Growing beautiful plants indoors
Depending on the type of plant you have indoors will determine how you take care of it. Beautiful house plants help keep the air clean, add décor to your home, and are comforting.
General Tips
- Most flowering plants need to be near a sunny window and require up to 16 hours of light per day.
- Water houseplants sparingly and use room temperature water. Add a couple of drops of ammonia to one quart of water to bring out the color of the leaves.
- Have a watering schedule. Mark it down on your calendar. You can train plants to like their watering on certain days and times. Stick to this schedule and your plants will treat you well. Most indoor plants do die from over-watering.
- Reinvigorate your houseplants by removing the top ¼ inch of soil and adding fresh soil.
- Segregate your plants into categories. Keep the desert or no water plants away from the plants that need tons of water. Segregation will prevent you from over-watering those cacti.
Types of Plants
Aloe Vera serves two purposes. One is its healing properties, and the other is its beauty. Aloe Vera oxygenates the air and is easy care. It loves sunlight though full sun all day will scorch the leaves. Keep it warm and just leave it alone. If Aloe Vera soil is damp, do not water it. Use pre-boiled water since aloe hates lime.
Anthurium andreanum is a purple oilcloth flower. It is elegant and exotic and a truly green and beautiful plant. It thrives in warm spots but away from radiators. Keep this plant well watered in the growing season and keep the compost moist. Mist as often as possible and feed every two weeks.
Dracaena is a gorgeous houseplant with variegated leaves and a single stem. It almost resembles a decorative corn stalk. Plant several dracaena together for a fuller appearance. If the plant grows too tall cut back the cane to six inches above the soil and allow new shoots to form below the cut. Medium light is perfect. Do allow the soil surface to dry between waterings. The dracaena is poisonous, so don’t nipple on the leaves.
Grape Ivy or oak leaf ivy is a vine with tendrils that cling to a stake or trellis. Deep shiny green leaves create a beautiful decor to a sunny window. It tends to mound and is perfect for hanging baskets. Give it medium light and keep it warm. Evenly moist is best and do avoid over- watering.
Anyone can grow a Norfolk Island Pine. Give it ample light and lots of humidity. If the air is too dry, the Pine will be a home for spider mites. Its soft nature adds a cozy, outdoorsy feeling to any room. Allow the soil surface to dry out between waterings.
One of the top ten most popular houseplant is the Peace lily. Large green leaves and simple white spathe flowers give it a look that is sensational. These plants love light indirect light and can survive in dark shade. Keep them warm in the winter at a minimum of 60°F. Place in a pebble tray to water and mist regularly to keep up the humidity.
