Choosing Easy Care House Plants Will Ensure Beginners' Success
Choosing the right plants is the key to success for beginners. You probably don't want to start right off with Orchids or other tricky plants like that. Here are a few plants that you should be able to grow with beautiful results. You may just find that once you have had a little success, you just can't resist beautifying your house with more.
A Few Key Items
It really isn't hard to grow beautiful house plants. If you keep the
basics in mind, your plants will thrive. Plants have few requirements:
water, light, fertilizer and a good pot. If you place the right plants
in the right spots, you will be rewarded with lovely greenery.
Peace Lily
This is a very common house plant for beginners. It has very many dark
green, sword shaped leaves which grow out from the soil. As your plant
thrives, it will fill up the entire pot. A Peace Lily is also called a
Spathiphyllum. It will occasionally produce white flowers, or Spathes.
Peace Lilies are easy plants to grow. They require low light and are
not fussy. You may be able to grow a Peace Lilly in a bright spot which
is not near a window. I have mine about six feet from an East window and
it does very well. They will not like to be in a South facing window,
however. It is way too bright and they will burn.
Keep your
Peace Lilly somewhat moist, but do not over water it. That is the
leading cause of death of houseplants. If in doubt, do not water. The
Peace Lily will get a little droopy when it is dry.
Generally, you will
want to water it when the top of the soil feels pretty dry. You can add
in some all purpose fertilizer at half strength every time you water.
You will know your Peace Lily is truly thriving when it starts to
flower. It will put up green spathes which turn white. They are quite
lovely and resemble Calla Lilies. If you don't get any flowers from your
Peace Lily, try moving it to a location with a little more light. You
might have more success.
Snake Plant
Another easy to grow plant is the Snake Plant. These are hard to kill,
except with over watering. Again, the rule is that when in doubt, wait
to water. The top of the soil should feel fairly dry.
The Snake
Plant is also called the Mother In Law's tongue, as it has long sword
shaped leaves with pointy tips. The leaves will emerge directly from the
soil and the plant will multiply to fill the pot.
Keep Snake
Plants in low light areas, similar to the Peace Lily. You can have them a
few feet away from a window. A North facing window may not get as much
light, so it's best to put them right in the window. Keep them further
away from South facing windows as they do not like this much light.
Again, some diluted fertilizer every time you water will help your
plant thrive. Try taking a break from it now and then in the winter
months. For more information about Snake Plants, you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata.
Dieffenbachia
Dieffenbachia are lovely plants. There are many varieties and they are
easy to grow. The usually have long oval shaped leaves and may be
variegated. If you have pets or small children, be careful. These plants
can be poisonous. They are also called Dumb Cane. If they are ingested,
they release toxins which my cause altered behavior and throat
swelling. This can even lead to death. I have three cats, so I keep my
Dieffenbachia out of their reach.
Dieffenbachia are low to
medium light loving plants. They will do fine in almost any window. If
they are in a South facing window, make sure they get sun which is
filtered, such as through a sheer curtain. They will burn if they get
too much sunlight.
I have seen dieffenbachia grow to ten feet
tall over time with great growing conditions. However, most are much
smaller. With a little care, your Dieffenbachia will thrive too. Again,
do not over water it and give it some diluted fertilizer. It will reward
your for years to come. For more information on these house plants,
check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieffenbachia.
Spider Plant
One last house plant that I will mention which is good for beginners
and easy to grow is the Spider Plant. The Spider Plant looks lovely as a
hanging plant and is easy to care for and propagate. It will send off
long shoots with little plantlets which can be rooted and grown as new
plants.
Spider plants will like more light than any of the
others I have mentioned so far. If you must put them in a South facing
window. Be sure to shield them by filtering the sun with a sheer
curtain. Otherwise the plant will become very light green and may die.
This is a sign that your plant is getting too much light.
A West
or East facing window is probably a good spot for a Spider Plant. If
yours is in a hanging basket, it will look great hanging in the window.
Again, water carefully and don't over water. You will soon have a bushy
plant with long narrow variegated leaves.
Get Growing
So, if you have gotten a new plant for the holidays, or have always
admired some one else's green thumb, give these easy to grow house
plants a try. You might just find out that you have the knack and can
grow beautiful plants. Good luck!
