How to care for indoor plants? 10 essential care tips for beginners

Whether we are at the office on workdays or resting at home on holidays, we spend the vast majority of our lives indoors.

So having a healthy indoor environment is especially important, and growing some green plants indoors is not only for beautifying the space and pleasing body and mind, but even more for purifying the air and creating a natural indoor oxygen bar.

So here is the question: which plants are suitable for growing indoors? And how should they be cared for?Below we recommend ten indoor plants along with their care methods.

1

Maranta (prayer plant)

Ease of care rating:★★★☆☆

Common varieties:Calathea makoyana, Calathea zebrina, Calathea orbifolia, Calathea roseopicta, Calathea bicolor, etc., of the genus Calathea in the family Marantaceae.

Plant value:Full, lush form with excellent ornamental appeal.

Habits:Prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment; not cold-tolerant, afraid of dryness; avoid strong light and exposure; the best soil is fertile, loose and well-drained leaf mold. Optimum growing temperature 20-28°C.

Note:Under strong light the leaves are easily scorched; it is very sensitive to moisture, so water it promptly; frequently spray water on the leaves and around the plant to increase air humidity.

Calathea orbifolia

Calathea makoyana

Calathea bicolor

2

Ferns

Ease of care rating: ★★★☆☆

Common varieties:Adiantum (maidenhair fern), Platycerium (staghorn fern), Boston fern, Pteris cretica 'Albo-lineata', Pteris cretica 'Albo-lineata', etc.

Plant value:Can absorb toluene and xylene released by computers and printers, purifying the air.

Habits:Prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment; not drought-tolerant, avoid direct sunlight; suitable soil is loose and airy, moisture-retentive and rich in humus. Optimum growing temperature 18-24°C.

Note:Seedlings have low light requirements, while mature plants need more light, which helps induce the production of large numbers of spores; air that is too dry will turn many ferns' leaves yellow and shriveled, or even dry them out and kill them.

Adiantum (maidenhair fern)

Pteris cretica 'Albo-lineata'

Platycerium (staghorn fern)

3

Alocasia (giant taro)

Ease of care rating: ★★★☆☆

Plant value:Also called giant taro, an evergreen herbaceous plant of the family Araceae. It effectively removes dust from the air and has the function of evaporating water vapor, keeping indoor humidity at 40%-60%.

Habits:Prefers high temperature, high humidity and a semi-shaded environment; not cold-tolerant, not drought-tolerant, avoid direct sunlight; suitable soil is sandy loam. Optimum growing temperature 20-30°C.

Note:The sap in the stems and leaves of Alocasia and the water dripping from its leaves are toxic, so take care that young children do not eat them by mistake.

4

Monstera (Swiss cheese plant)

Ease of care rating: ★★★☆☆

Plant value:Also called ceriman, a perennial evergreen climbing plant. At night it can absorb carbon dioxide and purify the air; it is also attractive.

Habits:Prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment; avoid direct sunlight and dryness, not cold-tolerant; suitable soil is slightly acidic leaf mold; optimum growing temperature 20-28°C.

Note:Tolerant of shade but afraid of cold; in winter the room temperature should be kept above 6°C.

5

Lucky bamboo

Ease of care rating: ★★★★☆

Plant value:A perennial evergreen small tree grown as a foliage plant. It can adsorb harmful gases and dust indoors and can regulate indoor humidity.

Habits:Prefers high temperature, high humidity and a semi-shaded environment; tolerant of waterlogging, strongly tolerant of fertilizer, and strongly cold-resistant; not demanding about light; suitable soil is well-drained sandy soil or semi-sandy clay. Optimum growing temperature 20-28°C.

Note:Too much light or exposure to the sun will cause leaves to turn yellow, lose their green color, and grow slowly.

6

Ivy (English ivy)

Ease of care rating: ★★★★☆

Plant value:Also called ivy, a perennial evergreen woody climbing plant. It can adsorb fine dust particles.

Habits:Prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment; relatively cold-tolerant, avoid strong light, tolerant of wet conditions; not demanding about soil; optimum growing temperature 18-25°C.

Note:When the temperature is high and the air is dry, frequently sprinkle water on the leaves and around the potted plant to increase air humidity.

7

Pothos

Ease of care rating: ★★★★★

Plant value:Also called golden pothos, a perennial evergreen trailing herbaceous plant. It can absorb harmful substances in the air such as benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde.

Habits:Prefers a warm, humid environment with plenty of scattered light; tolerant of shade and moisture, not cold-tolerant, not drought-tolerant, avoid strong light and exposure; suitable soil is sandy loam. Optimum growing temperature 20-25°C.

Note:Pothos likes fertilizer, mainly nitrogen fertilizer; with insufficient fertilizer the leaves are small and the stems become thin and weak.

8

Asparagus fern

Ease of care rating: ★★★☆☆

Plant value:Also called cloud-layer bamboo, a perennial trailing herbaceous plant. The plant fragrance it contains has antibacterial components, making it a protective umbrella that eliminates bacteria and viruses.

Habits:Prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment. Not cold-tolerant, afraid of waterlogging, avoid strong light and exposure and drought. Suitable soil is sandy loam. Optimum growing temperature 20-30°C.

Note:When the weather is hot and dry, frequently spray water on the leaves; during the growing period, apply a thin liquid fertilizer once every half month.

9

Spider plant

Ease of care rating: ★★★★★

Plant value:Also called hanging orchid or hanging-basket spider plant, a perennial evergreen plant. It can absorb carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, and has high ornamental value.

Habits:Prefers a warm, humid and semi-shaded environment; not cold-tolerant, afraid of high temperatures and strong light exposure; avoid waterlogging, not tolerant of drought or saline-alkaline conditions. Suitable soil is loam with good water retention. Optimum growing temperature 15-25°C.

Note:Direct sunlight and dry air easily cause the leaf tips to scorch, so it should be placed in a cooler, ventilated spot and the leaves sprayed with water often.

10

Pennywort (coin grass)

Ease of care rating: ★★★★☆

Plant value:Also called money lotus or marsh pennywort, a perennial herbaceous plant. Simple to cultivate and manage, with a beautiful form and very pleasing to look at, it is currently one of the aquatic plants most loved by gardening enthusiasts.

Habits:Prefers a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight; tolerant of partial shade, tolerant of wet conditions, not cold-tolerant; suitable soil is clay loam. Optimum growing temperature 20-28°C.

Note:During the growing period water it thoroughly; if the potting soil dries out, the stems and leaves easily turn yellow and wither. If you want to grow a short, sturdy plant shape, you can place it in a spot with plenty of sunlight for care.