My wife and I always get excited about house plants, but they end up dying.
I feel like we overwater or underwater, or maybe they don’t get enough sunlight, or perhaps I don’t give them enough attention. We have even killed succulents, and I can’t tell if it was too much or too little water.
I really wish they had a class on house plants.
What tips do you have so I can fill my home with plants? What has your journey been with house plants?
Edit: wow, I discovered this forum and didn’t know I needed it in my life. I’m thrilled to be here, thanks for all the suggestions! My wife and I will be visiting the local nursery soon
Skyler said:
Succulents can be tricky to look after. Try something hard to kill like a pothos or a sansevieria.
Pothos are a great choice to start with
I just got a spider plant and golden pothos. I somehow started to kill the spider plant while my golden pothos is thriving and even growing new leaves. I don’t know how I messed up the spider plant, but it shows how tough pothos can be.
@Riley
I agree about pothos. I’ve killed two spider plants and honestly have no clue how it happened, they just faded away with no visible rot. Spider plants might need more sunlight than I can give them. Meanwhile, pothos manage just fine with my terrible watering habits (I sometimes let it dry out too much because I fear root rot). It’s doing great under a regular LED light.
@Wynn
I think spider plants aren’t as easy as people say. Mine might be struggling from overwatering. I should check for root rot, but I’m worried about messing it up. I’ll look up signs of root rot.
Edit: I suspect the soil isn’t draining well, and I was watering too much. Doesn’t seem like root rot, but I’ll check.
@Riley
Once they have strong roots, they don’t need as much water. I water mine when the color looks dull (once or twice a week). The reason I water twice a week is that it’s in a really small pot (check my profile if you’re curious). Their roots can hold a lot of moisture!
Edit: also change the soil and add lots of perlite or volcanic rock. They aren’t fans of nursery soil!
Riley said: @Lux
Thanks for the tips! I’ll try these. Hopefully, I can help my plant. It’s just starting to struggle, so I think I have a good chance.
Good luck! If you have a bigger pot, you shouldn’t have to water it once or twice a week. It will show you when it needs water by changing color. If it looks gray or white, it’s time for water. It can handle neglect.
@Lux
Got it! I’ve definitely been overwatering, so that advice helps a lot since I was unsure when I needed to water. People always mention the soil, but I struggle to tell that.
Riley said: @Lux
Got it! I’ve definitely been overwatering, so that advice helps a lot since I was unsure when I needed to water. People always mention the soil, but I struggle to tell that.
Get a moisture meter if you’re unsure about when to water. Stick it in the soil, and it’ll tell you if it’s wet, dry, or damp!
Start with one or two plants and really pay attention to them. Don’t water on a strict schedule. Snake plants, dracaena, split-leaf philodendron, and Chinese evergreen are all easy options. If you tend to overwater, a Boston fern might be a great choice.
All the plants I’ve lost were from too much care. Now, I only water when the pots feel light. It’s much harder to fix root rot from overwatering than from under-watering.