Greener indoors: Lighting for indoor plants and more houseplant care

Houseplants make great home décor accessories. They introduce texture and colour, infusing your home with an element of natural warmth. Not to mention, they’re incredible at making transitions between spaces smoother and creating focal points within rooms. With the right pairing of plants, pots, and decor, houseplants can go from just being an accessory to a hardworking, health-enhancing staple of your home. And one of the key factors to ensuring they thrive is mastering lighting for indoor plants, choosing the correct pots, and a few other care tips. 

The best houseplants to grow

Let’s explore some of the most popular indoor plants that you can incorporate into your home garden.

Snake Plant: An excellent choice for those who are less attentive. This plant is known for its robustness and can survive in low light and irregular watering. In fact, it’s better to underwater than overwater this plant, as its roots are prone to rot in moist soil.

Pothos: Also known as Devil’s Ivy, is popular for its cascading tendrils and heart-shaped leaves. It’s flexible with lighting conditions, but the golden rule is the more variegation in the leaves, the more light it needs. Watering once a week should suffice, and feeding it every two months with a balanced houseplant fertiliser will keep it thriving.

Rubber Plant: A bold choice for indoor greenery, the Ficus robusta, also known as the Rubber Plant, sports large, glossy leaves that purify the air. Thriving in bright, indirect light, it needs evenly moist soil during its growing season and appreciates a balanced fertiliser. 

Peace Lily: Bring an elegant and tropical look to your indoor garden. It prefers medium, indirect light but will tolerate low light conditions. The Peace Lily likes moderate watering. Allow the soil surface to dry out. Feeding it every month during the growing season with balanced houseplant fertiliser will help keep it lush and blooming.

ZZ Plant: Perfect for those difficult spots where nothing else seems to grow. It does well in low to medium light and prefers to dry out completely between waterings. Feed it with a diluted balanced fertiliser every month during the growing season for healthy, shiny foliage.

Browse our full range of indoor plants. 

Choosing your pot

Picking the right pot size

Choosing the correct pot size is important for indoor plant care. A pot that’s too big leads to slow soil drying and a higher chance of root rot. A pot that’s too small dries out too quickly and could stunt your plant’s growth. 

For larger indoor plants, choose pots that match their growing space. If you’re transplanting, shift to a pot that’s 5-10 cm larger in diameter. Rapidly growing indoor plants benefit from larger pots, whereas slow growers prefer a pot just 5 cm larger.

Drainage is Key

Most houseplants despise standing water, hence the importance of a drainage hole in your pot. This lets water out and air in, preventing root rot and fostering healthy plant growth. If your pot lacks drainage holes, consider using it as a cachepot. This technique, also known as double potting, can prevent water-logging which could lead to root rot and disease.

With a variety of pots, including ceramic and terracotta options, you can customise your green space to reflect your style. 

Shop our full range of pots online. 

Understanding lighting for indoor plants: It’s more than just sunlight

One common misconception about indoor gardening is that sunlight from windows will suffice for your houseplants. However, light filtered through glass isn’t as strong as direct sunlight. The window’s location and orientation significantly influence the amount of sunlight received. Additionally, factors like the size of the window, shading from trees or buildings, and the sun’s position can all affect ‌light intensity, making lighting for indoor plants a key aspect to monitor.

Decoding plant light preferences

The light preferences of plants can be divided into ‘bright light with some direct sun’, ‘bright, indirect light’, ‘medium light’, and ‘low light’. Each term dictates where in your home the plant should be placed to ensure optimal lighting for indoor plants.

• Bright light with some direct sun: Houseplants that love this type of lighting include the Jade Plant, Aloe Vera, and the Croton. Plants in this category should be placed near a north-facing window. You can also place the plant close to east-facing windows where it will get direct morning sun. 
• Bright, indirect light: Many popular indoor plants thrive under these conditions, such as the Fiddle Leaf Fig, and Spider Plant. East-facing windows are often perfect for these plants, as they receive bright light from the morning sun but are shaded during the more intense afternoon sunlight.
• Medium light: Medium light plants are quite versatile and include varieties like the ZZ Plant, Peace Lily, and Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa). These plants will do well in a bright room, but not directly next to the window.
• Low light: Perfect for those darker corners of your home, low light plants include the Snake Plant, Pothos, and the Heart-leaf Philodendron. These plants can survive in less sunny spots, but still need a little natural or artificial light to thrive.

Spotting signs of incorrect lighting

The wrong lighting for indoor plants can cause a host of problems. Insufficient light may lead to weak, slow growth, yellowing leaves, or smaller-than-usual new leaves. Conversely, excessive light could lead to shrivelling flowers and leaves, leaf discolouration, or drooping.

Indoor gardening is a rewarding journey, and success lies in understanding each plant’s unique needs. From robust Snake Plants to attractive Rubber Plants, picking the right species for your space and catering to their specific care needs—lighting, watering, feeding, and pot selection—can transform your home into a thriving green oasis. So, explore our wide range of indoor plants and pots today, and follow Lifestyle Home Garden on Facebook or Instagram for more plant care inspiration.