Houseplants 101
We’re self proclaimed houseplant experts here at Benken! We have years of experience in all types of plant care and houseplants are just a part of it. Like all plants, each have certain care requirements in order to thrive. There are a lot of different factors at play in plant care – when it comes to houseplant ownership it has a lot to do with observation over a period of time.
The good news is – plants want to survive. If they don’t receive their ideal care, they will still probably survive – they just might get a little bit ugly (leggy, faded, shriveled, loss of leaves etc.) If you follow some basic plant care guidelines you’ll have more success in your plant care journey. We’re going to focus on the two main factors that are at play in plant care – their lighting and watering needs.
Lighting
Plants originated natively outdoors – having a plant in a home with windows is similar to plants living inside of a cave. More often than not – people can think they have more light than they actually do. We use a Light Scale to describe the preferred lighting for different plant varieties. Using a “grow light” is a great way to introduce more light if you don’t have enough natural light or if you have too many houseplants (like we do).
Direct Sunlight
These plants require direct sun rays. Picture that patch of sun in your home that your cat or dog loves to nap in. These houseplants want the same! How to know you have direct sunlight:
- The window is unobstructed (trees/buildings)
- There is at least 4 hours of sun a day
Note: North-facing windows never yield direct sunlight
- Cacti
- Cardboard Palm
- Fishtail Palm
- Ponytail Palm
- Succulents
Bright, indirect light
The vast majority of houseplants require a lot of bright, indirect light. How do you find this in your home? Find the room that you almost never have to turn a light on in. It feels bright all day and and most people who visit will say “woah! there’s so much natural light!” This could be a east facing window (unobstructed) and there can be some direct light. You’ll want these houseplants in those windowsills or very close by to the windows. A grow light is also a great option to give these plants the light they require.
- Alocasia
- Calathea
- Hoya
- Monstera
- Pothos
- Philodendrons
Moderate Light
Moderate light would be a location in the center of a room that gets light from nearby windows, this could be in the same room as your houseplants that need bright, indirect light. Most houseplants will do okay in moderate light but they won’t grow quickly
- Anthurium
- Dracaena
- Ferns
- Peace lily
- Snake plants (sanseveria)
Low Light Tolerant
Low light tolerant does NOT mean NO light (no windowless bathrooms!!) This an area that receives very little natural light, a north-facing window, or a spot far from any window where sunlight is blocked by furniture, curtains, or obstructions outside.
- Aglaonema
- Anthurium
- Dracaena
- Philodendron (trailing)
- Pothos
- Sansevieria
- Tradescantia
- Peace Lily
- Spider Plant
- Yucca Cane
- ZZ
Watering
A lot of people want to know ‘how much to water’. The real question is how frequently should you water and how long should you allow your plant to dry out between waterings.
Every time you water you plant, you want to fully saturate all of its soil evenly. Water should be able to drain away so the plant’s roots aren’t sitting in a puddle of water. We’ve classified our plants into the following to articulate what we feel is the preferred watering schedule of some common houseplant varieties.
Finger test is best – checking the soil before watering is best practice!
Here are some tips:
- Slowly water around the entire surface of the soil
- To be sure the soil is properly saturated, allow the excess water to drain out
- Never let a plant sit in a puddle of water for an extended period of time
- Place your plant in a bowl of water and let your plant soak up what it needs (this is called “bottom watering”, it also helps promote root growth)
These plants need to be watered when:
The surface of the soil is dry to the touch
- Calathea
- Chinese Fan Palm
- Fern
- Majesty Palm
- Norfolk Pine
- Parlor Palm
- Polka dot Plant
The top 1/3 of the soil is dry
- Aglaonema
- Alocasia
- Aralia
- Begonia
- Cissus
- Ctnanthe
- Cardboard Palm
- Dieffenbachia
- Ficus
- Fish Tail Palm
- Fittonia
- Homalomena
- Maranta
- Monstera (not all varieties)
- Pellionia
- Peperomia (not all varieties)
- Philodendron (not all varieties)
- Pilea (not all varieties)
- Pothos (not all varieties)
- Schefflera
- Scindapsus (not all varieties)
- Spathiphyllum
- Spider Plant
- Stromanthe
- Syngonium
- Tradescantia
- Thaumatophyllum
The top 2/3 of the soil is dry
- Anthurium
- Dracaena
- Hoya (not all varieties, most prefer to be completely dry before watering but they cannot tolerate periods of drought)
- Ponytail Palm (they prefer to be completely dry before watering but they cannot tolerate periods of drought)
- Sago Palm
- Yucca Cane (they prefer to be completely dry before watering but they cannot tolerate periods of drought)
- Ric Rac Cactus
- Easter / Xmas Cacti
- String of Turtles
- String of Hearts
- Zig Zag Cactus
- ZZ
The soil is completely dry
- Cacti (barrel shaped cacti)
- Sansevieria
- Succulents
Common Repotting Questions
Are there different types of planters?
Yes! You’ll want to choose a planter that is suited for the growth pattern of your plant.
- Narrow/deep for top heavy or tall plants
- No drainage or self-watering
- Grow pot (also called nursery pot)
- Pots with drainage
- Cachepots (also pronounced cash poe): Is a decorative, outer container for a plant, and is used to conceal the plant’s plain nursery pot
How do I know what size pot my plant needs?
When repotting your houseplant, choose a planter or pot that is 2 inches wider in diameter than the pot it’s currently in. Please note: this only applies to plants that are rootbound or close to becoming rootbound and need to be upsized.
Sometimes your plant needs to be downsized when repotted. In this case, you’ll want to match the pot size to the root ball size. Why is this important? It’s a common misconception that your houseplant needs a big pot so it has lots of room to grow. When you put your houseplant in a pot with excess soil, it’s roots won’t be able to keep up with the amount of moisture in the soil, which ultimately leads to root rot.
When should I repot my houseplant(s)?
Typically in the spring, during or leading up to the plant’s active growing season.
- If you’ve noticed stunted or slowed growth (during the growing season)
- If your plant is drying out very quickly (which usually means it is rootbound – the large amount of roots are soaking up the moisture in the small amount soil left in the pot)
- If you’ve noticed fungus gnats or other recurring houseplant pests. Removing the soil completely and repotting is typically the best way to be rid of the issue)
- If you’ve noticed an odor/yellowing mushy leaves (your plant probably has root rot and needs to be repotted in completely new soil after the rotted roots have been trimmed off and the cuts sanitized)
Why do I need to repot my houseplant?
- Rootbound
- Not holding water
- Needs soil refresh
- Recurring pests
How do I repot my houseplant?
The most important step (in our opinion), get yourself a repotting mat! It makes clean up so much easier and you can repot anywhere in your home.
- Loosen your plant from the pot
- if it’s in a nursery pot, gently compress the sides to release any stuck roots
- if it’s in a ceramic pot that cannot be compressed and the roots are stuck to the sides, a thin dowel or chop stick may be needed to release the roots
- Hold your plant by it’s base (where the plant meets the soil) and gently pull it out of the planter
- Gently loosen the soil around roots with your hands.
- If you plant is healthy, rootbound or nearly rootbound, you may not have much soil to loosen. If this is the case, the plants root system prefers to be left undisturbed.
- Remove black or mushy roots. Then sanitize the plant’s roots with a diluted rubbing alcohol mixture or hydrogen peroxide (this kills the bacteria eating away at the roots)
- Create a small layer of soil at the bottom of the new pot (the height of the bottom layer depends on the size of the pot/root system)
- Place houseplant into the center of the pot
- If your plant is top heavy or is a climbing variety, now is the time to put a trellis, moss pole, or other type of plant support in the pot.
- Placing a plant support at this stage helps to create more stability as the soil is filled in around the base of the plant.
- Gradually add soil to the pot, making sure to compress the soil as you go to eliminate any air bubbles. A couple ways to do this:
- Use your fingers to press the soil down
- Use a chop stick or thin wooden dowel
- Hold plant with one hand and firmly tap the side of the pot with the other hand
- As the soil is nearing the top of the root system or base of the plant, ensure that the soil level is at least an inch (could be less depending on the pot size, usually 5″ in diameter or smaller) below the lip of the pot.
- This ensures the soil does not overflow or fall out when watering.
- If you’ve reached this point and your plant is too high, you will need to remove your plant and create a thinner layer of soil at the bottom.
- Watering your houseplant after repotting it is based on several factors:
- If you’re repotting a rootbound or recently watered plant with wet or damp soil still on the roots, DO NOT WATER
- Why shouldn’t you water in this situation? If your plant has wet soil on its roots and more water is introduced, it can lead to root rot.
- If you’re repotting a houseplant that needed a soil refresh (all the old soil was removed and the roots are almost bare) and was potted with dry soil, WATER
- If you’re repotting a rootbound or recently watered plant with wet or damp soil still on the roots, DO NOT WATER
Do I always have to repot my new houseplant?
Plants that come from garden centers are usually potted with a dense, moisture retention soil. This is due to the temperatures being warm to extremely warm year-round and the plants need to have soil that will retain more moisture than they typically would in your home.
Your home is typically cooler and dryer year-round. Which means that the dense soil your houseplant arrives in, will stay wet for too long, leading to root rot. Most houseplants should be repotted shortly after bringing it home. This gives you an idea of the health of the root system and if there are any lingering pests. Giving your houseplant a fresh, chunky, and well-draining soil as well as treating for pests (even if you don’t see any) is important to ensure it thrives in your home.
Some plants, like alocasia or calathea, need a moisture retaining soil due to the nature of their species. These plants would appreciate an “acclimation” period of a week or so in your home before being repotted. This reduces the chance of putting your plant into shock. Try using a African violet potting mix, it contains a good amount of material that will aerate the soil while retaining enough moisture.
When you bring a new houseplant home, make sure to “quarantine” it away from your other plants for up to 2 weeks. This important because your new houseplant can bring pests and possible fungal diseases you’re unaware of. It’s best practice to use a miticide/insecticide/fungicide on your new houseplant (following the products care instructions). A neem oil product will contain all three “-icide’s”.
Soil
Choosing the right soil is important to ensure your houseplant thrives in your home. You may have to mix different potting soils and amendments to achieve the desired aeration to moisture ratio. You also can use our watering guidelines for each plant type to determine what soil is needed.
There are some other common determining factors that play into choosing the right soil as well as personal preference. Here’s a helpful chart and what kinds of soil we recommend:
Other questions to ask yourself when houseplant shopping:
What size/growth pattern do I have the space for?
Plants like monsteras or philodendrons can grow very tall and very wide, if you’re giving your houseplants enough light and care, they will continue to grow bigger and bigger! Certain varieties of monsteras can a reach heights of 6-8 feet tall and potentially 8 feet wide, with leaves that can reach up to 2 feet long, these guys need trellis’s or moss poles. Certain larger, upright varieties of philodendrons can reach up to 6 feet tall and vining varieties will reach 6 feet long, upright philodendrons appreciate a moss pole and vining philodendrons like to be in a hanging pot or they can be on a trellis or moss pole.
What kind of plants need a lot of humidity?
Some plants that need to be watered more frequently, also appreciate humidity levels of 50% or more. This means providing a humidifier (the size is based on the square footage of the room), a pebble tray, or placing these plants in a cabinet or dome (with sufficient light). While these plants need a lot of humidity they also need sufficient air flow. Consider a small fan to keep the air moving, this will ensure your plants will receive fresh oxygen-rich air and will prevent the build up of pests who are attracted to the humidity.
- Alocasia
- Begonia / Cissus
- Calathea
- Ferns
- Palms
- Polka dot Plants
Will the plant be near a drafty window/door or air vent?
While houseplants require sufficient air flow, placing them near a drafty window or air vent will dehydrate plant by drying the soil and leaves too quickly. The vents can also subject the plant to extreme temperatures that can send your plant into shock, which will result in yellowing and browning leaves. If you only have space near a air vent, try using a plant stand to elevate it.
I have pets, what are non-toxic plant options?
- African Violet
- Calathea
- Cacti
- Cissus
- Ctenanthe
- Fern (not asparagus)
- Fittonia
- Hoya
- Maranta
- Pellionia
- Peperomia
- Pilea
- Polkadot Plant
- Spider Plants
- Succulents
- Stromanthe
