A Beginner's Guide to Growing Houseplants

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If you’re new to the world of owning and caring for houseplants, you may be wondering if you’re “doing it right.” In this post, we’re going to review an overall beginner’s guide to houseplants. Read on to find out about supplies you should have on hand when buying your first plants, basic factors to consider before picking out plants, and plants that are excellent for beginners!

I want to start by saying that there are many aspects of plant care that go SO much deeper than this post. What I’m going to discuss today I feel are the very basics beginners need to get started. I always say that the number one thing I want to show here is how anyone can be a successful plant parent…well, most people who own houseplants aren’t surrounded by dozens of plants. They might be happy owners of two or three plants and therefore don’t need to know how to care for an entire indoor jungle! Know what I mean? Alright, now let’s dive in.

Basic Houseplant Care Supplies

(I’ll recap all the items I link to in this section in a list at the end of the section.)

Potting Mix

You should always have a bag of potting mix on hand because you never know when you’ll spy a new interesting plant while browsing somewhere unexpected. For many common houseplants, you’ll be just fine using a regular indoor/outdoor potted plant mix. Keep in mind “soil” is NOT the same thing as potting mix. Potting mix is specifically formulated for the health of your plants.

Many houseplants also do well with some extra drainage, so I also like to have a bag of perlite on hand. Most of my plants are potted in an indoor/outdoor potted plant mix with a handful of perlite mixed in.

If you plan to try your hand at growing succulents and cacti you should also purchase some succulent mi x or make your own mix using three parts houseplant soil, two parts coarse sand, and one part perlite. I also wrote a guide to common types of potting medium amendments. You don’t need to worry about all of these when you’re just starting out, but it’s helpful if you start collecting more plants.

Pots

Pick yourself up a couple of differently sized pots with drainage holes in the bottom so you can be prepared for any size plant you buy. Also, when you repot your plants most of them will need a pot that’s the next size up from their current pot. Many plants like to be repotted every one to two years, but some plants prefer to be rootbound so make sure to check on this first.

Terra cotta pots and plastic pots both have their pros and cons. Because terra cotta pots are porous they help moisture drain quicker and are better for chronic overwaters. On the other hand, plastic pots hold more water so they work well for plants that like to remain moist. Terra cotta pots are prettier (in my opinion) but plastic pots come in a wider variety of sizes and shapes. Terra cotta pots are also more eco-friendly, but I don’t think I’ve ever once thrown out a plastic pot. It’s one of those things that always gets reused.

All that being said, I would encourage you to not stress over terra cotta vs. plastic right now. The thing I WOULD worry about is making sure your pot has drainage.

Water

A watering can is especially helpful for watering smaller plants. The spout can help to avoid getting water in leaf crevices which, if left to sit, can cause rot. For my larger plants, I just bring them right to the sink and water them with the faucet.

Fertilizer

I would actually argue that beginners shouldn’t worry about fertilizer. Fertilizer is extremely helpful for getting plants to flourish to their full potential. However, I don’t even use fertilizer on all of my plants. There are many plants that will be OK without it.

BUT, if you’d like to start using fertilizer, make sure to research if your plant has specific requirements and that whatever you pick up specifies it’s for houseplants. Most common houseplants will be OK with a general indoor plant fertilizer, though. You should only fertilize during the growing season (spring and summer), and be sure to read any instructions on the label.

Side note: Delving a little more into fertilizer, each fertilizer has an NPK ratio (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium)—sometimes those numbers will be different while other times the fertilizer will be “balanced” meaning all the numbers are the same. So if you see “balanced,” that’s what that means.

A few more items that I wouldn’t consider essential but are nice to have:

Glass jars or propagation station – You never know when you’ll want to propagate a plant. For example, accidental damage could occur and a leaf could break off that you’ll want to experiment with. It’s happened to me more times than I can count.

Plant shears – Plant shears are great to have when propagating or pruning your plants. Sharp, clean scissors or a knife also work well in a pinch.

Moisture/light/pH meter – A 3-in-1 meter can help you learn more about your surrounding environment and your plants’ needs.

Pebbles or small rocks – If you really want to buy that one pot that doesn’t have any drainage holes, or if your pot has one teeny tiny drainage hole, you’ll need to create better drainage by adding a layer of pebbles or small rocks into the bottom of your pot before your plant your plant.

Recap list:

What to Consider Before Buying Plants

When I first started becoming interested in houseplants, it was like clockwork that I would buy something, stick it in a spot that I thought looked nice, kill it within a few months, and wonder what the heck I did wrong. It wasn’t until I started taking the time to learn about plants’ needs that I understood things better.

It’s not about what you want, it’s about what the plants want. If you can find a plant that combines those two things, awesome! Here are a few general points to think about or research before purchasing plants.

Light levels

There are many plants that I would LOVE to own that I know I don’t have the right light conditions for, so for now they stay on my wishlist. You can adjust your watering levels to match your light levels to a certain extent, but that only goes so far. Be real about what will work for your situation.

Pets

Do you have pets? If so, do you have places that you can put your plants that are out of their reach? Keep in mind that even if a plant is non-toxic it can still cause problems for pets. I had a recent experience with one of my cats and my prayer plant. Prayer plants are non-toxic but it still upset his tummy and caused a trip to the vet. Be sure you have places you can move plants to that are out of a furry friend’s curious reach.

Traveling schedule

How often do you travel? If it’s frequent, do you have someone who can easily come and watch your plants? If not, make sure to purchase plants that don’t need to be watered frequently.

General level of care

Consider the general level of care that the plant will need and how much you’re willing to do. Back at my old place when I was able to have a lot more plants (my apartment jungle, as I liked to call it) I used to water every Saturday morning and at times it would take almost two hours, but I genuinely enjoyed those mornings. If this isn’t you, though, make sure you have lower-maintenance plants, and less of them, too!

What Are the Best Houseplants for Beginners?

OK, ready to get started caring for houseplants now? Below is a list of easy indoor plants for beginners:

Pothos – Bright, indirect light. Can tolerate lower light.
Philodendron – Medium, indirect light. Does better in lower light than the pothos (makes a good office plant!). If you want the pothos vine look but have lower light, I’d suggest going for a philodendron.
Chinese evergreen – Can generally tolerate bright, medium, or low light as long and it’s indirect.
Spider plant – Bright light, can tolerate lower light. Can grow in some direct sun but will burn if it’s too much.
Dracaena – Bright, filtered, indirect light. Can tolerate some lower light.
Prayer plant – Bright, indirect light. Can tolerate lower light. Will burn in direct light.
Succulents or cacti – Bright light. Some varieties will burn in too much direct sun, so be sure to research this first.
Ivy – There are a few different varieties of houseplant ivy, but most of them will need bright light.
Snake plant – Snake plants are well known for “liking the dark” which makes them one of the most ideal houseplants for anyone. They actually prefer medium light but can tolerate higher or lower levels.
Zz plant – Medium, indirect light is ideal but will do fine in low light. These plants are frequently found in office buildings and malls for this reason.

Basic Houseplant Care Supplies​