- Choose a houseplant that fits into your home environment.house plant isolated image by Yuriy Mazur from Fotolia.com
You can grow almost any plant as a houseplant by changing the environment to meet the plant's needs. Successfully growing houseplants that don't require extra care means choosing a plant that will thrive in the particular environment you live in, according to the University of Arkansas. Greenhouse-grown plants must adapt to the most home environments, according to the University of Missouri Extension, and proper care is necessary for them to adapt. - Place houseplants near windows whenever possible.a flowering plant resting on a bathtub ledge image by David Smith from Fotolia.com
Grow lights can provide the necessary light requirements of houseplants during the winter months, but natural light is always best, so consider the amount of natural light your house receives each day when choosing a houseplant. There are low light, medium light and high light house plants available. - Choose small pebbles to place in plant saucers to increase humidity.pebbles image by Edsweb from Fotolia.com
The amount of humidity a plant prefers ranges between 60 to 80 percent, sometimes higher. Since this range is not normal in a home environment, create humidity around your houseplants by arranging them in groups of three to five and setting the pots on saucers filled with water-covered pebbles. Proper watering is essential to success, according to the University of Arkansas, a mere 10 percent of the water given should run out of the pot. Dump this water out of the saucer once the plant finishes draining. - Clustering plants helps raise the temperature around the plants.thermometer image by Alfonso d'Agostino from Fotolia.com
Temperature is important too, according to Oklahoma State University, which says most houseplants prefer to grow somewhere between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Fertilize houseplants about once a month, according to University of Missouri Extension. Too much fertilizer can injure or kill a houseplant. During periods of low temperatures, houseplants cannot take up the fertilizers through their roots or make use of them. - Yellow leaves are not always a sign of a houseplant problem.Yellow leaves image by kasiap from Fotolia.com
Disease and insect infestation are potential house plant problems. Watch for brown leaf tips, leaf discoloration, leaves that turn yellow or fall off the plant and signs of wilt. Brown leaf tips may indicate lack of humidity, accumulated salt, root rot or fluoride toxicity, according to the University of Missouri Extension. Leaf discoloration usually indicates cold damage. Yellow leaves are a sign of nutrient deficiency or lack of adequate light. It might indicate that the plant is root bound and needs potted up. In older plants, yellow leaves are generally nothing of concern, according to Purdue University. When an entire plant wilts, if the soil is dry, it needs water; if the soil is wet; it is an indication of root rot. The three most common houseplant pests, according to the University of Missouri Extension, are mealy bug, spider mites and scale. Remove these pests by picking them off by hand or giving the plant a good spray of water under a faucet.
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