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Home and Garden Writer
Growing houseplants successfully means providing the best care possible.

Indoor plants add colour, texture and warmth to the home.

They allow year-round access to gardening and can even improve air quality.

Many houseplants are easy to grow, but they must be given appropriate care in order to thrive.

Since your plants were probably started in a greenhouse — grown under ideal conditions — moving them into your home takes a bit of adjustment on their part.

Proper watering and lighting are the most important components of indoor plant care, but humidity and temperatures also play a role.

The trick is to try to mimic the climate of the place that plant came from.

Tropical plants thrive in warm, humid environments, while cacti and succulents prefer hot, dry climes.

Of course, your home can’t be everything to every plant, but you can take plant needs into consideration when choosing plants.

And, with a few tricks, you can convince your green friends that they are living in their ideal environment.

Plant selection

The first thing to consider when selecting a houseplant is where you want to put it.

Then match the space and lighting with the plant’s requirements.

Do you have a big spot by a sunny window or a small space with moderate light?

Next ask yourself if you are looking for a plant with beautiful green leaves or would prefer a flowering plant.

Some flowering houseplants are seasonal while others will bloom year after year.

A third consideration is how much time you can devote to a particular plant.

A spider plant will take almost any amount of care (or neglect), while an orchid requires significant tender, loving care.

Indoor plant care

Water

Potting soil should be kept moist, but not wet. Of course, there are always exceptions — succulents, and other thick-leafed plants do best when the soil dries out between watering.

If the soil is kept too dry or too damp the plant’s roots will begin to die, which can lead to inadequate growth or even death of the plant.

There are several methods to determine when a plant needs water. If the potting soil becomes lighter in colour or cracked, it’s probably time to water.

Pick up your plant and gauge the weight after watering. After a few practice lifts, you will be able to tell if the plant needs water just by picking it up.

Of course, you can always stick a finger in the soil to determine how moist it is below the surface.

For large plants, a hand-held moisture meter may be your best bet to determine how much water is present around the plant’s root mass.

Dehydration

Do not let plants get to the point where they are wilting or the soil is pulling away from the edge of the container.

These symptoms indicate dehydration and at this point the plant is already seriously stressed and the roots may be damaged.

Signs of under watering include:

◆ Slow leaf growth

◆ Translucent leaves

◆ Premature dropping of flowers or leaves

◆ Brown, yellow or curled leaf edges

Overwatering

Too much water is just as detrimental as too little.

Frequent watering forces air from the soil and opens the door for root-killing bacteria and fungus to move in. Overwatering is the number one killer of houseplants.

Signs of overwatering include:

◆ Fungus or mold on the soil surface

◆ Mushy brown (maybe stinky) roots at the bottom of the pot

◆ Standing water in the bottom of the container

◆ Young and old leaves falling off at the same time

◆ Leaves with brown rotten patches

For those who are too busy to keep up with a regular watering schedule, which requires checking individual plants every 3-4 days, there are several self-watering devices available. A moisture wick draws water from a dish of water into the root ball of your plant.

Capillary mats and moisture tents also keep plants watered. You can always make your own self-watering plant container out of a 2-liter pop bottle.

Water quality

Room temperature tap water should be fine for most indoor plants, even if there is chlorine or fluoride added to your city’s water.

Plants especially love rainwater or melted snow (unless you live in a region with acid rain).

Avoid continuous use of softened water, which may contain sodium.

How to water

Plants can be watered from the top down or bottom up. When watering from the top, try not to wet the foliage, while ensuring the entire soil mass is moistened. Water should be coming out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

If you prefer to let your plants do the work, set the plant in a dish of water and the roots (and capillary action in the soil) will pull up whatever they need.

This method, known as bottom-watering, is a more thorough, if time-consuming, way to water plants.

Tip: Be sure to dump any standing water from the saucer one hour after watering.

Drainage

Good drainage is essential to healthy houseplants. Start with a good, organic potting soil (not regular soil) that has been mixed specifically for indoor gardening.

Choose a container with drainage holes, or put a layer of pebbles in the bottom of a container without holes. The point is to not let the plant stand in water. From time to time, check that the drainage holes have not been clogged. And always empty standing water (don’t run it back through the plant’s soil).

Light

As with watering, every plant has different light requirements.

Many plants prefer direct sunlight, but this may be hard to get inside a house. Placing a plant in a window might offer enough light, but some houseplants will need supplementing from a grow light. — www.planetnatural.com/plant-care/