by Jolene Ottosen, Chaparral Green Thumbs
Houseplant 101
Houseplants and I have a mixed relationship. I did not grow up in a home that regularly had houseplants. The occasional one would be gifted to us, and my mom would keep it around for a while, until her self-proclaimed black thumb won over, and she eventually threw the faded or possibly dying plant out. As I got older and started to appreciate the aesthetic created by plants, along with the added health benefits, I slowly started to add them to our space, with mixed results. While I now have a few that have been with us for many years, I have killed more than my share, including a Sanseviera, known commonly as a snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue. This is one of the hardiest, most recommended for beginner plants around, yet I have killed two different varieties.
Recently, I spent some time helping a friend pack up his childhood home after his mother’s sudden passing. While helping with this, I learned that his mother could have taught master classes on closet organization and houseplant care. While packing up her closet, I learned, among other things, that you can fit a shocking amount of clothes in a relatively small space simply by hanging anywhere from three to six coordinating or similarly coloured pieces on one hanger. If you are trying to put an outfit together there is no searching, just grab one or two hangers and you have what you need. Unfortunately, the secrets to her abundant collection of lush, happy plants weren’t so apparent, but it was inspiring. While it has been a while since I have killed a plant, including my third snake plant which is still with us, surviving is not thriving, and seeing the possibility in this home left me determined to do a better job with my current plants, as well as to try to maintain the status of the plants my friend passed on to me, as he sadly had to break up his mother’s collection.
Here are some of the things I have learned over the years and am vowing to get better at consistently doing:
Light
The two most important elements to keeping a plant happy are adequate light and water. So, when you first bring your plant home, putting it in the right spot can be crucial for the survival of some.
Basically, there are three light requirement types:
- Full Sun
These plants are happiest with sunlight shining directly on them for most of the day, such as from an uncovered south facing window. While sunlight is a key part of photosynthesis, only a few houseplants can tolerate this much sun, such as cacti and many succulents, along with a few herbs, such as basil. While almost all of my windows are south facing, which is ideal for full sun loving plants because it is not so ideal for adults who don’t love living in an oven every summer, we chose to sacrifice some of our natural light and put a tinted film on all our windows, which allows us to keep the curtains open, but filters all of our light. This is why I never had luck with basil or succulents indoors.
- Indirect Sunlight
This is the type of light most houseplants do best in – a room with lots of sunlight that doesn’t shine directly on the plants for most of the day. Thankfully for me, my tinted film turns all of the light coming in from my south facing windows into indirect light, so I can place my plants right in front of the window without worrying about them turning yellow from sunburn. In other homes, these plants might be placed near an east or west facing window where they may get some direct sunlight, but only for a few hours, or to the side of a south facing one.
Ideal plants for this type of lighting are Monstera, Ficus, Alocasia, Spider Plants, Parlor Palms, Prayer Plants, a variety of air plants, and Hoyas.
- Moderate to Low Sunlight
While these plants still need some access to sunlight, they can still do well with light coming from a north facing window, or maybe even with the light that filters across the room from a window.
Ideal plants for this type of lighting are Dieffenbachia, Ivy, ZZ Plants, Calathea, Chinese Evergreens, and many types of ferns. Sanseviera (Snake Plant), Pothos, and Philodendron can also be included but I separated them as they need very little light.
Watering
The hardest lesson for me to learn was that it is better to risk under watering than over watering. This doesn’t mean you should intentionally underwater, just that a plant can tolerate a dry spell easier than it can handle sitting in soggy soil for long periods of time.
Most plants prefer soil that has a chance to slightly dry out between watering, but not get bone dry. This means that allowing the top inch or two to dry out is good, but if you poke your finger down into the soil it should still feel at least a little damp. Plants also appreciate consistency, so many growers find their plants do best if they only water once or twice a week, varying the amount of water they give based on the needs of a plant. A larger plant that likes moister soil might need a cup or two of water a week, whereas a more drought tolerant plant, like a succulent, might only need a few splashes. While figuring out your schedule, let your fingers feel for soil moisture, and watch for drooping plants that are telling you they need water. Once you have a system, stick with it as best you can but remember, if you have to make changes, it is better for them to go dry for a short spell than to be too wet.
While watering, also try to pour water evenly over the top of the whole pot, not just in one part, which could result in some parts of the roots getting too wet, with other parts staying too dry. Also, watch for pooling water. If you see this, it is possible that the topsoil in the pot is too compact and poking a few holes along the surface throughout can help with this.
Feeding
This is another area where I do not excel, even though I know what I should be doing. Many sources suggest fertilizing monthly during the spring and summer, with one final dose in the early fall before allowing the growth to naturally slow for the winter season. There are a variety of fertilizer options available, and many prefer the liquid forms they can just add to the water. As I am not a fan of synthetic fertilizers, I prefer natural forms such a compost or worm castings. While I could use either of those to make a tea to water with, I tend to just add castings to the soil in my pots a few times a year (hopefully at least once…), as I do with my outdoor plants. I don’t know if this is ideal, but it is better than not feeding them at all!
Potting
For many of us, our first plants are left in the pot they came in, which is generally okay for a while, but as they grow, they can become root bound or, as some say, pot bound, which limits growth and is detrimental to the overall health of the plant. Keep in mind, however, that there are a few plants that like to be crowded, such as my old friend the snake plant. I believe that aside from probably overwatering, I killed it with kindness by transplanting it into a big pot with plenty of room to “grow into” and separated what I thought were harmful bound roots. Oops! Even plants that don’t like to be crowded should size up gradually.
When repotting, you will need a clean pot that is large enough for the roots to sit over a fresh layer of potting soil and the root ball to be completely covered. Make sure the new pot has drainage holes. Most of my pots are nursery pots inside of more decorative pots, with a few rocks or some other material to raise the inner pot up enough to allow excess water to drain away from the plant. Be sure to use soil intended for potted plants, as it is looser than regular garden soil. For cacti or succulents, you may want to find a specific mix for those plants which allows for even more drainage than a regular potting soil mix.
While these are just the basics, this should be enough to get your houseplants established and as they grow you can learn more to trouble shoot any issue that arise.
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