Q&A for How to Care for Indoor Plants

The soil should feel damp but not soaking wet. If you overwater your plants, then they could form bacteria or fungi.

They don't really like that and won't flower well. Instead, cut the stems down to 8 inches, and place the pot in a cool area away from frost. Moisten the soil just a little bit. Repot the plant in spring, put in a sunny place, and resume regular care.

A general rule of thumb is to put plants in a sunny windowsill-but that is not the case for all plants. Most plants come with a plastic ticket stuck into the soil that will tell you how much light it needs. Whenever you buy a plant, keep its tag so you can reference it later. That being said, I would also recommend doing an online search for your plant and getting more specific instructions. Your success depends on how much knowledge you have about your plant.

It could be either too much or too little water, or not enough sun. "A bit of sunlight in the afternoons" doesn't sound like enough. Give it 5 hours worth of sun per day, and keep the soil moist like a wrung-out sponge. This particular rose of yours may or may not come back, but try pruning off the old flowers and buds and giving it a more sun and even watering it more.

That is the natural color cycle for peppers, going from unripe to ripe. Cut the peppers off when they turn red and discard them. If you don't know the type of pepper, I don't recommend eating it. Some ornamental peppers are inedible. Pepper plants like sunshine, so put it in a sunny windowsill. Keep the soil moist, but not wet- it should feel like a wrung-out sponge. It will probably slow its growth in the winter, and you can cut it back a little bit.

Not really. I would recommend buying a leafy plant for that, for example a peace lily.

Almost all plants will be listed somewhere on the internet. If you've forgotten the plant's name but remember the species it comes from, research the different varieties of that plant in your area. If you're at a complete loss, search fr any distinctive features of your plant; it should come up after a bit of looking.

Yes. After a while the plants suck all of the nutrients out of the soil and will need new soil. You should give your plants some new soil at least once every year, preferably during the springtime.

Carefully! Always remove dead flower heads, leaves, or stems at the point where they meet a new bud, stem, or stalk as this will encourage new, healthy growth. Be sure to use sharp, clean pruning shears to prevent infection. Spring is the best time to prune, but you should always prune whenever it is necessary.

It depends on the individual plant species, but brown tips on leaves tend to indicate that the room isn't humid enough. Try mist spraying the plants leaves with room temperature water once a day as this will help to keep them moist. Also, if you have radiators on for most of the day, pop a little dish of water on top of the radiator to add some moisture into the air as it evaporates. Mix 50/50 with some scented ironing water, and your room will smell lovely too.

It's not specifically due to too much water, as some other reasons also may be the cause. If plant is in dark conditions for longer exposure, a plant can develop yellow leaves. If under-watered, the plant will exhibit the basal yellow leaves. Sometimes ethylene injury may cause the damage. And the leaves can yellow if there is a sucking pest infestation. There are many possibilities.

No. Moving your houseplants outside will attract a number of pests and bugs to them, which can be carried back inside or destroy your plant all together. Do not change the environment of a plant unless you need to.

Both under-watering and over watering are the reason for this cause. You need to identify the exact cause. If it is due to over-watering: Leaves will completely droop and develop yellow color leaves after few days ago. If it is due to under-watering: Leaves will shrink and becomes coiling and drooping. There is no yellow leaves development. whole plant seems to be wilting.

What type of pesticide you use will depend on what it pest is. Most natural remedies (garlic, cinnamon, milk etc) work well, so try those before buying anything chemical-based, as most chemical pesticides aren't safe for indoors, nor are they pet or child-friendly.

Promote the plant growth by exposing better light area, feeding with a complete fertilizer, providing soil aeration and ensuring proper cleaning and dusting.

These flies are most likely fungus gnats. They thrive in moist soil and quickly reproduce. The best solution is to top your soil with 1 to 2 inches of sand. (You will want to buy play sand from a hardware store). This will suffocate the larvae, and the flies that are buzzing around will die within a couple of days. Make sure to cover any openings at the bottom of the pot with sand if the soil is exposed from doubling pots.

You are over-watering your plant. Try watering your plant less and on a regular schedule (there are apps available to help with this), and ensure the soil is dry before adding more water.

Gerbera Dasies require full sunlight and frequent watering. Make sure to keep them next to a well lit windowsill and water them regularly, but make sure you're not making the soil muddy.

It's a succulent! It needs sandy soil and full, bright direct sunlight. It needs little water, and you should keep it almost completely dry in winter. They are very hardy and can usually withstand frost.

Poinsettia plants last about 4-6 weeks. If it is too hot or dry, poinsettia plants will tend to wilt. If it's looking a little lopsided, try digging a bit and repositioning it. It could possibly just be growing off to the side. This could be gravity effecting it depending on where you put it.

Possible causes: overwatering, underwatering, improper lighting, temperature extremes, nutrient deficiency, root issues, pests or diseases.