House Plant Care Guide

This section is dedicated to our own personal research caring for plants. We have put together this continuously growing collection of care tips for a variety of different house plants and various tropical plants.

We have taken notes on our own experience growing plants and what has worked for us. These notes may act as a guide to help with plant care, but we have found that each and every environment is different. What works for us might not work for someone else, and all plants require tailored care depending on their environment.

This collection serves as a space to record notes as we gather knowledge and learn more.

african violet

African Violet (Saintpaulia)

  • Light: Moderate to bright indirect light. Thin, dark green leaves and leggy stems tell you that the plant is getting too little light and light green or bleached leaves indicate too much light.

  • Water: Keep soil lightly moist to dry and allow soil around roots to dry out before watering to encourage blooming. Water from the bottom with room temperature water by placing the pot in water and allowing the plant to absorb the water (not more than 30 minutes) Avoid getting water on the leaves as this can cause spotting damage. For best results, use violet plant food as directed.

  • Humidity: Does not like humidity

  • Fertilizer: Fertilize every 2 weeks with a high phosphorous plant food, but only during the active growing season (spring and summer). Only start to fertilize when the plant appears to need an extra boost. Over-fertilizing is a more common problem than under-fertilizing.

  • Temperature: Many varieties prefer warm conditions 65°F or warmer, though some can tolerate cooler conditions. Keep away from drafty windows in winter.

  • Repotting: Plants should be shifted to larger pots as they grow, but keeping African violets slightly root-bound can encourage them to bloom. The optimal time for repotting is after some leaves have wilted a bit

  • Care: Dust dirt off the leaves with a small, soft brush

areca palm plant care

Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)

  • Other Names: bamboo palm, butterfly palm, golden cane palm, yellow palm.

  • Light: Areca palms do best with bright indirect light from a south- or west-facing window.

  • Water: water thoroughly whenever the top 2 inches of soil becomes dry. Like many palms, areca palms are sensitive to overwatering and cannot tolerate being waterlogged or sitting in a water-saturated potting mix. Let the soil or potting mix dry out slightly between waterings. Areca palms are sensitive to fluoridated water, so should be watered with distilled water or collected rainwater.

  • Humidity: High humidity is essential to keeping an areca palm looking good. The plant will acclimate to normal room humidity, but if the air is too dry, it is common for the leaf tips to turn brown. Try misting fronds with a spray bottle.

  • Care: Plant likes a tight container. Crowded roots will aid in keeping the plant size in check. Never prune off the brown tips of your palm fronds unless the frond is dead. Clipping brown tips may cause frond growth to cease.

Asparagus Fern (Asparagus setaceus)

  • Other Names: emerald feather, asparagus grass, lace fern, climbing asparagus, or ferny asparagus,

  • Light: The sunnier the spot, the faster asparagus fern will grow. Yellow leaves indicate not enough sunlight, while brown leaves indicate too much.

  • Water: Keep the plant well watered and moist, but you can allow the plant to dry out between watering.

  • Humidity: Humidity is key and indoor areas are often dry because of winter heat. Mist the plant daily and provide a nearby pebble tray to keep the tiny leaves from turning brown and dropping.

  • Temperature: When it comes to temperature, asparagus ferns aren’t fussy: Keep the plant in a fairly humid environment, but average indoor temperatures will do.

  • Repotting: Asparagus ferns prefer to be pot bound, so yearly division is not needed or desirable. Repot every few years.

Chinese Money Plant (Pilea Peperomioides)


  • Other Names: coin plant, pancake plant, and UFO plant.

  • Light: Thrives in bright direct light, but can tolerate bright to medium indirect light.

  • Water: Water when soil is complexly dry. Increase frequency with increased light.

  • Humidity: They can tolerate normal room humidity but if the edges burn or crisp, raise the humidity levels.

  • Temperature: 55°F-85°F It’s best not to let it go below 50°F

Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum)


  • Other Names: Alpine Violet, Persian Violet, and Sowbread

  • Light: Direct light or bright indirect light.

  • Water: Water your cyclamen plant only when the soil is dry to the touch, but do not leave the plant in this dry state so long that it shows visible signs of not being watered, such as droopy leaves and flowers. When you water the plant, water from below the leaves so that the water doesn’t touch the stems or leaves. Water on the stems and leaves can cause them to rot. Soak the soil thoroughly and let any excess water drain away.

  • Care: While in bloom, keep the root ball moist and feed the plant every two weeks.

Easter Cactus (Hatiora gaertneri)


  • Other Names: spring cactus, Schlumbergera gaertneri, holiday cactus, whitesun

  • Light: These plants perform best in bright light, but not direct sunlight.

  • Water: Keep the soil lightly moist and allow it to dry out before watering again

  • Temperature: Unlike desert cacti, they need cooler temperatures, even during the day, and will bloom for months in nighttime temperatures of 55 to 60 degrees F.

  • Repotting:  Good Easter cactus care means repotting the plant every two years in spring. The plants enjoy being pot bound, but give it new soil and return the plant to the same pot.

  • Care: To accomplish flowers, you must be a little rude to them. First stop feeding them. Then move the plant where it has 12 to 14 hours of darkness. Best bud set occurs when temperatures are 50 F, Water sparingly from October to November. By December, you can move the plant somewhere warmer with a 60 to 65 degree range (16-18 C.). The plant will flower in February to March.

lace leaf plant care

Lace Leaf (Anthurium)

  • Other Names: flamingo flower, tail flower, painters palette, Hawaiian heart, painted tongue

  • Light: Bright indirect light. Place your Anthurium in a warm, well-lit spot. The more light the plant receives, the more flowers your plant will produce, but never expose it to direct sunlight. During the winter they can handle less light.

  • Water: Keep the soil lightly moist during the growing season from March through September. Water your Anthurium well and then allow the top 1-2 inches of soil to dry out before watering again. Over watering causes yellow leaf tips and under-watering causes brown leaf tips.

  • Humidity: Anthurium loves a humid environment, so feel free to mist every day. Use a pebble tray or a humidifier during the winter months when the air tends to be much drier.

  • Fertilizer: Use a balanced fertilizer or one a little higher in nitrogen for Anthurium plants. Feed monthly in the spring and summer, when plants are actively growing. Dilute the plant food to one-third the recommended strength.

  • Temperature: Anthurium prefers temperatures between 65-80 degrees during the day and no cooler than 60 degrees at night. Avoid placing your plants near heating and air conditioning vents and fans.

  • Notes: Quickly remove fading or dying flowers as soon as they appear. This helps the plant focus its energy on new growth. Give your Anthurium a six-week rest during the winter. Lower temperatures, less light, and drier soil during this time help an Anthurium produce more flowers in the spring and summer.

ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)

  • Other Names: Zanzibar Gem

  • Light: Low, Indirect Light

  • Water: Water at most once every 2-3 weeks. ZZ Plants are easy to over water, so allow to fully dry out between waterings.

  • Humidity: None. The ZZ Plant does well in dry air, so it’s perfect for offices that have air conditioning.