You’ve just got your first plant or are thinking of starting an indoor garden, but don’t know the first thing about how to care for houseplants.
There are hundreds of sites offering information and tips on how to care for indoor plants, but is their indoor environment similar to yours? If you don’t have to deal with winter, it probably isn’t.
So, if you want proven tips for caring for tropical plants in tropical regions, then you’ve come to the right place.
Let’s get right into it. What do plants need from us?
Enough Light
All plants need light to make their food in a process we know as photosynthesis. Some plants prefer the lower intensity of light they get in a shade to being out there under the sun. Their leaves simply burn under direct sunlight.
So, although there is no natural classification of plants as ‘indoor plants’, those that thrive indoors do so because they need less direct sunlight. In nature they are found growing in the shade of tall trees.
You might have seen or heard of plants classified as low light, medium light, and so on. But how do you know if your plant is getting enough light? How close to the window should your plant be to get the light it needs? How much light actually comes through that window at all?
We simply can’t agree on how much light comes in unless we measure it.
But before we get technical, let’s just apply a simple method for now. Look out of your window. Can you see the sun? If so, so can your plant. I like to use the incoming sunrays to get a sense of how much light falls on my plant near a window.
Watch your plant for a few days. If it’s a fast grower, it should settle down and produce a new leaf within a week. If the leaves begin to yellow, even though the soil isn’t dry, then it is very likely the plant isn’t getting enough light. Change its position.
You can read more about how to give your plants the right amount of light here.
Good Quality Soil
The ideal soil for potted plants is aerated, rich in plant nutrients, moisture-retaining, and at the same time quick-draining.
Aeration is important because without oxygen to the roots, they suffocate, and the plant’s growth is stifled. A plant in compact dry soil is like a person in tight clothes. They just can’t breathe.
There are more reasons why indoor plants are quite particular about their soil. Let’s have a look:
- In the ground, plants roots can reach much further to search for water and nutrients. But in a container, they depend on what you give them in the soil.
- Unless there is a severe flood, plants are not at risk of drowning in their natural habitats but can drown in soggy soil in a pot with poor drainage.
- Outdoors, earthworms and other burrowing critters make air tunnels that allow essential oxygen to reach the roots of plants. You probably won’t allow them to live with you indoors.
So, there you have it. Think about this when buying soil or make your own mix with just the right qualities your plant needs.
I’ll discuss soil and potting mixes in more detail in the next post.
Just the Right Amount of Water
If you want plants around your space but are afraid of committing to daily watering, the good news is you don’t need to water your plant every day. Of course, this depends on the type of plants you choose, and there’s a variety to choose from that aren’t fussy.
Does that mean that indoor plants don’t like water? Yes, they do, but plants don’t use up as much water indoors as they do outdoors. And that’s because, they are not exposed to the drying effect of the sun, and secondly, because they don’t grow as fast.
Plants kept in an air-conditioned room will dry out faster, though, than those kept in rooms with the windows open.
Unfortunately, we are more likely to kill our indoor plants with overwatering than with underwatering. If the soil is left constantly soggy, the roots of your plant are starved of oxygen and will begin to rot.
So, rather than follow a strict watering schedule, it’s better that you check if your plant needs a drink before giving it one.
A good way to know this is to stick your finger (yes, your own forefinger) in the soil and feel it. If it feels dry all the way to your second knuckle your plant definitely needs a drink. Some plants begin to look limp when thirsty, so it’s easier to tell before sticking your finger in the soil.
When watering, be sure to water only the soil and not the leaves. For many plants, when leaves are allowed to remain wet over long periods, especially in the area around the petiole, rot sets in.
Always allow the soil to soak up and drain completely. Do not leave your plant sitting in a pool of water.
As much as possible avoid using treated tap water which contains chlorides and other salts that cause the edges of some plant’s leaves to brown. Rainwater is your plant’s preferred option.
Distilled water from an air conditioner is also good. But if both are not available, use tap water that has been left to stand for up to 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate.
Getting Rid of Pests and Diseases
Luckily your plant is not likely to be infected by diseases indoors. Diseases come from soils containing fresh organic matter and from other plants. So, as long as you didn’t bring a diseased plant indoors, your plants are safe.
The same goes for insects and other pests. Ensure your plants are free of insects, insect eggs, and snails before taking them in. Isolate diseased or insect infested plants immediately.
However, the insects that might afflict your plants even indoors are mealy bugs. They appear as whitish wool-like spots on the bottom surfaces of leaves and in crevices between the stem and petiole.
Mealy bugs slowly damage the plant by sucking the sap from the leaves. Leaves curl downwards and inwards at the edges when mealy bugs are busy underneath. So, regular checks will spot them before they spread.
They are easy enough to deal with. Just washed them off with soapy water (add a few drops of neem oil if you can) every few days to ensure they are completely gone. The best treatment is to cut off the affected leaf or leaves.
And if you find earthworms, don’t worry. Earthworms are helpful to your plant as they serve to aerate the soil and add nutrients from their poop. Plus, they’ll be happy to stay inside the soil and hidden from your view. I promise!
Grooming Your Plant
You want your plant always looking its Sunday best with clean, well-formed, and whole leaves. After all isn’t that why you got it? Well, it needs your help.
Over time, dust settles on the leaves and they look terrible. The dust film also inhibits your plant’s ability to absorb light and make its food. Out in the open, the rain would have washed the dust off. But now you have to do this for your precious plant, one leaf at a time.
Wipe both the top and bottom surfaces of your plant’s leaves with a soft wet cloth. Rinse the cloth in soapy water to which you may add neem oil (a natural insect repellent). Dishwashing soap rather than other scented soap is safe to use.
For plants with many small leaves, you can wash them with a gentle shower. Cover the soil or tilt the pot to avoid getting too much water into it.
To prevent fungus infections, it’s important to let the leaves dry properly and quickly. So, it’s best to wash leaves in the morning while there is sunlight coming in.
As you clean the leaves and at any time in between your scheduled grooming sessions, watch out for dead and dying leaves. Cut off dead leaves with a clean sharp pair of scissors or secateurs. Don’t be sentimental about it, a yellowing leaf is not going to revert to green. The sooner it’s off the better for the plant too as it stops wasting energy on a lost cause.
Feeding Regularly
If it’s true that plants make their own food, why do we need to feed them? The simple answer is that while they can make glucose to fuel their system, from carbon dioxide in the air and water in the soil, they need other substances to help build tissues.
Chief among these substances, also called nutrients, are nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, sulphur, calcium, and magnesium. They are found naturally to a small or large extent in soil. Nutrients can be added to the soil as fertilisers or compost.
Adding nutrients to the soil for your plant is what is known as feeding. As it takes up these nutrients, the nutrients need to be replenished over time. It’s also necessary because nutrients are washed away during normal watering.
Regular feeding is essential for maintaining a healthy plant, because again, your plant is constrained in a pot. You can feed all year through, because the climate here in the tropics is kind enough to allow your plant grow throughout the year.
If you use fertilisers be sure to follow the manufacturers’ instructions to avoid burning your plants’ leaves. I find that compost or compost tea, made from infusing compost in water, is always safer.
Last Words
Keeping houseplants is a deeply satisfying and rewarding hobby once you get the hang of it. So, start with easy plants that don’t need a whole lot of attention. My personal favourites are aglaonema, pothos and philodendron varieties.
Do I hear you say indoor plant care sounds like a lot of work? Well, I also hear your plant saying, “love me or leave me”.
Oh! By the way, you can follow these tips too for plants you want to keep in balconies, porches, and terraces where you’ll get even more light. Just be careful you also have some shade, so your plants don’t burn.
I truly hope you got something useful out of this long post and will enjoy indoor gardening.
