Just as outdoor gardens require care so do maintaining plants indoors. The first considerations in assuring that plants thrive indoors is you have to adequate light and the proper temperatures indoors. Different indoor plants require different lighting and different temperatures. The next requirements for caring for plants indoors is the proper amount of water and humidity. Lastly plants indoors also need occasional feeding and grooming.
Usually when you purchase plants at the local plant store they will come with tags that tell you how to care for the plant. The tag will tell you the light, temperature and watering requirements. if any plants you are interested in don’t have those tags that you can ask the sales person in the plant store how to care for the plant. At that time you can also inquire if its the right plant for your home environment.
Without a doubt all plants require water. Some more than others.
When it comes to watering your plant like it was previously stated ; it will come with that information on the tag attached to it or stuck in the soil. If not,you can ask how much water the plant needs in order to maintain its health from the store you purchase it from. When you do water your plant the water should be room temperature. If the water is too cold or hot will shock the plant. You want to thoroughly saturate the soil until water comes out of the drain hole on the bottom of its pot.
Plants do need to be fertilized occasionally. Its recommended to use one that you can add to the water and dilute. A little goes a long way for a house plant so you have to make sure it is supplement to adequate water and light. Plants feed themselves.
Many of the indoor plants are actually tropical in origin so they require moist or humid air. You can remedy a dry home with a humidifier and can occasionally put the plant in the bathroom or kitchen where it is more humid. It is found that if you have multiple plants grouping them together also creates humidity for them. When all else fails you can always get a saucer fill it with water and then put marbles on top to sit the pot on. Do not let the pot sit directly in the water. To do so can cause root rot.As the water under the marbles evaporates it creates moisture in the air around the plant.
Just like us plants have comfort levels. This includes indoor temperatures that are good for the plants. In general indoor plants do well in temperatures between 65 and 75 F degrees inside during the day and 10 degrees cooler at night time. Plants go into shock very easy so it is advisable not to put them in drafts or directly in front of heaters. The same goes for air conditioners.
Depending on the type of plant you have will determine the amount of light it will require. Plants that require low light need a minimum amount of light like at least 4 to 6 hours from some sort of light source. “Medium” or “Indirect” lighted plants means natural light that is not directly on them for 6 to 8 hours a day and “Direct Light” means just that. The plant requires direct sun for at least 8 hours or more a day.
These are just the basics to taking care of a plant in a home. If you do the basics that are required for a particular plant they do very well indoors. All they need is a little light, water and temperature control to keep them healthy.
