• Avoid over-watering. Too much water is the number one killer of houseplants. Some plants require consistently moist soil, but most tropical plants will thrive if watered a day or two after their soil has dried out. Cacti and succulents require a longer dry period in between waters.
• Do not let leaves of plants touch windows on extremely cold or hot days.
• Do not repot plants into too big of a pot. Bigger is not always better. If your plant in need of repotting is in a 6 inch pot, move up to an 8 inch pot.

Resources

• Find care tips on specific houseplants.