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House plants are a nice addition to any home or apartment. They add color and their natural beauty to their surroundings. Generally, they are undemanding and very easy to care for. For some of us though, we give up on the idea because we seem to lose every plant that we try to keep. This article will guide you through some basic steps for caring for your house plants and with a little luck increase your chances of success. You might just find out that you do have a green thumb after all.

1.)    Choose the right plant for your location. Plants that require full sun are usually not the best choice for most of us since they are hard to accommodate in the average home. There are plenty of good alternatives to choose from. Keep in mind that blooming and variegated types generally require more sunlight than their cousins do.

2.)  Place the plant in good location where it can get adequate light and be free from drafts. Avoid putting plants on the window sill since the temperatures close to the glass can get considerably higher than there surroundings. At least six inches from the glass should be allowed. Rotate the plant on a regular basis because it will grow towards the sun. This will help keep the plant from getting malformed. If the plant is lengthy and has few leaves, this is a sign of inadequate light. Choose a brighter location.

3.)   Watering is where so many of us fail with our plants. Water the plant about once a week during the summer. Less in the winter when the temperatures drop. Making sure the plant is thoroughly water without leaving it to wet can be tricky. A good technique that doesn’t involve disturbing the soil is to water the plant from the tray or saucer that it sits in. Fill the trey about 1/3 – ½ full and allow the water to be drawn into the plant. Refill as needed. When you notice that the water is no longer being drawn into the plant empty the excess from the trey. A few things to note here.
a. Not all plants will require watering at the same time. It’s better to get familiar with and keep a record as to how often you water certain plants.
b. Use only room temperature water to avoid shocking the plants.
c.If possible allow the water to sit overnight or ideally use rain water for your plants to avoid the chemicals found in tap water.
d.When the plant begins to dry out much faster than usual this is a sign that it has become root bound and should be re-potted. You can find information on re-potting Here.

4.)   Look for signs of a whitish powder on the soils surface or salt deposits on the inside edge of the pots. These are caused by the salts in the water and fertilizers we use. When you notice that condition you should thoroughly flush the plant with fresh water (leeching) to remove these excess slats. The deposits on the inside of the pot can be wiped away with vinegar.

Related articles:

How to Re-Pot House Your Plants
How to Rid Your House Plants of Insects