Simple steps to not killing your house plants
If you’re just starting out keeping house plants, I feel your pain.
How the heck are you supposed to keep them alive with so many conflicting information out there? I’m here to tell you that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to plants because they come from all over the world and from many different environments. Some plants are survivors and will thrive in our homes (given the right conditions) but others are just too well adapted to their habitat and we just can’t recreate that artificially.
BUT! there are a few simple things that all plants need, and if you provide these things, most plants will be happy in your home.
So after killing many of my starter plants, here’s what I’ve learned:
1. All plants need sunlight.
There is NO SUCH THING as plants for low light. Yes, they will survive in a sad dark corner for a while, but they will not grow, they will start to look lanky and sad and that’s just not good for the plant. When a plant is sold as a low light plant/shade plant, all it means is that it doesn’t like full on sun. It needs filtered sunlight, like through shades or a sheer curtain. For example ZZ plants ( Zamioculcas zamiifolia) is touted as a low light plant, but I found it loves a couple of hours of sunlight through semi-closed blinds and it’s growing like crazy!
Variegated plants and plants that have a strong color pattern (like fittonias / nerve plants) will lose their color and variegation if they don’t get enough sunlight.
On the other hand, some plants need at least a few hours of full on direct sunlight, ie: cactus and succulents. In the winter if there isn’t enough light they will grow lanky and lose their shape and their leaves.
So, no sunlight = no growth and the plant will eventually die.
2. All plants need good soil
This one is so simple it hurt my brain when I finally understood it. All plants need air/oxygen in their roots. They get this in nature with worms that move around the soil, little pebbles and debri that is mixed in with the natural earth. Commercial potting mixes are usually too heavy and will keep the soil too soggy. All you need to fix this is add a bit of perlite in the soil of your plants. Perlite is light, porous and allows air to get into the soil so the roots can breathe. So, soggy soil = no air = dead roots.
3. Water but not too much
It is so easy to kill your plant by overwatering it, because you feel like you’re really caring for your plant when you water it. Wrong. Always research the name of your plant and if it likes a lot or little water. Ferns usually don’t like dry soil, whereas succulents should be allowed to have very dry soil before you water again. So how do you know when the soil is damp or dry? Just stick your finger in it! If it feels dry, then you can water again. So, depending on the plant, too much water = soggy roots = dead roots
4. All potted plants need a drainage hole
It doesn’t need to be a huge hole, or 10 holes, at least one small hole will do, water will always find a way out. The reason for this is that in nature, rain water flows freely down the soil, soggy soil = root rot = dead plant.
7. All plants need food
I feel dumb about how long it took me to understand this, until one guy at a nursery once told me “Do you survive only on water? Plants don’t either” He could have said it nicely but I understood then that I needed to provide nutrients to my plants. A little bit and often works wonders. You can either get slow release fertilizer or mix it in your watering can. I like to add it to my watering can because I only fertilize my plants in the spring and summer.
6. All plants get insects
It’s just the way it is. Summer time is the worst, you can carry insects in your house from outside without knowing or they can be hiding in a new plant that you bought from the nursery. To make matters worse, they are very tiny and some hide immediately when they feel movement.
My advice is always check your plants closely. Look for misshapen leaves, curly edges, brown spots, sticky stuff on leaves or stems or anything that looks out of the ordinary. The most common insects you will get in house plants are aphids, fungus gnats, mealy bugs, spider mites and thrips. I’ve gotten them all, and I tried for the longest time to wash them away from plants, alcohol with water, soap and water and I killed a lot of them, but they would always come back.
I highly recommend keeping Safer’s Insecticidal Soap on hand and spray the heck out of your plant when you notice any bugs, it has worked really well for me so far. Follow the instructions in the bottle and you should be bug-free too.
So bugs feed on your plants = bad for the plant. You have to kill them before they kill your plant.
7. Humidity and air circulation
I won’t go too much into this because if you’re just staring out caring for houseplants I don’t recommend plants that need high humidity like calatheas, marantas, anthuriums and maidenhair ferns. Stick to easy plants like Boston ferns, ZZ plants spider plants, monstera, philodendron brazil, ficus elastica / rubber trees & peperomias. BUT come winter time, you will have the heating on in your house and that will suck up all the moisture from your air and your plants (and your skin too) so to fix this, get a humidifier and place it near your plants with a fan rotating so it can circulate the air.
Be careful when you do this, as too much stale humidity in your home is a perfect environment for fungus and you don’t want that! Good air circulation is key here, either get the fan going or open a window far away from your plants so the cold air doesn’t damage them.
I know this seems like a lot to take in but don’t give up, maybe start with just a couple of plants and see how you do. Don’t be discouraged if you kill a few plants, trust me, it’s so worth it and rewarding when you see that you can keep your plant-friends alive and thriving, asides from being a fantastic stress reliever, house plants surely help with the winter blues!!
Good luck and happy planting!!
