Houseplant Care Guide

Here is our general houseplant care guide. These will work for almost all of our offered plants, but you can access even more specialized guides below:

Water

Most tropical houseplants need moist, well draining soil. They love a good chonky, mix full of wood etc. Why? Because these plants grow up, under and on trees! I make my own but this mix on Amazon is similar to what I make. (affiliate links) Sitting in thick wet solid dirt will almost always rot the roots. If you have to err on dry versus wet, most houseplants can deal with a little less water. However, adding humidity to the ambient air ends up making pretty, flawless leaves.

General rule of thumb if the leaves are drooping or crisping it needs water. If the leaves are yellowing or floppy then you have overwatered and should hold back from the watering.

Light

Most houseplants need medium to bright indirect light. What does that mean exactly? It means put them a couple feet back from a south facing window and right on an east or west facing window. If the leaves start to get crispy edges or lose colors (pink likes to fade to white or light green) then it is getting too much light so move it another foot back. Most plants, even the ones that are fine with deep shade still have to have some light. Meaning that windowless bathroom is out, unless you add some grow lights.

Food/Soil

I use Liquidirt (not sponsored I just love it!) for regular water and organic fertilizers during warm months. Your baby will most likely come in a mix of coconut peat (aka coir) with heavy use of perlite for drainage. When repotting use a super, chunky aroid mix and a pot only an inch or so bigger. I always suggest waiting 2-3 weeks if your houseplant was shipped BEFORE repotting. This will give it time to acclimate to your conditions and rebound from shipping stress. How would you feel if you had just been put in a dark box and shuffled around for a few days without food or water? Same deal for the plants.