Know How to Care for House Plants

While I predominantly focus on growing things for food, I am trying to branch out more into your run-of-the-mill houseplants. Being surrounded by greenery generally makes me happy, so the more I can bring into my home the better. That said there are definitely some points to consider before running out and buying plants. 

Benefits of having indoor plants 
There are many good reasons to bring plants into your house. They can help to improve your mood and reduce stress and anxiety. They are also responsible for helping to clean the air that circulates in your home. Some studies indicate that they can even help you focus better and even increase your productivity! So I’m thinking I need to put a plant on my desk, just to be safe. 

Watering schedules 
Watering is a touchy subject and will vary from plant to plant, but it is also generally where most plant parents go wrong. Either opting to over or underwater their plant babies. As a general rule of thumb, you do not want to keep the soil too damp as this can attract fungus gnats and other wee beasties. Typically houseplants need to be watered every 1-3 weeks, but this is obviously a large range and there are many variables. 

Watering needs can vary by the type of plant, size of the pot, ambient temperature and humidity. House plants will typically need more water when they are forming new leaves, so make sure to keep an eye out for that. It is best to research the type of plant you have to determine how often it will need watering. You can also pick up a water meter to get a feel for how often your individual plants will need water. If you have orchids, they are best “watered” once a week with a few ice cubes popped in their pots. This allows for the water to seep in very slowly, which they benefit from. 
 
Lighting 
Light is key for plant health as it is required for the plant to photosynthesize. This is another aspect of house plant care that will vary from plant to plant as well as by the time of year. Some like direct like, others indirect and some prefer very little light at all. Some house plants may appreciate a grow/plant light, especially if they are not located in an ideal location. 

Windows are not created equal as they will decide different strengths and types of lights depending on their location. South-facing windows will get the most and stringiest light. These are ideal for plants that require full sun. North facing windows are best suited for such plants as English Ivy or most orchids. East-facing windows make happy homes for jade plants. Finally, west-facing windows will first start to see some sun in the afternoon and are suited to cacti and coleus. 

Humidity 
Some plants can benefit from a more humid environment, especially those of more tropical nature. You can help increase humidity by placing a humidifier in their general location. Another option is to make a humidity tray. This is super easy to make, all you need is a low-profile tray, some pebbles and water. Fill the tray with the pebbles/gravel and then pour in the water so that it reaches about halfway up the pebbles. Sit the plant pots right on top of the pebbles. Just keep topping it up with water as it evaporates. Orchids love to be located over trays like this. 

Feeding 
If you want healthy house plants, then you are going to have to feed them, especially during their growing period. So when is this magical growing period? Typically it is going to be during the spring and summer. At this time they can benefit from feedings about every other watering. As you move into their dormancy period (fall and winter) you will want to reduce the feeds to once every 4 waterings. 

There are many house plant fertilizers on the market, some are more natural than others and the decision of which to use is up to you. Just make sure that you read the directions carefully to make sure that you are diluting it properly! You don’t want to burn your plant babies. I’m very curious to try out Earth Medicine which was mentioned to me by my friend Ashley Labrecque, a fellow Connected to the Land contributor and soil scientist!

Pruning 
The amount of pruning (if any) will be determined by the type of houseplant you are dealing with. Some, like my monstera, are able to be split into multiple plants. I went from one to three in the blink of an eye. Others are just happy to do their own thing, undisturbed. It is always a good practice to clean up and remove and old or dying leaves. Just remember that before using scissors or pruners, that you clean them before and after every single cut with some isopropyl alcohol. This will just help to ensure that you don’t spread any diseases between houseplants. 

Quarantining 
I will take that as a segway into this last general point. You should always be skeptical of any new plants as you have literally no idea where they have been or the environment that they came from. So when bringing a new plant into your home it is always best to quarantine it for about two weeks, keeping it well away from any of your existing plant babies. 
 
This gives you enough time to make sure that it will not introduce any wee beasties into your other plants. Before you even put it into quarantine you should give it a good once over to make sure there are no obvious issues. Once the quarantine time is over, do another thorough exam to make sure nothing has changed. While nothing is foolproof, this is a much better approach than just bringing new plants in and plopping them in the same room as your existing babies. 

Best plants for newbs 
If you’re just starting to build your houseplant collections then it can be good to start with some that are easier than others. They are a great way to get used to keeping indoor plants. Below is a list of good candidates to get you started on your houseplant's adventures.  
• Spider plant 
• Heart-leaf philodendron 
• Snake plant 
• Weeping fig 
• Chamaedorea 

Bathroom (low light) plants 
I love having plants in the bathroom, but mine has no light so it’s not a very plant hospitable place. I do have plans to put in a window in the shower wall at some point, for the express purpose of letting me have plants in there (I blame Pinterest). But that is still years in the future. But here is a list of plants that do well in low-light situations. 
• Prayer plant 
• Lucky bamboo 
• Devil’s ivy 
• Weeping fig 
• Heart-leaf philodendron 

Pet-friendly plants 
If you have wee ones, either human or of the fur variety then the types of plants you bring into your home can be critical! Below is a list of pet-safe plants, many of which I have in my own home. While your pets may not tend to eat plants, it’s always better to err on the side of caution in case they get curious one day. In my case, my cat Lion-o eats ANYTHING that remotely looks like a plant so I don’t take any chances. For a much more complete list you can check out the list of toxic and non-toxic plants on the ASPCA website.
• Most ferns 
• African violets 
• Spider plants 
• Prayer plant 
• Air plants

Air purifying plants 
While just about all plants will help to purify the air in your home, there is some that score a bit higher on the air cleaning scale. So if this is a concern for you, then the ones on this list should be right up your alley. 
• Crispy fern 
• English Ivy 
• Spider plant 
• Broad lady palm 
• Weeping fig 

Houseplants that (you didn’t know) are poisonous 
This becomes important if you wee babies of either the human or fur kind. It will also depend on where the plants are kept too, but I just thought there was value to calling out a few popular ones that could cause you trouble.
• Monstera 
• Peace Lily 
• Sago palm 
• English Ivy 
• Cyclamen 

Hard to kill plantsI
I left the best for last. So just in case you are a black-thumb of which legends are told, this section is for you! The plants below are among the toughest houseplants to kill! 
• Spider plant 
• Cacti and succulents 
• Snake plant 
• Rubber plant 
• Jade