Need to know how to take care of house plants?

Question

Need to know how to take care of house plants?

Answer 1

You don't really need a grow light. It may help if you are in a northern location in the winter or don't have many windows.

Start with something forgiving. Try Sanseveria, Peperomia, Philodendron, Hoya. Stay away from Croton, Aralia, anything picky. Your local garden center may be able to advise you which are easiest while you are starting out.

Your job is to provide the right conditions for a the plants. A south or west facing window would be considered high light conditions while a north or east window would be considered low to medium light. Mostly you want to situate plants as close to the light as you can as they will not be happy in a closet or dark corner. After all they evolved outdoors! However some sunny windows can be too hot for something like an African violet.

Next is watering. Every plant prefers a certain moisture range. Read labels for guidance on preferences, but for the most part you just need to observe. Water generously when soil is dry to the touch. The pots should have drainage holes at the bottom and a saucer to catch water or you can water them in the sink. If the saucer fills with water, you should dump it out so as not to marinate the roots. Water thoroughly so that water exits the bottom. Then wait until it is somewhat dry again to water. Depending on the plant, the consistency of the soil, and the weather, that could be like once a week or as much as three times a week; maybe even as long as 10 days between. You probably do not want to water them every day. You do not want to wilt the plants. They will let you know they are too dry by obligingly turning gray-green just before they wilt. If they do not grow, chances are they are a little too dry or a little too dark.

City water has chlorine in it and some plants can be sensitive. I have had better results with city water than with softened water, but untreated well water or rain water works the best.

You can use any gentle fertilizer as needed. If plants turn yellow they may be out of food, or overwatered. Fertilizer that dissolves in water is the safest. Follow label directions.

You will want to up-pot them if the pots they are in seem a little small. Pick a pot that seems balanced to the size of the top. Normally you will only up-pot one size or two at a time as it is better to repot plants twice as they grow than to over-pot them as that seems to slow them down. Use a commercial potting mix. There are many good ones. If you get a soil mix that has fertilizer in it already then you don't want to fertilize again until your plants use up what is in there.

Observe the plants when you water them and keep an eye out for any pest problems. The most common problem is bug infestation. This can be treated once a diagnosis has been made as to what bug it might be. Again your local garden center can help - take a sample in. Or post a picture here and someone will probably know what it is. Houseplant sprays are relatively innocuous and designed to be used indoors. follow label directions. I find that an occasional vacation outdoors in the summer serves to get rid of a lot of bugs -- dont know if they get eaten by predator bugs or just move on but it seems to work. If you move your plants outside, put them in a shady spot and gradually expose to more sun or they will burn.

If you have a few failures, don't get discouraged! I have thrown away many a plant that didn't do for me. It doesn't mean you can't grow them, it just means that your pattern of care favors one or the other. Try a few different things.

Have fun! :)

Answer 2

Most houseplants (except for cacti and many succulents) are tropical plants. In the wild these plants would be much bigger and often tree-size and like humidity and indirect/filtered light.  Most would die from too much direct light

The care of a houseplant depends on what plant it is, but most like to be watered every time their pot dries out.  Give it plant food (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) once a month as per bag/bottle directions.

Watch for bugs, cold/hot drafts, too much sun, not enough sun and moisture.  Yellow leaves often means it's getting too much water (and not enough nutrients); brown leaves can be indicative of too much cold air, overfertilization or root rot.

I have to suggest you check out a book from your library on Houseplants (all are good); after taking care of one species successfully you will get the hang of it.  Understanding basic plant growth and requirements also will be easier.

Answer 3

It depends on the plant. Some plants need lots of light, others need indirect light. Some plants need lots of water, others don't. African violets do not like their leaves to get wet.

What is the name of your plant?