You may have a green thumb when it comes to gardening outdoors, only to find significant browning in that proud digit when you turn your attention to houseplant care. The information below won't take all the difficulty out of houseplant care, but it will get you going in the right direction.
If your houseplants are not performing well, the possible causes, in addition to the pest problems discussed on Page 2, are legion. And why would it be otherwise? Consider that you are taking a plant -- probably native to an environment thousands of miles from where you live -- that belongs outdoors, making it a houseplant, and attempting to provide it with an artificial environment. Let's break down that environment into its constituent parts -- a deficiency in any of which could be the source of your ailing houseplant's problem.
In the Water: Houseplant Care and Watering
- It is possible either to under-water or over-water houseplants. While everyone knows that under-watering can be a problem, over-watering is less obvious -- but just as lethal. One cause of over-watering is the use of pots that do not have adequate drainage. Water just sits in the bottom, resulting in root rot. Using pots that are too large for their houseplants can have the same effect. You end up watering a mass of soil that is too great for the poor little roots to absorb. The water-retention of the soil will be excessive, causing the houseplant to have chronic "wet feet."
- Besides quantity of water, quality of water is also a concern. Tap water can contain mineral salt at levels sufficient to harm houseplants. Try using distilled or filtered water instead.
In the Air: How Heat, Humidity and Lighting Impact Houseplant Care
- Room temperature is certainly an issue. Most houseplants hail from tropical regions, where it is hot. Not only is it hot in the tropics, but it is also consistently hot. Extreme swings in temperature can be problematic for houseplants.
- When you consider that these plants call the tropics home, another environmental factor of obvious importance in caring for them is humidity. One reason why houseplants thrive in greenhouses is that greenhouses are humid.
- And what comes through the air to make photosynthesis in plants possible? That's right, light. You must determine the proper light levels for each particular indoor plant. For shade plants, too much direct sunlight is as bad as not enough. But more commonly indoor gardening enthusiasts have difficulty providing enough light for plants. One solution is to supplement the sun with artificial lighting, using fluorescent (not incandescent) light bulbs, which are cheaper than grow lights.
In the Soil: Fertilizers, pH and Diseases in Houseplant Care
- Be careful with fertilizing houseplants. Removed from their ideal native growing conditions, houseplants do not grow vigorously enough to warrant large doses of fertilizer. Potting soils often contain enough nutrients to last a houseplant for years. If you apply too much additional fertilizer, you'll just burn your houseplants. It is a good idea to dilute fertilizers even beyond what the labels recommend.
- Just as with garden soil, soil pH for houseplants can be an issue.
- Part of houseplant care is dealing with the diseases to which they succumb. One way to invite diseases into your soil is by not picking up dead leaves that drop into the houseplant's container. So keep your indoor gardening tidy: extend your housecleaning to your houseplants.
