House Plants 101

The most frequent houseplant question Maree Wiki from Flora & Co is asked “What is an easy to care for houseplant?” Maree says she has learnt that often houseplants commonly die from being overwatered, underwatered or grown in the incorrect environment. Understanding the type of houseplant you have will determine its ideal growing and watering requirements.

Correct lighting
Ensure you are growing your houseplant in the correct lighting to avoid etoliation (plants stretching towards light) or leaf sunscald.

Watering
Most plants do not enjoy having wet feet so avoid leaving your houseplants sitting in water year round; the only plants that enjoy wet feet are bog plants such as Carnivorous plants. Brown tips on leaves can occur or root rot if plants have wet feet constantly. As a rule of thumb, I water well - allowing water to drain and allow plants to dry. One exception is if the plant species is a moisture lover such as Calathea and Fern I don’t allow it to dry out completely. Houseplants can go dormant in cooler winter months so adjusting your watering to suit the season is important. Reduce watering up to fifty percent in winter and increase again in the summer months.

Listen to your houseplant
Houseplants will tell you when they are not happy. Be observant and check in on your houseplant weekly and you will know if something is not right. Common visible signs of unhappy plants are brown tips, and wilting from overwatering or lack of water, leaf deformities on new growth can indicate little sap-sucking insects on the leaf in the warmer growing season.

Move plants out of hot rooms when going away on holiday
If going away on holiday in the warmer months and you cannot get a plant sitter to water your houseplants, here are a few pointers to help you keep your houseplants happy while you are away.

1. Move your houseplants out of hot rooms and locate in coolest room of your house temporarily e.g. if your lounge is hot that may cook your houseplant, relocate to a shady part of your house such as a bathroom.

2. Water all your houseplants well on the day you are leaving for holiday.

3. Set up a humidity tray for your humidity loving plants that you will not be able to mist daily while away on holiday. Use a plant saucer filled halfway with gravel, and fill with water to the top of gravel to place your houseplant on top.

Popular groups of houseplants:

AIRPURIFYING PLANTS

• ZZ plant

• Snake plant

• Parlour Palm

• Spider plant

• Inch Plant

• Flamingo Flower

PET/FAMILY FRIENDLY PLANTS (non toxic)

• Calathea species

• Spider Plants

• Moth orchid

• Staghorn fern

• Boston Fern

DRY TOLERANT PLANTS (for the forgetful waterer)

• ZZ Plant – water well once every six to eight weeks

• Snake Plant – water well once every three to five weeks

EASYCARE PLANTS (for beginners)

• Parlour Palm

• Snake Plant

• ZZ Plant

• Spider Plant

• Ponytail Palms

• Inch Plants

PEST FREE PLANTS (insects avoid)

• ZZ plants

• Snake plants

For more information about picking the right houseplant for you and your home contact Maree from Flora and Co
Email: maree@floraandco.nz