Most houseplants die from a small number of fixable mistakes. This page covers those. It is not a species guide. For that, read the light and water lines on each product page.
Light: how to judge a window honestly
People overestimate their light. Every time. Your eyes adjust so well that a room reading as "bright" to you can be close to dusk as far as a plant is concerned.
Two quick tests. First, stand where the plant will live, look at the window, and ask how much open sky you can see. Sky is light. A wall, a tree, or the neighbour's house is not. Second, hold your hand a foot above the spot at midday. A sharp-edged shadow means direct sun. A soft but clearly visible shadow means bright indirect light, which is what most houseplants want. A vague smudge means low light, and a plant that wants more will slowly stretch, pale, and stop producing new leaves.
Direction helps as a starting point. South-facing windows are the brightest and can be too much for thin-leaved plants sitting right on the glass. East gets gentle morning sun and suits almost everything. West gets hot afternoon sun. North is the dimmest and needs plants chosen for it, not plants forced into it. Distance matters more than most people expect: light falls off fast, and three feet back from a window is a fraction of the light at the sill.
If your honest answer is "not much," work with it rather than against it. The low-light plants are the ones that cope.
Watering: the finger test
Far more houseplants are killed by overwatering than by neglect. It is not the amount of water that does it, it is the frequency. Constantly wet soil holds no air, roots suffocate, and rot follows. The frustrating part is that an overwatered plant droops and yellows in a way that looks exactly like thirst, so the instinct is to water again.
Skip the schedule. Use your finger. Push it into the soil up to the second knuckle. If it comes out with soil clinging to it and feels cool and damp, wait. If it comes out dry and clean, water. Check every few days at first, and you will learn your own home's rhythm within a month.
When you do water, water properly. Take the plant to the sink, pour until water runs freely from the drainage hole, let it drain completely, then put it back. Small daily sips keep the surface wet and the roots dry, which is the worst of both. Never leave a pot standing in a saucer of water.
Watering needs change with the seasons. Plants drink far less in winter when light is low and growth slows. Same plant, same pot, half the water.
Humidity
Indoor air, especially with heating running, is drier than most tropical foliage plants would choose. The tell is crispy brown leaf edges and tips while the soil is fine.
Misting looks caring and does very little, since the effect lasts minutes. What actually works is grouping plants together so they share the moisture they release, standing pots on a tray of pebbles with water below the pot base, or moving humidity-hungry plants to a bathroom or kitchen with a window. A small humidifier is the reliable option. Ferns care about this a great deal, most succulents and cacti do not care at all.
Pot size and repotting
Go up one or two inches in diameter, no more. A plant in a pot far too large sits in a volume of soil its roots cannot use, that soil stays wet for far too long, and you get root rot even though you watered normally.
Repot when the plant tells you: roots coming out of the drainage hole, roots circling the surface, water running straight through without soaking in, or growth stalling in good conditions. That is usually every one to two years for a growing plant, and less often for slow ones. Spring is the easiest time, because the plant is heading into active growth. A plant that just arrived in the post is not a candidate. Wait two to three weeks.
Match the pot to the plant's weight while you are at it. A tall plant in a light plastic pot tips over, and a heavy ceramic pot gives it a base. Small plants in oversized heavy pots just look odd and dry out unevenly.
Drainage, and what to do about a pot with no hole
A drainage hole is the single most important feature a pot has. Without one, excess water has nowhere to go and collects in the bottom where you cannot see it.
A layer of gravel at the bottom does not fix this. It is a persistent myth. It raises the saturated zone rather than draining it.
If you love a pot with no hole, use it as a cachepot. Leave the plant in the plain nursery pot it arrived in, set that inside the decorative one, and lift it out to water at the sink. Let it drain fully, tip out anything pooled in the outer pot, and put it back. You get the look you want and the plant gets the drainage it needs. Every decorative pot we sell states whether it has a hole, so check the listing before you buy. Browse plant care and accessories for the practical items.
Common distress signals
- Yellow lower leaves, soil damp. Usually overwatering. Let it dry out and check the drainage.
- Drooping, soil bone dry. Thirst. Water thoroughly and most plants perk up within hours.
- Drooping, soil wet. Root trouble, not thirst. Stop watering. If it does not recover, check the roots for anything soft or brown.
- Crispy brown tips and edges. Dry air, underwatering, or a build-up of minerals from tap water.
- Pale, stretched growth with long gaps between leaves. Not enough light. Move it closer to a window.
- Brown scorched patches on leaves in a sunny spot. Too much direct sun. Move it back or diffuse it.
- Sudden leaf drop after a move. Shock. Leave it alone and keep conditions steady.
- Fine webbing, sticky residue, small bumps or flying gnats. Pests. Isolate the plant from the others and deal with it before it spreads.
The first two weeks with a new plant
A plant that has just been shipped has been in a dark box for days. It needs a quiet fortnight, not a project.
Unbox it the day it arrives. Remove the sleeving and packing material, and pull off any leaves that are fully yellow or mush. A few lost lower leaves are normal travel wear.
Check the soil with your finger and water only if it is dry. Boxes are often shipped slightly damp on purpose, and a well-meant soak on day one is a common way to finish off a stressed plant.
Put it somewhere with bright indirect light for the first week, even if its long-term home is sunnier. Coming straight from a dark box into direct sun causes scorch. Move it to its final spot after a week or so.
Then do nothing. No repotting, no fertiliser, no fussing. Keep it away from heating vents, air conditioning, and draughty doorways, because sudden temperature swings cause more leaf drop than almost anything else. Expect some drooping and a little leaf loss in week one. New growth is the signal that the plant has settled, and it usually shows up within three to six weeks.
If your plant arrived genuinely damaged rather than merely grumpy, photograph it within 14 days of delivery and use the contact form. We ship a free replacement under the Arrive Alive Guarantee.
Starting out, or replacing something that did not make it? The easy-care plants tolerate an irregular schedule better than most.