Plant by Plant
Care written per species, plus reference tables for the things worth looking up rather than reading through: light tolerance, watering intervals, and which plants forgive a north window.
Care guides written for a bad room rather than an ideal one. There is no shortage of general advice on any of these species; what is missing is an honest account of how each one behaves when the light is mediocre and the air is dry.
Wherever possible these pages separate three things that plant lists tend to merge: what will grow, what will merely hold on, and what will slowly go backwards. “Tolerates low light” covers all three, which is why it has misled so many people.
Identify a Houseplant by Its Leaves: A Key to the Common Ones
Identify a houseplant by leaves using growth form first, then one distinguishing trait. Includes whether each one is toxic to cats and dogs.
9 min readPothos in Low Light: What Actually Happens
A pothos in low light will not die. It slowly stops looking like a pothos, and how fast depends entirely on which cultivar you happened to buy.
8 min readSnake Plant in Low Light: Why It Works and What Kills It
A snake plant in low light looks the same, which is exactly the problem. The dimness does not hurt it. The slower-drying soil that comes with it does.
8 min readMonstera in Low Light: Why the Leaves Never Split
A monstera in low light keeps growing. It just keeps growing juvenile leaves, small and solid, and the holes you bought it for never arrive.
9 min readCalathea Brown Edges: Why It Happens in Apartments
Calathea brown edges come from two things a rented apartment struggles with: humidity under 60 percent and fluoride in tap water. Light is rarely the problem.
9 min readPeace Lily Drooping: Three Causes That Look Identical
A peace lily drooping means a dry pot, a waterlogged one, or nothing at all. How to tell which, and why the recovery time is the test that settles it.
11 min readOrchid Aerial Roots: The Ones Outside the Pot Are Supposed to Be There
Orchid aerial roots growing out of the pot are normal and should not be cut. Their color tells you whether the plant needs water.
8 min readWhy Did My Orchid Bloom White This Time?
Why did my orchid bloom white? If it was blue, orange or bright green, it was dyed. Two marks on the old flower spike still prove it.
7 min readGrowing Succulents Indoors: The Winter Arithmetic Does Not Work
Growing succulents indoors asks for ten hours of bright light. In December a northern apartment has nine hours of daylight in total, before any walls.
10 min readJade Plant Light Requirements: Two Extension Services, Opposite Answers
Jade plant light requirements are given as four hours of direct sun by one extension service and six hours of indirect light by another. Both are right.
9 min readAloe Plant Dying? Two Causes That Need Opposite Treatments
An aloe plant dying is usually too much water or too little light, and the two look alike. One of them gets worse if you do the obvious thing.
10 min readLucky Bamboo Turning Yellow: It Is Not Bamboo, and That Explains It
Lucky bamboo turning yellow is usually water, not luck. It is a Dracaena rather than a bamboo, and that changes what the yellowing means.
8 min readAreca Palm Dying: Work Through the Causes in the Right Order
An areca palm dying indoors is rarely the potassium deficiency the internet blames. Sort the causes by what actually happens in a container.
9 min readSchefflera Dropping Leaves: Three Causes, One of Them Nobody Checks
A schefflera dropping leaves has three published causes: too much water, low humidity, or chilling. The third one is where apartments fail.
8 min readHouseplants Toxic to Cats and Dogs: Sorted by What They Do
Most houseplants toxic to cats and dogs fall into two chemical groups, and the group tells you what happens. Plus what is genuinely dangerous.
9 min readSpider Plant Babies: Why a Plant Makes Them, and Why Yours Has Not
Spider plant babies come after three weeks of long nights, not after good care. Why a plant has none, when to cut them, and how to root them in soil.
9 min readHow Often to Water a ZZ Plant: Once a Month in Winter, and Why That Is Allowed
How often to water a ZZ plant, per NC State and Clemson: once a month in winter, twice in summer, only when the soil is completely dry. Yellow leaves mean more.
9 min readRubber Plant Care Mistakes: The One the Internet Gets Wrong, and the One It Leaves Out
Rubber plant care mistakes, from extension sources: humidity is not one, moving it is, and the bottom leaves it drops are normal. Why yours is dropping leaves.
10 min read