My First Houseplant

By Judy Alleruzzo, Al's Houseplant Buyer

Houseplants are one of the greatest ways to add warmth and life to your home. Many people are intimidated by the idea of having a houseplant that they have to take care of, but maintaining a houseplant is easier than many people think!

The most important step for having a healthy houseplant is choosing the right plant.  If this is your first plant, start with plants that are easy to grow and don’t require a lot of water or fuss. 

I remember my first plant, my Mom bought if for me! It was a spider plant in a hanging basket.  I was fascinated by its green and white foliage and the baby plants that appeared on long stems from the mama plant.  That plant was the beginning of a collection of over 100 plants in my parents’ home!

It has been proven that houseplants help to clean the air and calm anxiety – so what are you waiting for?  If you’re ready to start your own collection, I recommend one of these easy to care for plants: 

a. ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas):  Thick foliage that resembles a rigid fern leaf

b. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum): Large green leaves with white, calla-like flowers

c. Snake Plant (Sansevieria): Thick spear-like leaves in colors of green, gold & black

d. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum): Green & white strappy foliage. 

Proper watering is an important element of caring for houseplants.  I have killed my share of houseplants over the years by killing them with kindness (too much water!). Overwatering a plant can be one of the main reasons that they die. If a plant’s soil has too much water, then the roots can rot or deteriorate and kill the plant from the inside out. It’s best to touch the soil at least 1 inch into the root ball or use a water meter.  

Here’s a tip that has always worked for me:  Water your plant until water comes out the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. You can be certain that the whole soil ball has been watered. If you have a saucer under your plant, dump out any water remaining in the saucer.   Don’t let your plant sit in water as the roots will rot.  Check your plant every few days to see if it needs to be re-watered. It may be a few days or as many as 7-10 days, it just depends on how big the plant is, and how warm the room gets.

Once you are comfortable with easy to care for plants, you can move on to more exotic plants (maybe a Pachypodium from Madagascar!).  So, go ahead, create a warm and inviting space with houseplants, you’ll be glad you did!