Easy Houseplants and Tips

Over the years I’ve unintentionally killed off many a house plant so I went on a mission to find a hearty plant and keep it alive! Four years ago I got a “Z” plant since it was often listed as a great easy plant for beginners and IKEA happened to have one when I was shopping there. That little “Z” plant is not so little anymore and has helped grow my confidence in keeping things alive.

It’s a rewarding feeling to have plants living and thriving in the house. They also offer the benefit of helping to purify the air you breathe from volatile organic compounds found indoors. So I’ve been looking for places to have them in every room including the kids rooms. I linked a research article discussing this.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18174668/

There was a Clean Air Study done by NASA that found plants to be effective in reducing organic chemicals such as benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde which are “ possible carcinogens or teratogens and are some of the most commonly found” in our indoor atmospheres. They specifically tested the bamboo palm, chinese evergreen, English ivy, gerbera daisy, janet craig, marginata, mass cane, snake plant, pot mum, peace lily, warneckei, ficus, heart leaf and golden philodendron, golden pothos and green spider plant. Article linked below.

https://archive.org/stream/nasa_techdoc_19930072988/19930072988_djvu.txt

Here are my top 3 basic tips from my growing experience!

1. Finding the happy place

Plants generally don’t like to be moved around so it can take a few tries several weeks apart to find a spot a plant likes when you first get one. This is some trial and error. I had a plant quickly die after I put it on top of my china cabinet because the vent was to close and drying it out with the excess air flow…… didn’t dawn on me until to late. Now my pothos is up there on the opposite side of the cabinet loving life, with a little extra watering on Wednesday’s to keep it from drying to much.

2. Watering Schedule

I have found that a watering schedule is very helpful. Every week on Wednesday or Thursday I check on all my house plants and usually give them at least a little watering. Seeing them intentionally that routinely lets me see if they are getting to much or to little water and if they are happy in their location.

3. Drainage

Every plant needs to be potted so that it has adequate drainage. If doing it yourself, add small rocks to the bottom or make sure the planter has a hole in the bottom. Sitting water will cause mold and attract unwanted bugs. Different varieties like different amounts of watering and moisture so do your research to get an idea of what that is.

These 3 relatively easy and basic steps have really guided me to be more successful with the plants I have and it has been fun adding to my collection. Occasionally I still have a casualty but their odds of survival have greatly improved in my house and we have all enjoyed it!