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Maybe the thought of bringing home new houseplants is an intimidating thought, mainly because you are convinced you don’t have a green thumb. Not true, you don’t need a green thumb. All you need to know are the basics. Choosing the right indoor plant for your home, along with learning the basics for how to care for your new greenery is all you need.

There are three components every houseplant needs in order to survive. Sun, water and food. If you’ve had issues with keeping your plants alive in the past, it’s because one of these three components are off balance.

SUN

When you are looking to purchase new houseplants, you will notice that typically the plants are classified as high light (full sun), medium light (bright, indirect sun), or low light. Despite popular belief, low light plants still need a light source. Even low light plants won’t survive in a dark corner, or a room with no windows. A shaded area with a source of natural light will be the perfect environment for low light plants. High light plants will thrive when they are placed near a window that gets next to no shade during the day. Medium light houseplants will enjoy a shaded window that receives some amount of natural light throughout the day. You may need to experiment for the first month, when trying to find the right spot.

WATER

Overwatering is the main reason most houseplants die. The relationship between sun and water are crucial to keep your plant from drowning. The amount of water your plant needs, coincides directly with the type of soil environment that plant desires, and how much sunlight it is exposed to. The majority of houseplants prefer dry soil, and only need to be watered when you can feel that the top inch of soil is dry. One more way to combat against root rot, is to make sure your plant pot has plenty drainage holes, so the roots aren’t sitting in water.

FOOD

Most potting soils are already full of the nutrients your plant needs. After a while however, your plant will absorb all the nutrients in the soil, and you will need to find another food source. You can find houseplant food to fertilize your plants, or you can repot your plant in fresh soil. It is recommended to fertilize once or twice every month. Regardless of fertilizer, you should always repot in fresh soil once a year.

Every week you will want to inspect your plant to make sure it’s happy. You will want to check the soil, make sure your plant is free of any pests, and remove any leaves that are wilting away.