How to Care for a Houseplant

The basic steps to caring for your houseplants are included here. Plants grown inside your home have different needs and characteristics than those grown outside. Growing healthy plants indoors is fairly easy, but there are a few important details you'll need to take care of.

Things You'll Need

• Spray bottle
• Pots
• Potting mix (optional soil additives: vermiculite or perlite)

Instructions

Choosing a Houseplant

1. Plants grown in your home can be very different from those that grow outside. Good houseplants are often leafy green shrubs or trees (like ficus trees and tropical shrubs) or succulent plants (which are especially good for the air in your home). Ferns, coffee plants, small trees like willows and most ivy varieties are all good choices for indoor growing. Plants that require lots of direct sunlight or are heavy bloom producers will not thrive indoors nor will most vines, climbers and trailing plants, since they need lots of support and sunlight.

2. Indoor plants don't grow as quickly as outdoor plants, so it's even more important to provide them with the right kind of soil and the correct pot. Most potting mixes work well for indoor plants, but you may want to cut your potting mix with vermiculite or perlite, both available in most nurseries, to lighten the soil, improve water absorption and prevent sogginess. A good way to estimate the correct size is to match the width of the pot to the maximum width of your plant. If you have a ficus tree that measures 10 inches from leaf tip to leaf tip at its widest point, a 10- or 12-inch pot will be best. Ceramic or pottery pots are best for most houseplants; some species are sensitive to terra cotta planters, and plastic isn't quite as strong or attractive as ceramic. Keep in mind that houseplants should have fairly deep pots too, in order to accomodate the most feasible growth in one pot. you don't want to transplant more than you have to.

Caring for Established Houseplants

1. Established houseplants require three main categories of care: efficient and appropriate watering, dead-heading and trimming, and proper light. Most indoor plants enjoy an organic fertilizer applied lightly three or four times per year. However, pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers are not necessary for healthy indoor plants and can be dangerous to use inside, especially if you have central heat and air or have children or pets.

2. Efficient and appropriate watering usually falls every three to four days, depending on the type of plants you keep. Make the rounds of your plants with small amounts first, say a cup of water for a 10-inch pot, and then go back and water more thoroughly. The first soaking allows the soil to begin absorbing the water, rather than letting it all flow down the sides of the pot. Overwatering houseplants can be disastrous. Many molds, mildews and pests enjoy wet, unaerated soil around the base of plants. A good, thorough soaking, applied in two "rounds," should wet the soil to at least an inch from the top of the pot. It's important to make sure all your houseplants have drip trays underneath to catch excess water. Most nurseries provide clear plastic trays with small legs on the bottom that not only catch water but also lift your plants up off the shelf or table. This provides air flow to the plant and prevents rings from forming on your furniture.

3. Dead-heading and trimming indoor plants is a key process. Usually, this means that once a week, you should check all your plants, removing dead leaves from the plant and from the soil around the plant, and pinching off flowers that have already bloomed. These activities not only make your plants look healthier and more attractive, but they prevent mold from forming on the soil and stimulate the plant to produce new growth.

4. Proper light for houseplants is the number one concern of any indoor gardener. Most varieties require at least four to six hours of filtered sunlight daily. This can be in an open, airy room that gets lots of afternoon sun, on a south-facing windowsill, or near a window that receives a good amount of direct light per day. Plants will let you know if they aren't getting enough sun, the tips of their leaves will turn yellow, and often the whole plant will appear to be drooping towards the ground. Some houseplants, like ferns, don't need as much direct light, but still require some filtered sunlight in order to thrive. If you are using plants in a room with one window, you might consider putting a mirror on an opposite wall to increase the filtered light in the room. Also, it's important to note that houseplants should be turned regularly. The side that receives the most light will grow faster than the others. To maintain balanced growth, be sure to rotate plants so that all sides receive even amounts of light. Try rotating plants about once per month as that's usually when the new growth on one side becomes particularly eye-catching.

Tips & Warnings

• Air flow is important to plants. Stimulate them with some wind when you can by opening doors or windows and turning on your ceiling fan. This encourages stronger, more robust plants.

• Using larger pots will allow stronger root balls to form over longer periods of time. Transplanting houseplants can be tricky, so make sure you don't do it more often than you have to. When transplanting, follow the same rules of thumb that you would when outside: get a pot a few inches wider and deeper than the last, use a similar potting mix and disturb the roots as little as possible when moving. Water houseplants thoroughly when finished transplanting and allow a few days for the plant to adjust to its new location.

• Be careful with indoor plants. Many plants are poisonous to both humans and animals so be sure to check before bringing plants inside near food, children or pets.

• Chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides should never be used in your home. If you are going to fertilize your indoor plants with an organic fertilizer, take them outside in the early morning or late afternoon (strong sunlight can damage indoor plants) to apply the fertilizer.