Houseplant: A simple guidebook for maintaining them effectively

Houseplants can breathe new life into homes and spread positive vibes, apart from being used for decorative purposes. Having plants inside the home also benefits the health of people living in that home, by purifying the air within. This guide is meant to provide new plant owners with all the necessary information on how to grow plants indoors in the most effective manner.

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What makes an appropriate houseplant?

Generally, plants that can thrive in conditions of low light, lower temperatures, and lesser humidity are considered perfect for planting indoors. Indoor plants do not grow too much because of space constraints. Thus, plants that have shorter growth are more suited for becoming houseplants. Plants like aglaonema and aspidistra, as well as succulents and dracaenas, can make for good house plants because they don’t need a lot of water, do not grow out much, and can survive without bright sunlight. 

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Ways to take care of indoor plants

• The soil inside the plant pots should be kept moist at all times. This makes it important to keep watering the plants on a daily basis. However, one must avoid overwatering the plants, which could be harmful to them. The pot for the plants should have holes at its base for the extra water to drain out, in case of accidental overwatering.
• Depending on the type of plant chosen, it should be kept either near or away from direct sunlight. It is therefore important that you do some research about the plant requirements as far as sunlight is concerned, before choosing one for your homes.
• Plants are susceptible to attacks from bugs and pests. You need to keep some insecticide or pesticide spray handy at home. Whenever there is a pest attack, you can apply this spray in the required proportions to get rid of the pests.
• If you have chosen the right indoor plants for your homes (ones that do not grow out much), they won’t require pruning. However, there may be cases when certain plants grow out more than the space available and start breaking. This is when the need to cut some parts of the leaves/stem arises.

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Indoor plants often perish because of overwatering and exposure to excessive sunlight. While water and sunlight should not be neglected by any means, it is important to strike the right balance. Once you are able to take care of these aspects, you can have houseplants at your residential home or even at your office. 

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