The 5 mistakes every beginner makes with houseplants (and how to fix them)
Houseplants are wonderful additions to your home. Besides introducing a splash of green decor, they improve air quality, enhance well-being and create a peaceful atmosphere. However, when your green friends begin to look a little worse for wear, even the most well-meaning plant parents may become discouraged.
Most houseplants don’t die because they’re difficult to care for. They die because of a handful of simple, avoidable mistakes. Let’s look at the five most common fixable mistakes.
Mistake #1: Overwatering your houseplants
Overwatering is the number one error most beginners make. Many people think plants need a lot of water. Sure, they need water, but their roots also need oxygen. When roots sit in water too long, the air pockets in the potting mix are stuffed with water, suffocating the roots and creating root rot and even disease. You could end up with drooping yellow leaves that eventually fall off, mushy stems and even mould on the surface of the potting mix.
How to fix overwatering
- Drainage holes are mandatory. If you bought a plant in a nice ceramic pot with no holes, repot it in an ordinary pot with drainage holes and place it inside your decorative planter.
- Check before watering. Always test the potting mix by sticking your finger in about 2-3 cm deep (1”). If it’s still moist, wait a few days before checking again. You can also purchase an inexpensive moisture metre to guide you. Remember that smaller pots dry out faster than bigger pots.
- Soak and drain. Always saturate the potting mix to the point of the excess water flowing out onto your drip tray. After 1/2 hour or so, empty the drip tray of any leftover water.
- Consider self-watering pots. A good option for new plant parents is to repot your houseplants into self-watering pots. These pots have a wicking system that pulls water from the reservoir as needed by the plant to moisten its roots.
- Know your plant! Not all plants have the same thirst. Some plants like philodendrons need more water because they originate from tropical rainforests, and native desert plants, like cacti and succulents, favour drier conditions.
Note that houseplants prefer room temperature water as cold tap water shocks the plant, just like it does to humans!
Mistake #2: Choosing the wrong light conditions
All plants need light and none want endless darkness. You have to find the right plant for your space — you want to avoid a mismatch between your plant and your light environment. Every type of plant has its own light preferences. Too little light makes them weak and leggy, while too much may scorch their leaves.
Low-light plants like Chinese evergreens and ZZ plants need to be placed differently than bright-light plants like succulents. When you purchase a houseplant, it will come with a tag showing what its light preference is. If not, a quick search online or in a book will give you the proper light considerations.
To understand light levels, let’s illustrate what these mean.
- Low light: north-facing windows or spots like corners that are nowhere near direct sunlight.
- Medium light: east-facing window, or 1-2 metres away from a brighter window.
- Bright indirect light: usually a metre or more away from a west- or south-facing window. Most plants will do well in bright indirect light.
- Bright light: usually on an unobstructed south- or west-facing windowsill receiving at least 5 to 6 hours of sun daily.
Note that a few plants will tolerate harsh afternoon-long sunlight up against a south window. Even with desert plants like succulents and cacti, you must avoid too many hours of direct mid-day sun against a window pane.
How to fix light conditions
- Listen to your plant! If your plant is starting to stretch out, lean and become leggy, it’s telling you it needs more light. Time to try a new spot closer to a bright window.
Scorched edges on leaves or brown leaves are probably a sign that the plant has too much direct sun. Relocate it out of direct sunlight.
- Remember that it's a matter of right place, right plant. Every time you water your plants, rotate the pots so all sides get equal light exposure.
Mistake #3: Forgetting to water your plants
The third most common cause of houseplant death is forgetting to water your plants. Most plants will show signs of water stress: their leaves begin to droop, then older leaves start to fall off until you notice them.
Tips to stop forgetting to water your plants
Try to change your habits: include plant watering in your weekly housework routine, but always check if the soil is dry before watering the plant. You can also opt for tough, drought-tolerant houseplants, such as ZZ plants, snake plants, jade plants, cacti, etc.
How to fix an underwatering problem
- Rehydrate! If the plant is drooping and the potting mix is bone dry, you’ll need to place the pot in a tray of water for an hour or so to rehydrate.
- Repot. Small pots dry out more quickly than bigger pots. Maybe it’s time to repot it into the next size up.
- Opt for a self-watering pot. You don’t have to water as often, but you still have to remember to fill the pot’s reservoirs!
Mistake #4: Ignoring temperature and humidity needs
If some desert plants like cacti and succulents prefer a drier environment, many of our houseplants are tropical forest floor plants. They naturally prefer the warm, humid and shaded conditions that would be found beneath a rainforest canopy.
It should be noted that most houseplants thrive in temperatures between 18-24 °C and humidity levels between 40% and 60%. The good news is that most homes offer a stable environment within these ranges and are sufficient for most common varieties.
You should check up on your plant’s specific humidity needs. Let’s look at the differences.
- 60%–80% (high humidity) - Essential for delicate or thin-leaved plants like ferns, prayer plants, anthuriums and orchids.
- 40%–60% (moderate humidity) - Sufficient for hardier varieties with thicker or waxier leaves, such as pothos, philodendron, spider plant, ZZ plant and monstera.
- 10%–40% (low humidity) - For most cacti and succulents, but know that they can tolerate standard room humidity (40-50%).
How to fix humidity and temperature problems
Humidity levels often drop in winter, so you may need to adjust. Here are some solutions.
- Add a humidifier. Your heating system tends to dry out the air, and you might need to counter with a humidifier in drier rooms.
- Change rooms. Try moving affected plants to areas with more humidity, such as a kitchen or bathroom.
- Try pebble trays. You could place pots on a tray filled with pebbles and water. As the water evaporates, it raises the humidity around the leaves.
- Group your plants. Assembling plants close together creates a localized microclimate as they naturally transpire moisture.
Be consistent in the air temperature. Avoid placing plants beside an air conditioning vent or near a heat register or fireplace, or by an open window in the winter. Misting your plants does not effectively raise humidity. The effect lasts only a few minutes and can promote disease. Stick to the solutions above.
Mistake #5: Skipping fertilizer during the growing season
Plants living in restricted pots will eventually run out of nutrients. Water and proper light will keep plants growing, but to help your plants reach their full potential, you should at least supplement them with fertilizer during the growing season, from March to October.
Most houseplant fertilizer labels recommend fertilizing once a month. Instead of trying to remember if you fertilized your plants last month, it’s easier to simply add a little at each watering. Schultz All Purpose Liquid Plant Food makes it easier. Just add 7 drops per litre every time you water. This gives your plants a constant, gentle supply of nutrients.
If you notice that your plants have slower growth, faded colours, fewer flowers and lower resistance to pests, it's probably time to fertilize.
How to choose your fertilizer
Choose your fertilizer according to the plant’s needs. Different plants have different nutritional needs. Foliage plants like high nitrogen, flowering plants enjoy more phosphorus, and cacti and succulents have specific needs. That’s why Schultz has developed different plant foods.
- All Purpose Liquid Plant Food 10‑15‑10 offers all the nutrients your plants need to thrive and amaze you, indoors but also out in the garden.
- Orchid Liquid Plant Food 15‑5‑5 is the complete nutrition orchids need for exceptional flowering and healthy plants.
- Cactus Liquid Plant Food 2‑7‑7 has been developed specifically to meet the particular needs of your cacti, jade plants, aloes and other succulents.
With the right fertilizer, you give your houseplants all the essential nutrients they need.
Plant care made easy
Houseplant care doesn’t need to be complicated, as long as you understand that the plants are living organisms that require some basic necessities. Most beginner mistakes are from inconsistent watering or mismatched light needs. Easy to fix:
- Before watering, check the moisture content of the soil.
- Use a well-draining potting mix in pots that have drainage holes.
- Make sure you have the proper light level for your plants.
- Try to offer your plants the right humidity range.
- Use our “7 drops” liquid plant foods for the perfect dose each time you water your plants.
Once you master these fundamentals, you'll discover that most houseplants are quite forgiving and will perform to their maximum.
