Houseplants – Bringing the Beauty Inside
Houseplants have a special way of breathing life into a room and adding a calming vibe to any space. But beyond being a go-to choice for décor lovers, indoor plants can also improve your health. They can boost your home’s air quality and enhance your overall well-being, whether you choose to place them on a windowsill or in a shady corner in your living room.
Houseplants – High Light Collection
Beautiful houseplants for bright spaces. These light lovers thrive in bright, airy, south- or west-facing rooms
Pothos Marble Queen
Soil: Any well-aerated, quick-draining potting soil is good enough to grow the Marble Queen. These houseplants will thrive in nutrient-rich soil as any plant would but do equally well in average soil too.
Light: Given its tropical nature it grows faster in medium to bright indirect light. Just remember that you get better results with the variegation if you grow them in brighter light. They don’t do well in direct sunlight as the sun burns the foliage
Watering: We recommend that you do a drench and dry cycle, i.e., let the soil mix dry out almost 50% between waterings. Drench it completely when you water.
Fertilizer: We suggest using Espoma Plant Tone at time of planting.
Ficus Audrey
Soil: Plant your Ficus Audrey in a moist but well-draining soil mixture. A combination of indoor potting soil, perlite, and sand is a good option for this tree.
Light: Choose a location that receives several hours of bright, indirect light for your Ficus Audrey, such as a south or west-facing window. This indoor tree can tolerate some direct morning and evening sun, just be sure to avoid extended periods of direct sunlight during the afternoon as it may burn the leaves.
Water: Allow the top 2 to 3 inches of soil to dry between waterings and then water thoroughly. Ficus Audrey does best in consistently moist soil and should never be allowed to dry out completely.
Fertilizer: Ficus Audrey appreciates regular fertilizing during its active growing period. These houseplants should be fertilized once a month from the early spring to early fall with a balanced liquid fertilizer. You can also add natural fertilizers such as compost, worm castings, or bone/blood meal to the soil.
Monstera Deliciosa
Soil: When established in a container, it requires peat-based potting media. Outdoors, it is suitable for light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with acid or neutral pH. Even so, it thrives most in well-drained moderately moist soil.
Light: This evergreen prefers bright, indirect sunlight in temperatures that remain consistently between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Too much direct light in warmer months may burn the foliage. Still, set indoor plants outside at least once a year in direct sunlight to encourage lush growth.
Watering: Give the plant regular waterings during the growing season every one to two weeks. Water until excess drains through drainage holes. Do not put the excess water back into the plant’s container because the plant has taken all the water it needs. The soil will need to dry out slightly in between waterings.
Fertilizer: Choose a balanced liquid 20-20-20 fertilizer to feed the plant every few weeks during the growing season. Dilute ½ teaspoon of the fertilizer in a gallon of water. Use the diluted fertilizer in place of a regular watering. Pour the mixture into the soil until it begins to flow out of the drainage holes.
Fiddle-Leaf Fig
Soil: Any quality indoor plant potting mix should be suitable for a fiddle-leaf fig. Ensure that the soil drains well.
Light: Fiddle-leaf figs require bright, filtered light to grow and look their best. Direct sunlight can burn the leaves, especially exposure to hot afternoon sun. And plants that are kept in very low light conditions will fail to grow rapidly.
Watering: These houseplants like a moderate amount of moisture in the soil. If the houseplant doesn’t get enough water, its leaves will wilt and lose their bright green color. And if it gets too much water, the plant might drop its leaves and suffer from root rot, which ultimately can kill it. During the growing season (spring to fall), water your fiddle-leaf fig when the top inch of soil feels dry. And over the winter months water slightly less. Furthermore, these plants are sensitive to high salt levels in the soil.. So, it’s ideal to flush the soil until water comes out the bottom of the pot at least monthly. This helps to prevent salt build-up.
Fertilizer: Add fertilizer throughout the growing season with a high-nitrogen plant food, following label instructions. There are fertilizers specially made for fiddle-leaf figs. You generally won’t have to feed your plant over the winter.
Anthurium
Soil: Anthuriums prefer a coarse, well-draining potting mix. An orchid mix with additional sand and peat moss mixed in makes perfect soil for anthuriums.
Light: Indoors or out, anthuriums like sun more than shade. They grow best in bright, indirect light. Avoid direct sun.
Watering: the soil should be kept slightly moist and never allowed to dry out completely. Set the pot in a tray with rocks or gravel that has water. The plant’s water can drain there and help keep humidity levels higher around the plant. Allow the top of the soil to dry out to the touch before watering again. Indoors, this is about once a week. If outside, during hot days, it can be every two or three days between waterings.
Fertilizer: It is safe and recommended to use liquid fertilizer throughout the growing period of your anthurium. Use a fertilizer high in phosphorous, dilute it to ¼ strength and feed the plants every week. The phosphorous-rich fertilizer will help encourage your anthurium to flower. The common gardening expression, “Weekly, weakly” applies to how often to fertilize and the strength or concentration of fertilizer to water.
Houseplants – Low Light Collection:
These houseplants are the perfect companions for that calming space in your home. They prefer to live in the lower natural light levels of interior rooms. Their sweet spot is a room that faces north or east.
Snake Plant
Soil: As a houseplant, snake plants prefer a loose, well-drained potting soil mix. They do well in sandier soil which makes all-purpose cactus potting soil a good choice. Avoid soil mixes that contain a high percentage of peat, which can retain too much water.
Light: Snake plants prefer warm, bright light and grow well with eight to ten hours of indirect sunlight or a few hours of early morning sunlight. Too much direct sunlight causes leaves to become limp and can burn the plant. They tolerate shade but inadequate light slows photosynthesis, stunts growth, and dilutes color in the leaves. To keep your snake plant robust and healthy, make sure it receives some sunlight daily.
Watering: Water your snake plant when soil becomes almost completely dry, then water thoroughly. Check soil mix every two weeks for moisture during winter. Your plant might need hydration only once a month. If leaves become brittle and dry, water immediately Once every two weeks during the growing season in spring and summer is usually sufficient, but keep in mind overwatering is the quickest way to kill a snake plant. Too much water or allowing the plant to sit in water rots the shallow root system. Yellowing leaves are an early sign your plant might be waterlogged.
Fertilizer: Feed once in spring and mid-summer with a balanced, slow release 10-10-10 fertilizer diluted to half strength. Do not fertilize in winter.
Heart Fern
Soil: Heart Ferns need potting soil that can retain moisture but still drain excess water to keep the roots from rotting (not a pretty sight). Most pre-mixed soils will suffice. Make sure that there is plenty of organic matter like coco-coir, peat moss, or shredded leaves, and avoid soil containing moisture retaining crystals. If your soil drains too quickly, we recommend re-potting your heart fern into a compost-rich soil mixture.
Light: Medium to bright indirect dappled light will bring out the best in your heart ferns (picture them under a thick canopy of trees on a sunny day). Avoid direct sunlight, especially in the summer when the sun’s rays are intense! The less light your ferns receive, the slower they will grow, and they may become leggy and thin. If you see this happening, immediately relocate them to a brighter spot!
Watering: Hemionitis arifolia needs constant moisture, but don’t let them sit in standing water; you will regret it! More importantly, do not neglect to water your heart ferns because they require consistently moist soil. Try this little trick if you are unsure how often to water them. Water frequently, but lightly. Instead of soaking your heart fern once a week or whenever you water your plants, give them a little bit every few days, or just enough to keep the soil moist but not soggy. If the watering riddle still has you scratching your head, consider planting your ferns into self-watering planters, and don’t forget to fill the planters when they dry out ! The onus falls on you to ensure that their delicate fronds get the water they need to frond on!
Fertilizer: Fertilize your heart fern with a ¼-diluted complete liquid fertilizer twice a month during the growing season. You can add organic compost, worm castings, or a slow-release fertilizer. Keep in mind that ferns are sensitive to being over-fertilized so always dilute any concentrated fertilizer before applying it. Do not feed during the winter or in the colder months.
Money Tree
Light: They should be placed in bright to medium indirect sunlight, for at least six hours a day. If you don’t have a sunny window that provides enough light, this plant will also do well under fluorescent light.
Watering: Money trees should be watered often and regularly, each time the top inch of soil is dry. Typically, watering money trees should become more frequent in the spring and summer months and less frequent in the fall and winter. While money trees thrive with lots of water, be careful not to overwater them, as doing so can quickly kill them. The best way to avoid overwatering your plant is to ensure that the potting container and the soil have the proper drainage.
Fertilizer: Your money tree needs fertilizer. Fertilize these houseplants monthly throughout the spring and summer, when the plant is actively producing new leaves, and bi-monthly throughout the spring and summer throughout the fall and winter. A basic fertilizer blend that has been diluted to half-strength will work best.
Pruning and Maintenance: Pruning is an important part of caring for your money tree, especially if you wish to braid it or train the plant as a bonsai or control its size. Regula pruning of the lower leaves can also help to encourage new growth at the top of the plant.
String of Pearls
Soil: Any regular succulent potting soil is acceptable for your string of pearls plants, but sandy soil is best. A good choice for this plant is a cactus potting mix. Alternatively, you can use a three-to-one mixture of potting soil to sharp sand. These plants are susceptible to root rot, so make sure their soil is well-draining. Plant them in a container that boasts ample drainage holes at its base. Terra cotta or clay pots can also help wick away excess moisture from the soil.
Light: String of pearls plants thrive on a combination of direct and indirect sunlight, totaling between six and eight hours a day. They’re best when kept in direct sunlight during the softer morning hours, then moved to a spot that gets diffused, indirect light or partial shade during the harsher afternoon hours.
Watering: Keep the plant’s soil lightly moist during the growing season in the spring and summer, then reduce water during the winter months. If you notice the succulent’s spherical leaves flattening, it’s a good indicator that the plant needs more water. You will likely need to water your plant once every seven to 14 days. Plants in hotter climates, outdoors during the summer, or in porous terra cotta pots may need water closer to every seven days. This depends on rain frequency and temperatures. If the soil is dry to the touch down to the first one-half inch of soil, that’s a good sign your plant is thirsty. Water thoroughly; you’re done watering once the water drains out of the bottom of the pot. Succulents need good drainage and be careful not to overwater your sting of pearls plants. Succulents are drought-resistant but cannot survive with wet, soggy roots.
Fertilizer: Feed your string of pearls plants biweekly during the growing season with a balanced liquid or water-soluble fertilizer, diluted to about half strength. During its dormant winter period, only feed the plant every six weeks.
Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’
Soil: Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’ does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick.
Light: Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’ can tolerate being far from a window and light source. These houseplants should be placed less than 6 feet from a south-facing window to ensure it receives enough light to survive. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home.
Watering: Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’ is sensitive to dry soil and should be watered frequently. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment.
Fertilizer: Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’ should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year; whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients these houseplants need, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer.