Last Updated on June 1, 2022 by Gary Stephen
Sure, you know what indoor plants are, but do you really know? And how easy or difficult growing indoor plants can be?
In this guide, we’ll give you the 411 of all things related to indoor plants, like discussing some basic indoor plant care tips to help you identify the best indoor plants for your home and to ensure their maximum longevity. Let’s jump right in!
Indoor plants should be an essential component of every interior design. Greenery brightens up indoor spaces and are known to have mood-boosting qualities.
What Are Indoor Plants: Growing indoor plants
How to water indoor plants
Proper watering is an essential step in indoor plant care. While watering a plant seems like a basic step, many people make mistakes when watering, which can often lead to plant death. When it comes to watering indoor plants, the rule of thumb is to know and observe what your plant requires. A plant’s watering needs will depend on many things, such as the plant’s size, ambient light, temperature, and type. So, you should keep a close eye on your plants and learn to understand how moisture affects them. For instance, if you have a desert-adapted plant, it requires less water than a tropical-adapted plant. But, if your plant has its leaves turning yellow or brown, then chances are that it does not have enough water.
If you’re not sure how to check for watering, then you can use a soil moisture tester to check the level of moisture in the soil. These are very handy for measuring the moisture in the soil so you can leave your plants undisturbed for long periods of time.
How to fertilize indoor plants | Growing indoor plants
Another important indoor plant care tip is to fertilize plants once a month. When it comes to indoor plant fertilizing practice, there are two categories for indoor plants: flowering plants and foliage plants. Foliage plants need less intense fertilizing than flowering plants. Like ficus or juniper indoor plants, foliage plants do not need huge amounts of nutrients in their soil. Foliage plants need to be fertilized once a month regardless of light or soil conditions.
On the other hand, flowering plants are sensitive and can be damaged or even killed if you fertilize them too much. These types of indoor plants include orchids and spider plants and require specific fertilizing schedules.
How to prune indoor plants
Pruning is another important indoor plant care tip. Plants are similar to us humans. When they receive the proper amount of care, they live much longer. Pruning helps enhance growth, control shape and size of indoor plants. Pruning also helps get rid of dead or diseased parts of a plant that will ultimately help with the nutrition and health of the plant.
Indoor plants can be pruned anytime throughout the year except when you’re propagating them. If you are not sure if you are doing the right thing, you can ask the help of an experienced sales associate to help you identify the best indoor plant care for your plants. We always recommend that our customers buy organically grown plants. As many plants come with an excellent understanding of indoor plant care, such as spider plant care or orchid care.
Types of indoor plants
Allium – This flowering indoor plant has a cluster of striking, purple-blue flowers. However, it’s not very long-lived, and it tends to bloom and die quite quickly.
Aster – The flowers of aster may be small, but they are bright and just as pretty.
Begonia – This flowering indoor plant is best for beginners as they are easy to grow. They need direct sunlight and should be cleaned regularly.
Calathea – This flowering indoor plant forms a rosette of large leaves. The flowers are small, but are covered with a fuzzy material. They require high sunlight.
Dracaena – This flowering indoor plant is known for its long and lush green leaves. Leaves can grow up to 2 feet high if given proper care.
Dumbcane – The dumbcane is a slow-growing flowering indoor plant. It is easy to grow, but will need a good level of care for it to stay healthy.
Ficus – The shrublike ficus indoor plant is a flowering plant that has a nice, glossy texture. They thrive in a fairly humid environment.
Jade Plant – This flowering indoor plant is extremely easy to grow..
Peace lily – The peace lily, when in bloom, is a spectacular flowering indoor plant.
Spider Plant – The spider plant is another easy-to-grow flowering indoor plant, especially if you grow it in low light. It’s one of the best indoor plants for purifying air
No-flower indoor plants
Dracena – Not all dracena species are flowering plants. This flowering indoor plant is popular for its slender, green leaves that can grow up to 7 feet if given right care.
Bromeliads – Do not grow well on their own. Bromeliads need to be paired with a suitable companion plant or tree to thrive indoors.
Tips to successful growing indoor plants
Toughen up your plants!
It takes too long, and it can take a lot of energy to try to soften your home plants up first. If you want a more realistic look in your home plant, get some tough and hardy plants like the Anubias or the Dragon Tree.
Daily cleanup.
If you’re not into changing your plants on a weekly basis, at least give them a weekly wash. This will help your plants look cleaner for longer periods of time.
Give them food.
As we said before, most indoor plants will do well enough with all the lighting they get from your home. That being said, don’t be afraid to give them some food by watering them with a houseplant fertilizer, such as Espoma Houseplant Food.
Remember that natural beauty is just as important as beautiful clothes.Take care of your home plants and they will handle the rest. As they say, beautiful clothes are made by those who provide beautiful clothes with proper care.
The best way to ensure that your indoor plants stay healthy is to take good care of them. The tips above are some basic steps that you can use to give your home plants the life that they need to stay in your home and look their best .
Plants can play a significant role in improving the quality of life in our home. It is estimated that an average home has 20,000 dust particles, which are considered contaminants, per cubic inch.
As they say, life is a garden. Life would be boring without nature’s wonders. Plants make a home feel more alive and colorful. Wherever you place your home plant, whether it is on the table or the floor, it will contribute to a healthy home.
The bigger the plant, the more that it is likely to need more care and attention.
It would seem like a good idea, then, to buy larger plants. However, almost all plants grow best in the place where they will stay. This helps them stay healthy and strong. Ideally, when you bring a new plant into your home, chances are that it will grow to be quite large. The best bet is to buy a small plant, and then find a good place for it to grow.
As plants grow, they require more space and soil. It means that your green friends will be taking up a lot of your time as they grow. It would be best to buy multiple small plants at once, so that you do not have to be constantly moving them around.
We have tried to help you in creating your perfect green haven in your house with your indoor plants.
However, some plants will certainly require more light than others.
On an average day, a plant with younger leaves will need more light than when it’s older. You will be able to tell the amount of light that is optimal for a plant from the way its leaves look.
Some indoor plants can stay healthy without too much light. They tend to live in low-light situations. These plants have pale leaves or have no visible veins at all. Plants with mushy, thin leaves tend to like high light.
If a plant is new, you should test the light before you keep it. Place a 50-50 mix of water and bleach on your plant for 2 weeks. Then, compare the plant’s appearance. If it is dark, chances are that the plant doesn’t need much light. If it isn’t, then the plant is probably just fine .
A good way to know how much light your plant needs is to take note of the light that it gets from your window. If you have a south-facing window, then chances are that your plants are getting enough light. Otherwise, your house plants need extra care and attention.
Plants SHOULD NOT grow indoor
No one wants to waste money. You should not be afraid to spend money on your indoor plants because they will be paying you back with their good looks.
There are many indoor plants that are known to have a negative effect on your home. Whether they are poisonous or they produce mold, you should stay away from having them in your house. With the tips above, you should be able to choose the right one for your home.
Everything in your house should have a reason to be there. Your plants make a major contribution to your house. They make it more alive and colorful!
Wrapping up about Growing Indoor Plants
We’ve discussed the ins and outs of indoor plants so you know exactly where to get started or how to improve if you’ve already started! From top caring tips to the characteristics of popular plants, now you’re in the know too.