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Alot of people like me like having plants in our house. They not only make your house look green and beautiful but also makes it living. How beautiful a blank corner of your house looks when you place a big plant there.

But there are also considerations that needs to be taken care of while you are planing to have plants in your house. A year ago when I started buying plants for my apartment, I realized alot of them didn’t last for over a month or they didn’t flower.

So, in today’s blog I am sharing tips on how to buy plants for your house with a list of low light plants in the end.

STEP 1: Figure out how much sunlight does your house receive. Like in my case my earlier apartment was East facing and received six-eight hours of direct sunlight on its windows. But my current apartment is North-West facing and does not receive any sunlight on its windows. However, there’s always bright light on my balcony.

STEP 2: After figuring your house direction decide on how much time you can give to your plants every week. E.g. – plants like Pothos (money plant), Snake plant are easy to care plants and do not need much sunlight or water. They can live for months if neglected. But plants like Nerve plants, Orchids, Boston fern, Zebra plant are high-maintenance plants and need a lot of time and efforts to keep them alive.

STEP 3: When you go to a store to buy plants always check on the tags/ labels on the pots/plants for plant care instructions. There is always information about the sunlight need, water need and fertilization. In case if it is a local store and there are no tags then do an online search and do not hesitate to ask the shopkeeper about the plant requirements. Remember: the plants that flower need at-least a few hours of direct sunlight every day. So, do not purchase them if your house does not receive direct sunlight.

STEP 4: After you have purchased a plant and brought it to your house, pull the plant out of its pot to do a root check. If the roots are tightly intertwined/ tangled it means it is time to upgrade the pot. In such case repot the plant to a one-size bigger pot (preferably an inch bigger) with proper drainage holes. Buy Potting mix (soil) and Fertilizer spikes (as they are less messy) for your plants. Do not forget to add fertilizer while repotting your plant.

STEP 5: Though low light plants do survive in dark corners of the house but if you place them near windows that receive direct/ indirect sunlight they will grow fast and the leaves will look lustrous. You can also place your plants in your balcony once a week for a few hours during summers (during day time) if your house is too dark (North facing house).

STEP 6: Keep a calendar note for the dates when you water your plant. This will help you in keeping track that your plants are not water deprived. E.g. I water my Pothos once in two weeks.

STEP 7: On the day of watering take all your plants to your bathtub and turn on the shower until the water starts running from drainage holes. Showering the plants help in cleaning the leaves as well. If you don’t have a bathtub then take your plants out in the balcony and water them using Sprinkler cans until all leaves are washed and water gets running from drainage holes.

STEP 8: After every three-four months insert fertilizer spikes in the plants. I prefer using fertilizer spikes instead of plant foods as they are less messy and need lesser efforts while injecting it in plants.

STEP 9: If you realize there are small bugs on the leaves or top-soil then mix a spoon of Neem oil or dishwash soap with a cup of water and fill it into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on the plants once or twice a week to get rid of bugs.

The following are some of the the low light, easy to care plants (as I have been keeping them in my house and have experience with them) :

POTHOS / MONEY PLANT – There are various types of pathos like Golden Pothos, Marbel Queen, Neon Pothos. They are very beautiful looking plants, grows very fast and need water once in two weeks. It can also survive low light corners on the house. This plant is also vey easy to propagate and provides oxygen at night making it an ideal plant to keep it in your bedroom. If this plant is hanged using a basket it creates a cascade of green making the room dramatic.

SNAKE PLANT / MOTHER-IN-LAW’S TONGUE – The leaves of this plant are pointed, thick and fleshy. It is a very beautiful plant and it lives for ages. It needs to be watered once a month and use soil that is a Cacti-Succulent mix. This is among the list of plants giving oxygen at night. It not only makes your house beautiful but also provides large amounts of oxygen.

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DRACAENA – There are types of Dracaena like Dracaena Fragrans, Dragon tree, Lucky bamboo, corn plant. These plants can survive dark corners of your house and need to be watered once a week and misted twice-thrice a week. Note: Do not place them under direct sun as it may damage the plant leaves.

PARLOUR PALM – They are beautiful plants that grows and reaches your ceiling is taken proper care. Keep it in your house near a window that receives bright light through out the day and water them once in two-three weeks. The leaves of this plant produces a lot of oxygen.

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SUCCULENTS – They are plants with thick and fleshy leaves to hold moisture. They need watering once in four-six weeks and soil that is Cacti-Succulent mix. Commonly seen succulents are Cactus, Aloe-vera, Zebra plant, Jade plant, String of pearls. These plants look beautiful and need a lot of sunlight. So, it is preferred to keep them near windows receiving bright sunlight throughout the day. Succulents also give oxygen and the gel from aloe vera leaf can be used for various purposes like on burnt and itchy skin to provide relief, on scalp to get rid of dandruff, on skin to provide soothing feeling.

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INGRID LIZ IVY – The leaves of this plant are star shaped and light green in color. Though labeled as low-light plant but the plant grows beautifully when placed on a sunny window. Water them two-three times a week. This is one plant that cleans toxins inside the house.

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GALAXY FALSE ARALIA – Though this plant is also labeled as low-light plant but if it is kept in a sunny bright window it thrives and grows beautifully. The leaves of this plant is shaped as if a lace and needs watering once a week. When small they are dark brown colored and as it grows it turns into dark green. One problem this plant faces is spider infestation and in those times leaves needs to be cleaned off spider webs using a cotton bud dipped in Neem Oil. This plant needs a little dedication.

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There are also other plants that are easy to care for like the below ones:

1. Peace Lily
2. Lavendar
3. Spider plant
4. Philondendron
5. Croton

Since I do not have the above five plants, hence I can not share any of my experience regarding them. But I would suggest to consider the above plants as well if you are planning on buying indoor plants.

Note: if you have a cat, dog or another pet that likes messing with plants then do consider checking the plants you are buying are not poisonous to them. E.g. – Snake plant, Dracaena, Pothos is poisonous to cats