The secrets to indoor-planting success are using the right techniques, selecting and preparing the proper containers, choosing the best planting medium and getting your new houseplants off to a great start. Even if you already have a house full of foliage and flowering plants, it’s a good idea to take the time to review the basics of planting.
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potting table is the most convenient location for potting your indoor houseplants. It holds your tools and all the materials you’ll need to plant, offers ample working space and can be easily cleaned.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Protect the drainage hole of your pots from blockage by lining the bottom. Try using plastic mesh, coarse or medium pebbles, pea gravel or pottery shards. Containers with several drainage holes are better than those with a single hole.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Soils and mediums for planting houseplants vary widely because each plant has specific needs. Some houseplants perform best when planted in soilless mixtures, while others require highly fertile soil rich in organics. Always match the soil needs to your plant’s particular requirements.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Cacti require a quite different soil mix than the average houseplant. In fact, a cactus planted in a standard mix can become quickly diseased from too much moisture. An effective cactus mix mimics the environmental conditions found in the desert, including fast drainage and high alkalinity.
Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Good drainage is essential to plant health. Most houseplants will suffocate or develop fungal disease if they’re left standing in water or their soil remains continuously wet. Regardless of the type of plant you grow, its pot must have adequate drainage holes.
Generally, it’s best if a pot has more than one hole so the water will penetrate the root ball and drain quickly. In addition, a single hole can become partially plugged at some point and cause water to collect at the base of the plant. With several drainage holes, soil also successfully leaches out excess salts.
Check pots regularly to make sure they’re draining freely. If a plant looks droopy yet the soil is damp, you’ve probably overwatered or the drainage holes have become clogged with soil or roots.
If you use pots without drainage holes as cachepots, remember always to empty standing water from them after watering. You also should protect your plants against excessive moisture standing around their roots by placing the plant pot on an inverted saucer, pot, pebbles or marbles set inside the cachepot. These risers will help keep the roots free of standing water and expose them to air – two conditions that are good for plants. As a matter of fact, some plants thrive when they’re elevated over a water reservoir, because it increases humidity.
Containers with true drainage holes are far superior to drainless pots, even when the latter are equipped with layers of stones or sand at their bottoms to give excess water somewhere to settle. In practice, the water in a closed pot actually wicks and pools above the stones or sand, creating overly wet roots likely to suffocate your plants or cause them to succumb to fungal disease. Excess moisture can also be an issue with self-watering pots. While they reduce the amount of time spent watering, the soil in them stays wet for long periods, creating less-than-ideal conditions for most houseplants. For this reason, self-watering pots are best used only for plants that remain healthy when they’re kept continually moist.
Regardless of the type of pot you choose, it’s a good idea to check the soil moisture each time you water your houseplants. If it remains moist to the touch, wait to water until the soil’s surface has dried. If a container that previously has drained adequately becomes slow to drain and develops standing water, check to see if its drain hole has become clogged; if so, free it of roots or other blockage if necessary.
Now, of all the components of indoor gardening, potting soil is the most important. Most plants need soil to hold them securely in place and provide them a location to grow roots. The more beneficial the holding material, the healthier the root system you’ll get and the heartier plants you’ll grow. Plant roots require several things of the soil: They need a potting mix that provides moisture, air and nutrients. The mixture you choose must provide all of these things.
Potting mixes for houseplants vary widely because each plant has specific needs. Some houseplants perform best when planted in soilless mixtures, while others require highly fertile soil rich in organics. Always match the soil to your plant’s particular requirements. (If you’re unsure of the type of soil your houseplant requires, check the plant tag or look your plant up in the Learn2Grow Plant Database.)
Most houseplants grow best in rich, well-drained soil with pumice or perlite as a draining agent. For plants that do best in always-moist conditions, choose potting soils that contain water-retaining polymers. When wet, these hard, clear granules expand into gel-like masses that hold water. As the soil dries, the polymers release water and keep the soil moist, extending the time between waterings. Avoid using such polymers for most other plants that thrive only when the soil partially dries between waterings.
Different suppliers of potting soil use different formulations so always carefully examine the package contents as you consider your particular plants’ needs. Some houseplants require their own special mix, such as African violets and other flowering plants, bromeliads, cacti, ferns and epiphytes. Flowering plants generally do best in a mix containing organic water-holding materials like shredded bark, compost or peat moss. Such mixtures keep flowers and buds constantly moist and prevent bud drop. (Water-retaining polymers also are good additions to such soil.) Orchids, though, are in a different class when it comes to their potting mix. Because they’re epiphytic, naturally growing on other plants for support with their roots exposed to the air rather than in soil, cultivate them in orchid bark instead of traditional potting soil; such mixes comprise a coarse blend of chips, often fir or pine bark. The bark supports the orchids, holding them upright, and allows plenty of air to get to their roots. (Cacti also have their own special requirements.)
In addition to a soil’s water-retention properties, its degree of acidity and alkalinity – soil pH – is important. Most houseplants do best in slightly acidic soil. A few plants, however, prefer soil that’s even more acidic, including azalea, citrus and a number of ferns. For these, use a prepared azalea and camellia soil mix.
Keep in mind that, although your houseplant mix starts out acidic, it will change over time. You may have a very alkaline water supply – typically found throughout areas of the US such as the desert Southwest, the Deep South, and Florida – in which case your soil’s pH balance will change over time. Fertilizers also can cause soil to become more alkaline. If a plant begins to produce stunted, weak growth despite proper care, check the soil pH using a test kit or meter. Soil with 6.5 pH or higher should be partially or totally replaced by repotting the plant, unless the plant is suited to higher pH.
Most houseplants are perennials with extensive root systems that require protection and care as you transplant them from nursery pot to decorative container. Always choose a pot that’s at least 1/3 larger than the original container, check that it has adequate drainage holes (or drill holes yourself), then take the easy steps shown in the following pictures and described in their captions.
