Caring for your Indoor House Plants

About House Plants

Easy Steps to Caring for your Indoor House Plants
A healthy happy houseplant will have :

Good quality lighting. Houseplants will grow towards the light so remember to rotate often. Light that comes through your window will change with the season. The light that comes through in summer months will be a lot stronger than winter months. If natural lighting is not enough for your plants you may have to consider special grow lights.

A steady temperature. Preferable between 65 and 75 degrees. At night time you can go down about 10 degrees lower. Keep you house plants away from heating, air conditioning vents , open windows with cold drafts and fireplaces. Flowering plants will be more sensitive to warm and cold drafts.

Water sufficient for the size of the plant, type of the plant, type of container your house plant is in and the type of soil. Whenever possible look up the type of plant you have and the watering requirements. If that is not possible, you basically will have to routes to go- have the plant soil dry slightly between watering or keep the soil moist slightly at all times being careful not to over water. Use room temperature water and water from the top of the plant. Let tap water sit for about an hour to let the chlorine escape. Avoid softened water. If you think your plant may need water, you can test the soil by using your finger. Push down about 1 or 2 inches, if the soil is dry ,it probably would need to be watered. If your plants starts to wilt and the soil is very moist then you are probably watering too much. If it’s wilting and the soil is dry then try watering it more. If you are still having a difficulty determining when to water your house plant, purchase a watering meter probe.

Plants in a clay pot will need more water because the pot is porous and will absorb moisture and plastic and glazed pots will not. Your watering times will vary depending on the season , type of light, and humidity. Don’t schedule a time to water, just water when needed.

Humidity .During winter months your house plant may not do as well because there will be less humidity. You can increase the humidity in your house by using a humidifier. You can try to mist your plants but you will find you will need to do that quite often Some plants respond to misting and others do not.

Fertilizer. Houseplant fertilizer comes in several different forms. You can use spikes, tablets, liquid or granular. What ever type you choose read and follow the application directions. Do not fertilize your plants during the winter months. You houseplant will usually be dormant during that time.

Also good to know:

Compost should not be used as potting soil for houseplants because of the possible presence of weeds and grass seeds.

Cleaning the leaves of house plants will keep your plants healthy. Just use a damp cloth or spritz of water to the leaves to remove dust buildup. Don’t use any polishes or oils to make the leaves shine, this will only block the pores.