GARDENING - How not to kill house plants

IF you shy away from growing real plants indoors for fear of killing them, either through kindness or neglect, you probably have window sills and vases filled with dead or fake flowers. These are such bad feng shui, if you care about that sort of thing. In actual fact, growing beautiful, healthy plants indoors is pretty easy and will literally breathe life into your home. Lush green leaves complement any style of interior and can even improve the air quality of your home.

There are just a few simple steps involved in caring for instead of killing house plants.

Choose the easy options: You may be tempted to fill your house with exotic species of orchids and tropical plants, but starting off with easier-to-care-for plants is the better option for beginners.

Some plants that fall into the easy-to-grow category are:

Mother-in-law’s tongue: This house plant has pointed, stiff leaves that rise up in a clump. They are easy to care for and sculptural, especially when grouped in threes. Aspidistra: Also known as the cast-iron plant, this plant is as tough as nails and can survive neglect. It was a favourite in Victorian times as it could tolerate low light and shady conditions. They have strap-shaped leathery dark green leaves and can grow up to 1m tall and can also bear flowers.

Peace lily: Regarded as one of the UK’s favourite house plants, it handles low light and kindly wilts its leaves to tell you that it’s thirsty. It has attractive foliage and long lasting flowers.

Aloe vera: This succulent, praised for its skin moisturising qualities, is easily grown indoors. You can trim the leaves and rub the gel inside on your skin so it can care for you as you care for it.

ZZ plant: This is a sculptural tropical plant with dark glossy foliage on long arching stems.

Calathea makoyana: With elegant and intricate markings and two colour leaves, with green on the upper and purples on the lower leaf, this is one of the most beautiful house plants you can find.

Sunlight: All plants need light to thrive and grow well, but too much light will damage some house plants. The trick is to always place plants according to its specific needs, which will be stated on the label. If your plant needs lots of light, place it near a southeast window. Low light plants grow best across from a northern facing window.

One of the most important things to remember is to turn the plant often. They have a natural tendency to grow toward the light and will become lop sided and spindly if you forget to turn them.

Watering: This is one of the things that worries most people, but is actually one of the simplest things to learn to do. Firstly, a pot that needs water will be much lighter than one that is full of moisture. Secondly, you can push your finger down into the top layer of the soil and tell if it needs water. If it is dry below the surface, it is probably time to water.

When watering, remember to soak the soil completely. Another important point is to not water too often. If the soil stays too wet, this can lead to root rot and doesn’t allow for the oxygen needed for root growth.

Fertilising: This is where you will find the most varying advice in the world of houseplants. Most agree, however, that you should never fertilise a plant soon after purchase as it has probably has been fed at the nursery. Also, you shouldn’t fertilise a plant that is looking poorly.

Some say to fertilise every month, others advise every two months. The best advice is to research your specific plant and find out about its needs and fertilise accordingly.

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