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Most Popular House Plants - Potted PlantsIf you are looking for House Plants, plants that are for indoors only, you may be asking yourself, where should I buy House Plants? How much care is required? What’s the best location for my plant, how much should I feed and water my house plant and when should I repot my plant to a bigger pot, what is appropriate lighting and is this a high maintenance plant or low? Since there are so many varieties of house plants we will cover only a small portion of what are the common indoor house plants and their care. There are literally hundreds of types of plants to choose from and some on them are the Braided Ficus Tree, Dracaena, African Violet, Tropical Foliage, Bonsai, Palm, Philodendrons, Rubber Plants, Ferns, Cactus, Ivy, Easter Lily, Pothos, Lemon Tree, flowering plants, non flowering plants, bulb growing and a lot more, we hope that this online guide will help answer some of your questions and help you pick the best house plant for you!
What Are Good Windowsill and Small Space House Plants? What are the easiest houseplants to care for?The African Violet (tiny, velvety, dark purple violets bloom) is a cute and decorative little plant that is perfect for a windowsill or kitchen counter. They do like lots of sunshine (however they will live with artificial sunshine as well) and are long lasting with blooms that can last for weeks. You can water them every 3 days with warm water, but be careful to not get water to the leaves or they will spot. The small African Violet plant can cost about $4.99 and up depending upon the size of the plant. Another favorite is a small ivy plant. You can keep your ivy plant in a small container in a pot and trim back the leaves when they grow to be too big for the space given. The indoor ivy plant grows quickly, but is easy to maintain by watering it evenly, weekly, and making sure it gets indirect sunlight. These plants come in a variety of greens, such as very dark greens and grass green or to light and two toned green. Small Ivy Plants are very reasonably priced and can cost about $3.99 to 8.99 or more, depending upon the size of the plant, as larger hanging ivy plants can cost about $12.00 and up. The small indoor ivy plant can usually be purchased at your local grocery store and the larger ones at your local nursery.What Are Some Indoor Trees?The Kentia Palm is has a light airy look and is nice space filler plant for a corner. These Palms are usually sold when they are about 5 feet to about 12 feet and do very well in a container or small pot. They can cost between $25.00 and $300.00, depending upon size. Make sure when watering the entire root ball is watered, however do not keep the root ball moist or wet all the time or rotting will start will happen. When your plant begins to rot, little insects and mites show up and they love that. Your palm should thrive in medium light as you will see when their "fronds" grow twice as many than in low light. As usual, when you over water your plant, you will begin to see yellowing and then browning of the leaves. If you are underwatering, you will see browning on the tips of the fronds and your palm leaves will not stand up fully. This palm can last for years if you maintain it correctly and cut back the palms selectively as necessary. The braided ficus tree (high maintenance) is such a popular tree that they have fake ones everywhere! However, if you enjoy watching and taking care of your real ficus so it will grow and thrive, the braided ficus tree is great and has a warm and friendly decorative style! They do require consistent moisture and bright indirect light to avoid too many of their leaves from dropping. You can learn to avoid over watering these trees by feeling approx. one inch into the soil and if it is dry, then water. If not, wait a couple of days and try again. Try misting your ficus plant at least twice daily. Place your ficus in a bright, but not directly lite area. Early-morning or late-afternoon sun is fine, but avoid an area that gets direct sun all day. You will want to keep your ficus free from drafts, vents, and open doors. Fertilize monthly, except during winter months. It's easiest to buy a ficus around spring and the costs range from around $40.00 and up to around $500.00. Costly, but gratifying if you know how to take care of them properly!What Are Some Common House Plants?The common Indoor House Plant is about 6 inches to 20 inches high. The Tropical Foliage Indoor Plants are easy to take care of and look decoratively in your home. The Philodendron is a tropical indoor plant that requires medium sunlight, indirect or bright diffused light. Water moderately, (however in the winter months, water less as growth slows) moist soil is this indoor plants preference and try to keep them where they will be able to keep a warm temperature of about 60 to 75 degrees. The good news is these plants are hardy and durable and can withstand some neglect, but don’t take advantage of that too much. The roots of these plants like to be snug or compact, but when they begin to compact into a ball, it’s time to repot! Spider Plants are another easy to take care of, indoor plant. These do best when hanging so that their leaves, like long spider legs, can hang over the basket to grow and reproduce so you can have little spider plants. These plants reproduce like rabbits, so if you only want one plant, and not several, leave the babies hanging and they will grow to be a beautiful addition and make your plant lush! Otherwise you will need to replant them by allowing the baby to root while it is still attached to the mother. Set a pot filled with potting soil within reach of one of the baby “plantlets” and place the offset onto the surface of that soil. If you need to twine them together so it will stay in place you can use a twisty from a garbage bag. It could take between 6-10 days and it will break away from it’s mother. This is just one way, an easy way to start your new baby spider plant growing on its own. A good location for this indoor plant is near a window because they enjoy the natural sunlight. Avoid direct sunlight though, as this will make their leaves turn brown. Water your plants at least once a week and never soak the soil completely. It has also been said that this house plant likes distilled water because it is chemical free. If your plant looks a little unhealthy, you can fertilize it with a little bit of regular house plant fertilizer. Do not use the full dose (1/2 a dose is alright) as it is too strong for the plant and these are sensitive plants. The Pothos is a very common and popular indoor plant that is the easiest to maintain. Simply, water this plant once a week, give them low light or indirect light and they will do just fine. These plants are pretty tough and may be for the person who needs a low maintenance and forgiving plant, especially if you forget to water it here and there. The Pothos have vines that if you don’t cut them back they will hang down or you can keep them in pot and drape them over an area to grow. If you only want them as plant that stands alone and doesn’t drape or hang, just cut them back and groom them for a table or perhaps on the floor near a fireplace. You can learn more about common indoor plants and their care at the Homeandfamilynetwork.com.Where Can I Buy Indoor Plants and Supplies?Gardenersnet.com has many different types of indoor plants that you may purchase online as well as information about how to start a garden with your child, what kind of care and maintenance will your plants require. They will tell you how to grow bulbs, from Tulips ($5.95 and up) to Specialty bulbs ($11.00 and up), and how to purchase them from their website. In addition, they carry seeds for annuals, perennials, organics, vegetables, and plenty of gardening supplies for indoor and outdoor and have many links and resources for gardening projects indoors/outdoors, seasonal decorations, wheelbarrows, pots and pest control, etc. There are also several books like the The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual and Tropical Temptations that you can find at Amazon.com to help you through your indoor house plant care and concerns (we also like the Complete Book of Houseplants by John Evans). TIP: When buying plants of any kind, if they are hazardous to your children or animals, there will be warning on the care stick telling you how to take care of your plants. You may also ask your local nursery as to what is toxic in a particular indoor plant to your family.
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