The bottom line is that any plant owner will likely end up killing a ton of plants. However, if you follow the below tips, you’ll be able to minimize the number of plant murders that you’re responsible for! 

TL;DR

• Plan ahead. Prepare a welcoming home for your new plant (including a pot with drainage). Decide how much time and attention you are willing to dedicate to your new plant, and shop accordingly. Succulents look great and are easier to care for.
• Buy healthy plants and re-pot them. Moisten the soil in the new pot first! 
• Quarantine! Spray new plants with insecticide and quarantine them for a few days to avoid any pests infecting your existing plants 
• “No light” plants don’t exist. Put all your plants near windows.
• Replicate nature when you water your plants. Let the soil dry out before watering, then soak them.  

Plan ahead (don’t skip this step) 

Before buying a plant, think about the following: 

• Where will you put the plant? Make sure you have a spot with enough light. At the end of the day there is not really such a thing as a “low light” plant. Almost all plants do better with more light. The only difference is that some plants prefer direct sunlight, while others do better with indirect sun. 
• Do you have all the tools and accessories needed to properly welcome your plant into your home? You’ll need a pot with drainage, fertilizer, and insecticide.   
• Think about how much time you want to spend on plant care. When in doubt go with succulents! There are some truly gorgeous ones that can transform your home. But remember, even cacti need consistent love and attention. 

Make sure you buy a healthy plant 

If your plant is sick upon arrival, it’s going to be tough to make it work in the long run. Do your best to source a healthy-looking plant. Nurseries are great for this! 

Welcoming your plant home 

If you can, re-pot your plant. There are a few reasons for this: first, larger plant pots give you more room for error when watering your plants. Especially with tiny 3” nursery pots, the soil will dry out so fast that it will be very easy to kill your plant by forgetting to water it. Also, one of the most satisfying things about owning a plant is watching it grow over time. Placing it into a larger pot will give it room to grow. 

Pro tip: when re-potting moisten the soil in the new pot first. This will help make your new plant feel at home. 

If you want to be extra-careful, you can quarantine your plant off from any other plants you may have for a few days. This helps to ensure that any harmful fungi or pests it may be carrying don’t jump onto your healthy plants! 

Caring for your indoor plants 

Light 

If you’ve unsure about whether there will be enough light in a certain spot to sustain your plant, the answer is probably “no”. It should be relatively obvious that the plant will get a good amount of light. Think about it this way: all plants eat light - it’s their food. If you are going to starve your plants, they will be much weaker, and more susceptible to all kinds of ailments. 

You can also do a quick Google search to find out the origin of your plant, and try to replicate its natural light conditions. For example, cacti and succulents typically love direct sun, since they generally grow in arid climates. Ferns, which often grow on the forest floor, appreciate more filtered, indirect light. 

Water 

Water your plants when the top 1-2 inches of the soil is dry (not before). Then, when you water your plants, water them SLOWLY with room temperature water. And, you want to absolutely drench them. Basically, we want to replicate what it would be like in nature: your plants would go many days without water, then would get drenched in a (room temperature) rainstorm. Going slowly allows the water to get fully absorbed into the soil.  

One of the most challenging things about plants is that each will need a different watering frequency. The longer your own each of your plants, the more you’ll get to know how much water they need. Factors to consider when thinking about how often you’ll need to water: 

• Is the pot big? Bigger pots can absorb and retain more water
• What season is it? Plants will need more water in the summer 
• What type of plant is it? 

When in doubt, start by checking your plant’s soil every 3 days. If it’s moist most of the time you check it, switch to checking every week. 

For succulents, the only difference when compared with other plants is that you should make sure the top 1-2 inches of the soil is bone dry before watering. However, when you do water, you want to absolutely drench the plant. Again, we’re trying to replicate an intense desert downpour! 

Some, but not all plants need spritzing. You can actually increase the chances of fungus growth by spritzing the wrong plants. Look to replicate the natural environment of each plant. As a general rule, avoid spritzing succulents or plants with waxy-looking leaves. 

Troubleshooting Your Plants 

• Leaves near the base of the plant are yellow: often, this is an indicator of root rot, which means you are watering your plant too much. 
• Yellow leaves elsewhere on the plant: could be due to many factors, including under-watering, over-watering, fungus infection, or simply a natural shedding of leaves if the seasons are changing and the plant is getting less sunlight. 
• Parts of your plant are turning black: this is often due to a fungus eating your plant 
• Leaves near the base of plant are brown and crispy: you’re not watering enough 
• Drooping leaves: under-watering 
• Leaves falling off: not enough light 

Bonus: use the right soil 

It can also help to replicate the natural soil conditions of your plants. Some plants do better in sandy soil with great drainage (think succulents), while others thrive in nutrient-rich loamy soil (think ferns).