How Do You Take Care of House Plants?

After many years I've finally developed a green thumb and am now the place where people dump their plants! I have a couple of palms (which can be difficult especially in Kansas) that we got as a house warming gift 9 years ago. Another plant I received as part of a basket when I had my daughter almost 16 years ago. And 2 plants that were given to my mother in law by HER mother in law almost 30 years ago and she gave them to me when they started wintering in Florida.

Initially I did some research about certain plants on line and bought a couple of house plant books. I try to stick to things fairly easy to grow, (Philodendron, snake plant, etc) but do have a couple palms, ficus trees (which can be very finicky) and schefflera.

I really don't do anything special but water once a week. I have found that they love my north windows. Once or twice a year I'll go through and wipe leaves and maybe every 2-3 years I'll repot a few. I have been known to wheel a couple in the shower just for a good cleaning from the top. I have a beautiful screened porch but do NOT take plants out there during the warmer months just because they get bugs and can bring them in to the other plants.

I guess my best advise would be to research the plants you have. Just because they are sold in stores doesn't mean they are good-easy to grow plants and may need a lot more care. My favorite reference book is "Complete Guide to Houseplants" by Ortho books.

Good Luck

Am I understanding you post......are you saying you water them every couple of months?????

I water my plants once a week, place them in a sunny window and sometimes add plant food..........they grow great.

when a leave dies I pluck it off and throw it away. I've had some of these plants for almost 30 years. Maybe once a year I add some potting soil. That's it!

Well, it depends upon the type of plant you have. Go to a good nursery to buy your plants, first off. Ask the staff there what kind of plant you should get, and tell them where you want to put it (sunny windowsill, in an area that is shady all day, if your air conditioning is on 24/7 or if you live somewhere very humid and leave your windows open all the time). All of these things will make a difference in what kind of plant you should get. If you have a windowsill that gets full afternoon sun and it's right under an air conditioning vent, an African Violet will certainly die in that spot. Most of having a "green thumb" is just picking the right plant for the area you're putting it in!

If your plants do fine for a few months and then start to die, maybe you've got too much of a good thing. In other words, you've been watering and fertilizing properly, and now your plant is too big for its root structure. The plant will become stressed out and start to die. You should do two things: first, prune back the plant a little bit. Then, remove it from its pot and plant it in a bigger pot. Before putting it in the new pot, brush out its roots a little bit (just use a fork to do this, don't be shy) so they're not all constricted in a tight ball. Think of it this way: if your child were growing fast and you kept them in the same size shoes, their feet would really start to hurt and your child would suffer! Your plant feels the same way.

I hope that helps!

It depends on the plant. Some need more sun than others, and some need more water. I have a elephant foot tree I've raised from a pony tail plant that I've had for over 30 years. I water it sparingly in the winter, but it loves the sunshine and humidity outside in the summer. Some plants prefer crowded roots (spider plant) while others you need to re-pot every so often. What ever plant you get, find out as much about it as you can, then see about meeting it's needs. Some house plants are definitely trickier and more difficult than others.
http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_choose-easy-care-hou...
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/%24department/deptdocs.nsf/al...

You water them every three months and you wonder why they die???
Most plants would like a drink twice a WEEK. You can learn to recognize if they need it more or less often. If the leaves start to turn yellow, it is too much water. If they brown, it is too little water. Ask where you buy them if they are full sun or shade plants. You will soon learn how to keep them. Good luck