Do You Have A Green Thumb? 

by: Cherie Ward

Believe it or not it doesn’t matter, you can still grow houseplants successfully.  You just have to learn to pay a little attention to them, and if that seems too hard, then buying the correct plants is the key.  Aloe Vera, Spider Plants, and Philodendrons are some of the easier to grow.  They will all survive a little neglect, and spring back to health when you notice their plight.  Of course, they will not grow and thrive with this method, but they will live.

            Light is the requirement you need to pay the most attention to when you initially place a plant in your home.  Most houseplants will do best placed near a window or in a room that receives a lot of light throughout the day.  Avoid extremely sunny south windows for all but the most sun loving plants.  Most houseplants are shade loving tropical plants that can handle the heat and low light levels present indoors. 
 

The next important requirement is water.  The best way to monitor the moisture level is to test the soil with your finger before watering.  The soil should be dry at about an inch deep, but not powdery.  If the soil is still damp put off watering for another day or two.  Alternatively, there are water meters you can buy and stick in the pot to indicate when water is needed.  More houseplants are killed from over-watering than under-watering and the symptoms look the same.  So, if your plants are wilting and you have been watering them like crazy, to help them recover, back off on the water and they may just happily spring back to life. 

Next are the soil, and fertilizer requirements.  It is important to buy potting soil for houseplants, soil from the yard or garden has not been sterilized and contains many micro-organisms that could kill your plants off in no time.  If  you have plants that are extremely slow growing, pale, and have dropped leaves and weak stems, it is time for some fertilizer.  Any general fertilizer for houseplants will work, just be careful not to use too much.
 

Once you are confident in your ability to keep your houseplants happy you can move on to other varieties with more specific requirements.  Plants such as China Doll and Ficus are fun and attractive, but sensitive to their environment.  They react to drafts and improper lighting, even moving them can cause them to loose their leaves.   If instead, you would like to add more plants that fall in the easy care category, try Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (although the leaves are sharp), Arrowhead vine, or Wandering Jew (which has lovely color variations).   

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