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The 10 Best Plants
For The Busy Home Gardener
by linda r. price
House plants are fairly reasonable
and will grow under indoor growing
conditions. Indoor conditions
may not be ideal, but most plants will
adapt and survive. The basic elements for
plants are light, soil, water, temperature and
humidity.
Light
Plants must have light to survive. Low
light is usually found when windows face
the north and receive no sun. Medium
light comes in windows facing east or west.
These windows receive the early morning
or late afternoon sun. High light comes
from southern exposures, is intense and
should be avoided. The length of the day
and the number of hours the sun shines
in the window affect the amount of light
received. Light is also reduced or increased
by buildings, trees, shrubs, air pollution,
and curtains or shutters which restrict
light coming into the windows. Learn to
judge your plants’ health by observing their
growth. Plants which receive sufficient
light grow compact forms while those with
insufficient light will be leggy with widely
spaced leaves.
run-off after 30 minutes. Judge the amount of moisture available to the plant by touching the
soil. If it feels dry, the plant probably needs watering.
Temperature
House plants will grow well in the average home temperatures of 68 to 74 degrees and will
benefit from a temperature drop of up to 10 degrees at night. In the summer, as the afternoon
sun is considerably stronger and hotter, you will probably need to move plants farther away
from the window. Winter temperatures are generally not a problem unless plants are kept in
cold, unheated rooms.
Humidity
Low humidity can be a problem. Both plants and humans benefit from raising the humidity
level. A humidifier is a good idea if your apartment or house is constantly dry and overheated
from central heating. If this is out of the question, try placing plants on pebbles in low trays
filled with water; keep plants above water line.
Soil
The plants on our list like either a
sandy soil or an all-purpose one. Both are
available in garden centers.
Water
Plants need water to survive, but most
do not like their feet kept wet so pour out
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