If you’re like me, you’ve seen an explosion of indoor plants in the last year. While they look nice and add a clean air vibe to your apartment or house, it’s easy to buy a plant for its looks without considering how much sun it needs (believe me, I’ve done it)! I’ve done a ton of research on all these plants while I’ve been accumulating them, so I decided to share my new plant knowledge with you! Not sure which plant to start with? Click here to check out my decision tree to help you decide!
Click the links below to go directly to that plant. (And let me know if there’s one I missed!)
Snake Plant – Spider Plant – Fiddle Leaf Fig – Chinese Money Plant – Rubber Plant – Pothos – String of Pearls
Snake Plant
Light: Any! Snake plants can tolerate low light well, which makes them great for rooms that don’t get much sun, like bathrooms or offices.
Water: Snake plants would prefer to be under-watered than overwatered. You don’t need to water them until the soil has fully dried out (which, depending on the pot, is about a month).
Fertilizer: Snake plants grow slowly, which means they only need to be fertilized once or twice a year.
Pots: Terracotta pots will absorb excess moisture so the plants aren’t overwatered. They don’t like to sit in water, so make sure the bottom of the pot has drainage holes.
Other info: This is my favorite plant because the one with yellow edges is named after me (sansevieria laurentii)!
Spider Plant
Light: While spider plants can survive in very low light, they’re more likely to flower in moderate to bright indirect light.
Water: In the summer, keep the soil moist, but be careful not to overwater (no soggy feet)! In the winter, allow the soil to dry out a bit before the next watering.
Fertilizer: Every other watering in the summer.
Pots: Any pot with adequate drainage holes at the bottom. Spider plants actually prefer and will grow best when they’re root bound.
Other info: Spider plants will grow lots of little babies that can be easily propagated in water or soil (all of mine came from my sister’s plant)!
Fiddle Leaf Fig
Light: Bright sunshine. Every few months you’ll need to turn the pot as the fiddle leaf fig “reaches” for the sun. You’ll also need to dust the leaves about once a month.
Water: About once a week, or when the top 2 inches of soil are dry.
Fertilizer: Once a month during summer.
Pots: Any pot with adequate drainage holes at the bottom. Repot when you see roots growing out of the bottom.
Other info: While these are beautiful plants, they aren’t the easiest to grow. A similar, still beautiful plant that is much easier to care for is the rubber plant!
Chinese Money Plant
Light: Bright, indirect light. Direct sunlight will sunburn the leaves. The large flat leaves collect dust, so wipe them down with a damp paper towel once a week to allow them to get enough sun.
Water: Keep the soil moist, not soggy, which usually means watering about once a week. If the leaves start looking droopy, it needs water.
Fertilizer: Once a month during summer.
Pots: Any pot with adequate drainage holes at the bottom. (Which makes bottom watering a great option!)
Other info: When happy, the Chinese money plant will grow baby plant offshoots that can be cut free, replanted, and given away!
Rubber Plant
Light: Bright, indirect light. The large leaves collect dust, so wipe them down with a damp paper towel once a week to allow them to get enough sun.
Water: In the summer, keep the soil moist. In the winter, wait until the top few inches of soil are dry (about once or twice a month).
Fertilizer: Once a month during summer.
Pots: Any pot with adequate drainage holes or add a layer of rocks at the bottom, to prevent soggy roots.
Other info: The most common killer of rubber plants is overwatering! Rubber plants don’t like to sit in soggy soil, so a well draining soil is important.
Pothos
Light: While pothos will thrive in bright, indirect light (direct sun will burn the leaves), they can tolerate low light as well.
Water: Wait until the top inch or two of soil is dry.
Fertilizer: Once every other month in the summer.
Pots: Plastic or porcelain pots work best to keep the soil moist.
Other info: Pothos propagation is very easy-simply cut off around 6 inches of the stem and put it in a cup of water for a few weeks until roots grow!
String of Pearls
Light: Bright, indirect light. String of pearls can die quickly without enough sun.
Water: Once every other week in the summer, and once a month in the winter. The pearls are very communicative about water: if they’re bursting they need less water, and if they’re shriveling they need more water.
Fertilizer: Once a month during summer.
Pots: Any pot with adequate drainage holes at the bottom, or add a layer of rocks at the bottom of a hanging planter.
Other info: Once the tendrils are long enough, you can curl them up within the pot to encourage more growth!
Have more questions about your plants? Want to know more about a plant I didn’t cover? Let me know in the comments or find me on Twitter! And check out my Instagram that is “slowly” devolving into a plant themed account now officially a plant account ðŠī
Lauren Kortbein 