7 Tips For Growing Houseplants

Ficus Tree - Excellent Houseplant For Utah

Winter activities like looking at seed catalogs and planning the vegetable plot can only go so far in providing entertainment for gardeners during the cold days of winter.  Some of us turn to the indoor houseplants for some green thumb exercise.   Plants create oxygen, beauty and happiness and they filter toxins out of the air.   But they need a little TLC sometimes.  Winter is a great time to re-pot old plants, prune and trim plants and start new ones.

Here are some tips to growing indoor plants:

      1.  Choose the plants:  Do some research by talking to people who grow indoor plants.  Also, the folks at the local plant nursery should be able to recommend some easy-to-grow plants.
          - Make sure you understand how big they are going to get and the size of the growing container they will need.
          - Understand their light needs.  It can be a challenge for some plants to receive enough light.  And other plants don't appreciate direct sunlight.

      2.  Research the water and nutritional needs of your plants.  I water once a week generally and I keep an eye on the water in the tray underneath.  You will find that some plants need more and some need less.   I find that feeding my plants with a liquid food every six months is plenty.  A little goes a long way.

     3.  Don't prune plants too hard.  It shocks them and it's mean.  A little trim is good.

     4.  Choose some nice pots for your plants - I like ceramic pots with matching trays from local garden centers.  *I like to put an extra plastic tray under the ceramic tray to prevent an over-watering spill.  I have ruined several surfaces with water spills and even warped part of a hardwood floor once.  Once.  (That's a lesson I only had to learn once.)

    5.  Get some nice potting soil for new plants and when re-potting old plants.  You can find organic or time-release fertilizer or moisture holding soils.

    6.  Clean the leaves of your houseplants with a soft damp cloth.  Be gentle.

    7.  A pretty houseplant in a cute pot makes a perfect gift for any occasion!

Creeping Charlie