Houseplant care guide

Most plant deaths in homes come down to four things: overwatering, wrong light, slow root-bound decline, and shipping/acclimation stress. The advice below is what we tell every new customer over email. It's not exhaustive, but it covers the 80% of issues that come up in a plant's first six months in your home.

1. Watering. The single biggest killer

Far more houseplants die from too much water than too little. The plants on our easy-care list (pothos, snake plant, ZZ, spider plant, philodendron) can survive being underwatered for weeks. None of them can survive sitting in soggy soil for more than a few days.

How to check before you water

Push a finger an inch or two into the soil. If it feels dry, water. If it feels damp, wait. If it feels wet, definitely wait, and check whether the pot is draining properly. For larger pots, use a chopstick or a wooden skewer pushed all the way in — pull it out and look for soil sticking to the lower portion. Clean skewer = dry pot.

Watering schedules don't work

The "water once a week" rule kills more plants than it saves. A plant's water needs depend on light, temperature, humidity, season, pot size, and how root-bound it is — all of which vary. Check before you water; don't water by calendar.

How to actually water

Water until water runs out of the drainage holes. This thoroughly wets all the soil and flushes any salt build-up. Empty the saucer after 15 minutes. The plant should never sit in standing water.

2. Light — what each type means

Houseplant care guides use four light terms. Knowing which window in your home matches which term is the difference between a thriving plant and a slow decline.

Bright direct light

The sun's rays hit the plant directly for 4+ hours a day. South-facing windows in the US. Suitable for cacti, succulents, citrus, herbs, and some fig trees. Most houseplants don't want this — they burn.

Bright indirect light

The plant is in a bright room but the sun's direct rays don't hit it — perhaps 2–4 ft back from a south-facing window, or right next to an east-facing window. This is what most popular houseplants (monstera, philodendron, calathea, fiddle-leaf fig) want.

Medium / filtered light

A north-facing window, or 4–8 ft into a brighter room. Pothos, philodendron, peace lilies, spider plants all do well here.

Low light

An interior wall, a hallway, a bathroom without a window. ZZ plant, snake plant, cast iron plant, peace lily. These tolerate it. Most other plants will gradually decline.

3. When you receive a shipped plant

The first 48 hours after a plant arrives are the most stressful for it. Here's what to do, and what not to do.

1. Open the box right away. Don't leave a sealed plant box in a hot car or a cold garage. The plant has been in a dark box for 1–2 days and needs light and air.
2. Check the plant carefully. Some yellow leaves are normal after shipping. The plant prioritises sending energy to new growth and lets old leaves go. A few yellow lower leaves is fine. A plant that's lost half its foliage is not.
3. Don't water immediately. The plant was watered before shipping. Wait 24–48 hours so it can recover from any temperature shock, then check the soil and water if dry.
4. Don't repot for at least 2 weeks. Plants need to acclimate before another root disturbance. Even if you have a beautiful new ceramic pot ready, leave the plant in its nursery pot for 2–4 weeks.
5. Set it in a spot with appropriate light for its species. Bright indirect for most. Avoid putting a freshly-shipped plant in direct sun even if it eventually wants direct sun — gradual light acclimation prevents leaf burn.
6. Watch the first week. Some leaf drop is normal. New growth within 2–3 weeks is a sign the plant has adapted.

4. Troubleshooting: yellow leaves

The most common email we get. Yellow leaves can mean different things depending on which leaves and when:

• One or two old (lower) leaves yellow and drop? Probably normal. Plants shed old leaves to invest in new growth.
• Multiple leaves yellowing at once? Usually overwatering. Check soil moisture; let it dry before next watering. If soggy, repot in fresh dry soil.
• Yellow leaves with brown crispy edges? Usually underwatering or low humidity. Water thoroughly; if it's a humidity-loving plant (calathea, fern), increase humidity.
• Yellow leaves with green veins still visible? Often a nutrient deficiency — most commonly iron or nitrogen. Liquid houseplant fertiliser at half strength should help over 4–6 weeks.
• Sudden mass yellowing after repotting or moving? Acclimation stress. The plant should recover within 2–4 weeks if other conditions are right.

5. Troubleshooting: brown leaves and tips

• Brown crispy tips on long leaves (spider plant, dracaena, calathea): usually water quality. Tap water containing fluoride or chlorine builds up over months. Let tap water sit overnight before using, or use filtered/rainwater.
• Brown soft patches on leaves: usually rot — too much water or water sitting on leaves. Cut off the affected leaves cleanly and let the plant dry out before next watering.
• Brown crispy patches in the middle of leaves: often direct sun burn. Move the plant out of direct sun.

6. Repotting, when and how

Most houseplants want repotting every 12–24 months, when roots are circling the pot, when growth has slowed despite good conditions, or when watering needs have changed (the plant drinks the pot dry in a day or two).

How to repot:

1. Choose a pot 2 inches wider than the current one. Bigger isn't always better — too much soil holds too much moisture.
2. Use good-quality houseplant soil. Don't use garden soil; it compacts and suffocates roots.
3. Gently loosen the root ball. If the roots are tightly circled, cut a few vertical slits with a clean knife to encourage outward growth.
4. Place the plant in the new pot at the same depth it was in the old one. Don't bury the stem deeper.
5. Fill around with fresh soil, water lightly, and put back in its usual spot. Don't fertilise for 4–6 weeks — fresh soil has nutrients already, and the plant is recovering from root disturbance.

7. Pests. The common ones

• Fungus gnats: small flies around the soil. Caused by overly wet soil. Let the soil dry out fully between waterings and use yellow sticky traps. Mostly cosmetic; not harmful to the plant.
• Spider mites: tiny dots on leaf undersides, fine webbing visible. Caused by low humidity. Spray leaves with water + insecticidal soap weekly until clear. Spider mites spread fast — isolate affected plants.
• Mealybugs: cottony white clusters in leaf joints. Dab with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol; repeat every few days. Isolate.
• Scale: small brown bumps on stems and leaf undersides. Hard to spot; scrape off with a fingernail or treat with rubbing alcohol. Persistent.

8. The big rules

If you remember only four things:

1. Check soil before watering. Don't water by calendar.
2. Match the plant to your light. Don't try to make a fiddle-leaf fig live in a dark hallway.
3. Don't repot until the plant clearly needs it. Most repotting is done too soon.
4. Drop a leaf or two during shipping/moving stress is normal. Wholesale leaf loss is not.

For questions on a specific plant, email [email protected] with a photo of the plant and what's been happening. We answer within a working day during business hours.