Basic houseplant care

Never use top soil from your garden for houseplants. Top quality potting mix is available from most garden centers and that’s what you should use for most plants with the following exceptions:

• Succulents and cactus often find commercial potting mixes too heavy and a special potting mix that drains very quickly is usually available for them.
• Orchids also prefer a special potting medium.

Water

It is important to remember that all of our homes are different, and what grows well in a friend’s kitchen may not grow very well in yours. Water, lighting, and temperature are the three most critical factors to keeping any kind of plant happy in your home. People will buy a houseplant and say “how often should I water it?” and the question is not unlike being at the grocery store and asking the staff how often people should eat.Once simple answer does't work for everybody.

The amount of water required by a houseplant will be determined by (A) what kind of plant it is and (B) the conditions in your house. Every species of plant in the world requires some amount of water. (This includes cactus.) Plants will dry out more rapidly in summer than in winter (usually) and plants use much less water when they are resting or dormant or if the temperatures are very cool.

Generally speaking, most houseplants should be watered once or twice a week. Plants on a high shelf or in a hanging basket may dry out faster than those near the kitchen sink or in the bathroom. Some plants (such as weeping fig) prefer to dry out a little between waterings. Others, such as hydrangeas, need to be kept consistently moist. Know what you’re growing and learn where they are native to- rainforest plants, for instance, will need more moisture than plants from desert areas.

Water

Fertilizing is also a "case by case" basis, with some plants dbeing moe demanding than others. In our articles, we've signalled which plants might need specialized fertiization, but in general you will need to fertilize your plants quite regularly to keep them healthy. Why? Because potting mix is not soil so it does not have any natural fertility. Purchase a quality fertilizer, preferably one with micronutrients in it, and use it according to label instructions. If you get a time-release fertilizer you probably only need to use it once or twice a year, whereas a water soluble one perhaps as often as weekly. You can also use a quality compost, but it's more difficult to predict how much you will need and it's more difficult to incorporate.

Light

How much light does a houseplant need? How much light is enough? We often grossly underestimate the importance of light. A plant in a shady spot outdoors in the month of July is receiving far greater light intensity than a plant sitting in a south facing window in December. The number of hours of light a plant receives is critical, but so is the intensity of the light.

Most houseplants will be categorized as being either low light, moderate light, or bright light. Many plants that we grow indoors are accustomed to being shaded in the places where they grow in the wild. Many rainforest plants want a bright, diffused light but never direct sun. This often means they are perfect for our indoor spaces. Many of our kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms are well lit but not sitting directly in the path of a sunbeam. The vast majority of houseplants want bright light.

If your home is very dark or poorly lit, why not consider installing a grow light? This will not only allow you to grow a lot more plants, it will make your home much more inviting to live in.

Moderate or medium light means that conditions are well lit but likely not as bright as they could be. Many offices qualify as moderate light. Quite a number of plants will deal well with this, although they may refuse to flower and would likely perform better if things were a bit brighter.

Low light is the toughest location, with very few plants even surviving. My solution is usually a grow light, but if this isn’t an option for some reason, there are a few plants that might do all right.

Temperature and humidity

Temperature and humidity also play a role in the health of your houseplants. Placing houseplants together in small groups will help to raise the general humidity and most plants enjoy this. Many plants in our dry, centrally heated homes will often develop burned or scorched looking tips if the air is too dry. Getting a humidifier is one way of combatting this, and sometimes putting a plant in the bathroom when someone is showering can help give them a bit of a boost. Keeping a mist bottle handy can also help.

Temperature, particularly in the winter, is an often overlooked but critical aspect of keeping houseplants. Many plants want cooler temperatures in the winter, or at the very least a drop in temperatures overnight. At least five degrees difference between day and night temperatures is often what stimulates many plants to flower- including Christmas cactus and orchids.