8 Care Tips to Keep Your Indoor Potted Plant Healthy and Alive

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If you struggle with potted plants care and water your plants correctly, you need guidance from the experts. Luckily, we are going to share some of the key points in caring for potted plants indoors.

Table of Contents

Care Tips to Keep Your Indoor Potted Plant Healthy and Alive

1. Select plants based on the amount of sunlight available

Some homes have large windows that face where the sun rises while other living spaces barely have sunlight. Indoor plants can thrive in both environments.

However, it would help if you were selective about what plants you are going to bring home. Some indoor plants still require plenty of sunshine (about six hours to eight hours per day). Indoor plants that need direct sunlight require natural sunlight to touch them daily.

Shade-loving plants normally don’t need direct sunlight and thrive better when there is indirect sunlight. Check what plants you want to buy and double-check with the available space inside. If you don’t have the right space for some more demanding plants, pick an indoor plant that is more appropriate.

2. Remember the golden rule of watering plants

The golden rule of watering plants is less being safer than overwatering. Some people overcompensate when they forget to water their plants.

This can cause a condition in the soil called “waterlogging” that can cause many complications in the plants, like root rot and even fungal diseases. Like humans, plants have specific requirements when it comes to moisture. If you are already taking care of an indoor plant, likely, the plant species that you have doesn’t need a lot of moisture, to begin with.

Instead of overcompensating on weekends, we recommend that you regularly mist your indoor plants instead. Misting can ensure that the surface of the potting soil will not dry out very much.

Normally, the first one to two inches of potting soil will dry out between watering. With misting or spraying, we can avoid the scenario where this layer of the soil becomes completely dried out.

3. Improve the humidity levels indoors

Plants get moisture not just from the soil or substrate where their root systems are attached, but also from the surrounding environment or air.

Indoor locations can be notoriously dry, especially if there is an automatic HVAC system installed. Indoor plants from tropical climes, specifically, need a lot of moisture in the air to thrive. There are several ways to add to the humidity of the air surrounding indoor plants.

The simplest and easiest way is to use a spray or mister to moisten the leaves and soil. It’s not a lot of water, but it will improve the indoor location’s humidity level. Filtered water is best for indoor plants.

During the winter, we recommend grouping together indoor plants that have similar characteristics. The tropical plants should be grouped.

Another great method of improving the humidity of a room is by using a simple humidifier. Humidifiers are also healthy for humans. Sufficient humidity can stamp out asthma and even improve your skin.

If you have plants like desert-dwelling cacti, then there is no need for additional humidity. However, these plants do require regular watering and as much direct sunlight as you can give them.

4. Maintain a stable environment for indoor plants

Severe temperature fluctuations can kill plants. The ideal temperature range for indoor plants is 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit or 18-23 degrees Celsius. If you have an HVAC system at home, this shouldn’t be a problem.

If you don’t and it sometimes gets too warm, additional misting can improve your plants’ health. Do not put indoor plants near areas where temperatures tend to be higher than the rest of the house. Some examples of bad places to put plants are near vents and air-conditioning units.

5. Be careful with applying fertilizers

Fertilizer manufacturers can promote their products all they want, but we know the truth. And the truth of the matter is that applying too much fertilizer can poison potted soil and cause the eventual death of indoor plants.

Smaller plants tend to be sensitive to shifts in the pH level of the soil. High levels of minerals can also cause specific plant diseases that can destroy any part of the plant, from the root system to the leaves.

If you want to apply fertilizer to your indoor plants, you may do so during early spring to mid-summer. This is considered the growing season, and plants take note of the season of the year.

Commercial fertilizers must not be applied pure. They need to be diluted because remember; potted plants are limited to the soil that is in the pot. Excess fertilizer will not drain away easily, and this is where the damage can truly take place.

6. Give your indoor plants some time and attention

In the beginning, indoor plants need to adapt to the change in the environment. Like animals, plants also have to find a balance where they are placed. We recommend paying close attention to your new indoor plants’ needs in the first few weeks so the plants can adjust. Plans that can’t adjust will eventually wither and die. This is probably the saddest, even that you can see when you want to green your surroundings.

7. Make sure there is adequate drainage

Water is good for plants in the right quantities. Any more and the plants will begin to take damage. This is why the pots that you use must have additional holes so that excess water can drain away easily. Regardless of what type of pot or container you use for your plants, there must always be a sufficient number of drain holes. Place the indoor plant on a large tray to catch the excess water.

8. Invest in potting soil

Potting soil is a specially crafted mixture of fertilizer and other nutrients (along with ideal soil) to ensure that most plants survive. Unfortunately, backyard or lawn soil is rarely ideal, unless you have been doing your work as a gardener to make every inch of your lawn ideal for planting.