House Plants

I recently heard that a reader (hi Alex!) is having some problems with her house plants and it inspired me to share some of my experiences. The most common problem with house plants usually is the wrong plant in the wrong spot; a sun-loving plant in a dark corner or a shade-tolerant plant in direct sunlight is going to try really hard to do well, but will eventually give up and look sad. Recently, one of my teachers from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden was on The Martha Stewart Show and gave some suggestions for hardy indoor plants. Check out a link to the video below:

The Martha Stewart Show - Growing Indoor Plants

Although some of those shade-loving house plants he suggests are hardy enough to withstand major neglect, they look pretty prehistoric to me. Large, waxy leaves aren't my thing. When buying a house plant I prefer for it to look inviting which is probably why my cat Hello eats all of them! My collection of house plants have been in three Brooklyn apartments: one with medium light, one with direct sunlight, and, my current one, with very little morning light since it faces north. They have all adapted to the moves so I suggest them as good examples: Begonia, Spider Plant, Coleus, Mexican Mint, and two unknowns from the Union Square Farmers Market.

One other reason that house plants might not be doing well is they are being over watered. Just like most people, most plants do not like to be damp and need to be watered only once a week. Next time you go to water your house plant feel the soil and if it is even slightly moist, hold off. Wait until the soil is completely dry and make sure that the water comes out the bottom of the container. This means the soil was dry enough to need water and you have good drainage. It's also good practice to water your plants in the morning.

One more idea for purchasing a plant that will do well in a low light situation is see what is at your grocery store. I know in my local Key Food and Associated Super Market there isn't much light and I'm sure those plants aren't receiving enough attention so if they look like they are surviving the super market conditions, I'm sure they could survive your New York City apartment.