Introduction
Taking care of common houseplants is generally an easy thing to do. Houseplants are naturally more resilient to neglect than are other types of plants. However, that is not to say that you do not have to do anything to help your houseplants to grow. There are several things that you will need to do in order to keep your common houseplants healthy.
Here are some instructions and steps to follow in order to keep your houseplants looking their best. Remember that houseplants are some of the easiest plants to grow. Although there are a lot of different possibilities for something unfortunate to happen to your plants, it is not to say that you will experience all of the possible problems that you will read about below.
Step #1 – Watering
Watering your plant is one of the most important things that you can do. Most houseplants need to be watered only once a week. You can find out how often your plant needs to be watered by looking at the information tag that should have come attached to the plant when you bought it. If you do not have this tag, you can ask the nursery where you bought the plant from or you can do an Internet search to find out how often you will need to water your specific plant. When in doubt, check the moisture of the soil. If the top inch of soil is dry or pulling away from the sides of the pot, it is most likely time to water it.
Step #2 – Light
One of the benefits of some of the most common houseplants is that they can survive on limited amounts of light. Houseplants thrive on indirect sunlight. This means that it is not to their advantage to be put directly in front of a window, nor is it optimal to have them hidden in a dark closet. Just as with watering, specific plants will need differing levels of light to remain at their healthiest.
Step #3 – Troubleshooting
When people buy houseplants they usually think of little more than watering and giving the plant light. In reality, there are a myriad of different things that could potentially compromise the health of your house plant. By troubleshooting, you can make some educated guesses about what the problem with your plant may be and take the action necessary to get those issues resolved.
Common Houseplant Health Warnings and Tips
Failure of blooming plants to flower is usually the result of insufficient water or light.
If you find that your entire plant is wilting and you water regularly, cut back on the amount of water you give the plant. Too much water leads to rotting of the roots, especially during the winter months when plants are dormant and do not need much moisture. Wilting plants may also suffer from too much fertilizer or from being exposed to cold temperatures.
If you see silver or red blotches on foliage it is most likely the result of too much direct sun.
If you see tiny white spots on the leaves they are probably spider mites, a common plant pest.
If foliage is pale and weak looking, your problem could be insufficient light conditions, dryness of the soil or air, or lack of fertilizer.
For more information
If you have more questions or need personalized help when it comes to keeping your common houseplants healthy, a good place to call or visit is your local nursery. Nursery employees should be trained to be able to help you with questions regarding your specific type of plant, especially if you go to the nursery from which the plant was purchased.