January 10th is Houseplant Appreciation Day. It’s an ideal time to reflect on how green plants contribute to your health. Plus, they look great and make your house feel more comfortable.

Houseplants also tend to be fairly low maintenance, lasting for a long time with very little effort on your part. However, you still need to know how to treat them right so they go the distance. Here are some tips on plant care.

Let’s start with lighting. If leaves are small and pale, they are not getting enough light. However, if they are brown and shriveling up, your houseplant is getting too much sun. Typically, it’s best to give your houseplants indirect lighting so they can thrive but not burn up. While every type of houseplant varies by the type of lighting they need, you can keep an eye on how your plant reacts to different intensity of light and then move them around the room accordingly.

Then, there is humidity. Houseplants that have brown or yellow leaves but are not in the direct sunlight are suffering from air that is too dry for them. You can mist them with water. Also, consider using a pebble tray that lets the water settle without flooding the plant.

Lastly, a plant must eat or they can’t grow and thrive. Use plant food that has nitrogen, which helps with leaf growth and greening up of the leaves. They also need phosphates, which enable root growth. Read up on the type of fertilizer that works with your particular house plants. For example, slow-release fertilizer is generally just used on outdoor plants. Typically, houseplants feed well off of pellets or liquid feed. Soluble powder fertilizer is also available.

Don’t forget that you can also order green plants for the home or office from our Atlanta flower shop and our online flower shop! They make great gifts or decor. We have an extensive range of indoor green plants as well as gorgeous blooming plants.