Caring for Flowering & Foliage House Pants

Plant stands are a great way to display beautiful flowers and foliage inside your home. Since you control environmental factors - such as temperature, watering and light - you can keep a wide variety of garden-type plants in your home. However, house plants still need special care to keep them looking their best.

Every house plant you own is somehow related to a flower, tree, shrub or some other plant that grows in a garden, so you need to mimic outdoor growing conditions to a certain degree.

Plants growing outside are exposed to shade from trees, warm days and cool nights, watering every so often from the rain, as well as morning, afternoon and evening sun & all factors that contribute to their health and vitality.

Temperature.
Controlling the temperature means that you have the flexibility to keep exotic, fragile plants outdoors in summer months and indoors during the cooler months.
Don't expose any of your plants to forced-air heating, or put them too close to radiated heat, as any form of excessive heat can damage them. Also, some flowering plants will only bloom if they experience cool nights.

Watering.
When it comes time to water, resist the temptation to over water your plants. Roots are more prone to disease in moisture-drenched soil. Over watering is the most common cause of plant death. In order to tell if your plant needs water, stick your finger in the soil to a depth of 1 - 1 1/2 inches midway between the rim of the pot and the base of the plant. If the soil feels dry, then it is time to water. When you do water, you should do so generously, rather than a little every day. When the water begins to flow from the drainage hole in the pot stop.

Light.
Without light, plants will starve, since they produce their food through photosynthesis. However, house plants do most of their growing at night, so constant light can actually stunt their growth. Plants will also grow towards a light source, so turn your plants regularly to maintain even growth.

Maintaining healthy plants in your garden also includes pruning. House plants have the same requirement. Just as garden plants need to be thinned back from time to time, a properly placed pedestal - one that's not too close to a wall or corner, or set too close to other plants - allows your plant room to grow. This also provides proper air flow and helps prevent disease and damage from marring your leaves and flowers.

Be sure to you understand which growing conditions are best for your particular house plants. Properly cared for, they'll give you years of pleasure!