Plants: Team Real or Fake? While I love ample amounts of greenery both inside and out, I struggle keeping plants alive. My husband helped create a thriving garden for us last year and, as many have in the last year, established a hobby with indoor house plants also. We now have several plants (27!) in our home, but I couldn’t really tell you much about any of them. If you’re like me and love the idea of having plants but don’t know where to start, this post is for you! Don’t worry, these tips are not from me, ha. My lovely plant-savvy friend, Eve, wrote up this handy guide for you, and I hope it is as helpful to all plant parents (new, pondering, and well established alike) as it has been to me!
Super Basics of Plant Care
1. Know your plant. Every plant is different, and has totally different needs. Sometimes even within the same genus but a different species. If the tag doesn’t tell you exactly what it is (common name or genus/species), or if you can’t tell by looking at it, don’t get it. It’s hard to find out what a plant needs if you don’t know what it is. Some big box stores will just list “tropical foliage” on the label…not helpful.
2. Google that plant. Look up what the plant is and where it’s native to. This will help you replicate in your home what the plant will need to flourish. There is a huge difference between a desert dwelling cactus and a jungle dwelling ‘cactus,’ for example. The prickly ones are usually dry desert plants but the ‘holiday cactus’ are actually tropical.
3. Make a plan. Now that you’re armed with the knowledge of the plant, the biggest factors to consider are: Light, Water, Temperature, and Humidity.
- Light – how much light, and how direct light. Some plants want a lot of light, but not direct light or they’re leaves may burn/go crispy.
- Water – how much to water, how frequently, how much drainage the soil needs to have. Overwatering is the #1 cause of indoor plant death. Also note the type of water, some don’t mind tap, others can be very picky about water quality regarding minerals naturally occurring in water.
- Temperature – some plants are hardier to lower temperatures, (i.e. 60s for some tropical plants, while others are hardy all the way down to almost freezing but not into the teens). If you have a cooler house, don’t get a warm loving plant.
- Humidity – most true tropical plants want a higher humidity than is typical in a house. Home humidity is about 30-40%. Most tropicals want 50%+ and there are ways to add humidity around the plants. Humidifiers, pebble trays, tiny cups of water and grouping plants together can increase humidity, though a good number of fun plants can handle average home humidity.
4. Figure out what type of plant person you are. If you know you don’t want to water a plant often, or don’t have a lot of light in your home, make sure you research what type of plant will do well in the space you’d like to place it. Research is key.
Here are some great plants to start with:
- Cactus/succulents – stick them in a south facing window, and water once a month. They are drought tolerant; don’t overwater.
- ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) – lower light tolerant (north facing window ok) low light doesn’t mean NO LIGHT. Water once a month. These are also drought tolerant; don’t overwater.
- Golden Pothos – also low light tolerant, but grows faster with more light. Water bi weekly, whenever top 2” of soil is dry.
Can’t wait to hear about your plant adventures! Good luck!
Photo Credit: Eve Grinnell