Being successful with houseplants can be a challenge with all the varied instruction out there. We will try to make it easy for you with the following information:
STEP 1: Light
Placing plants in the proper light conditions is your first step to success. We group light conditions into 3 categories:
LOW LIGHT: Northern exposure with no direct sun. East or west exposure with curtain filtered sun. Some plant labels will use descriptive words, such as indirect light, defused light, or shade. These describe what we call low light conditions. This plant group grows well with a bright window nearby and no more than one or two hours of sunlight. Low light does not mean literally no light.
MEDIUM LIGHT: North, east, or west exposures with one to four hours of direct sun. Curtain filtered southern exposure with four to six hours of filtered sunlight. Some plant labels for medium light use descriptive words, such as moderate light, diffused light, 50% shade, or part shade. This plant group grows easily at the exposures listed above, or with equal amounts of sunlight anywhere indoors with a larger than average window area.
HIGH LIGHT: East, west, or southern exposures with three to six hours (or more) direct sunlight. Some plant labels use descriptive words, such as bright light, full light, 40% shade, or full sun. This is called high light. This plant group loves full, direct sunlight, but leaves will burn if plants are grown in too much shade and then placed directly into full sun. Move plants slowly to full sun areas, about 30 minutes to 1 hour increase every five to seven days until plants reach the full sun location.
STEP 2: Watering
How to water your houseplants properly promotes good growth and long life. To make it easy for you, we will group watering requirements into three categories.
MOIST: Most houseplants DO NOT have this water requirement. Plants in this group need consistent moisture. Water the soil heavily and allow the excess water drain into a saucer for 2-3 hours, then empty excess. Water again as the soil surface begins to dry out just a bit.
SLIGHTLY DRY: Most houseplants fit into this category. Plants in this group need to dry slightly between waterings. Water soil thoroughly and let excess water drain in a saucer for for 10-15 minutes, then empty the excess. Water again when the top 1-inch feels dry to touch. Overwatering is a real problem for these plants. Check the soil surface every two to five days by pressing your finger into the top 1-inch of the soil. If it’s dry, water, but if still moist, do not water. Some plant labels use descriptive words, such as moderately moist soil, moderately dry soil, or evenly moist. Simply follow the above instruction if this is what your plant needs, and enjoy great success.
DRY: This plant group must dry out between thorough waterings. Press deeply into the soil with your finger, making sure the soil is dry before watering thoroughly again. Always empty any excess water that is in the saucer after 5-10 minutes.
STEP 3: Fertilizing
Here is how to fertilize houseplants for strong, vigorous growth and lush green leaves or more and bigger flowers. To make it easy for you, we will make two plant food categories.
30-10-10: Use this plant food with all green, non-blooming houseplants. The “30” in 30-10-10 is Nitrogen, which promotes leaf growth and deeper green, healthy foliage on houseplants. Two exceptions to this “non-blooming recommendation” are flowering Tropical Hibiscus and Gardenia; both need 30-10-10. Feed every 4th or 5th watering, or every 4-6 weeks, according to the package directions.
15-30-15: Use this plant food for blooming houseplants. The “30” in 15-30-15 is Phosphorous, which promotes flowering in blooming houseplants. Feed every 4th or 5th watering, or every 4-6 weeks, according to the package instructions.
When shopping for fertilizers, you will see two types of fertilizers: slow-release and water-soluble.
Slow-release fertilizer is a granular fertilizer that releases a little fertilizer each time it comes in contact with moisture, over a long period of time (3-4 months).
Water-soluble fertilizer is a powdered fertilizer that you mix with water before using or it comes to you already in liquid form. This type of fertilizer is very effective and is the safest way to feed your houseplants. To be successful with this type of fertilizer, you must follow a feeding schedule, according to package directions.
Along with these three steps, be sure to give your houseplant quality potting soil. We can recommend the ideal potting soil for your specific plant here at the nursery. Follow this handy guide and enjoy success with all of your houseplants. If we can help further, please ask us any houseplant questions at the garden center or on social media.