The following houseplant must-haves will set you up for plant parenthood success!
I’m an OG plant mama, though it took a while. I come from a line of plant ladies, namely my own mama, who has been gifting me live plants for nearly 20 years.
Click here to skip down to my houseplant must-haves!
My first three were a golden pothos, a heartleaf philodendron, and a … um, I don’t remember. My cat used it as a litterbox and it died some time ago in my old apartment.
I still have the golden pothos today, and it has made many, many babies and tolerated my neglect before I took better interest in it and became more of a plant mom.
The heartleaf philodendron perished when we moved to this house because I stuck it on a high shelf and promptly forgot about it. To be fair, I thought it also was a pothos, and I treated it accordingly, which wasn’t helpful.
At some point, maybe six or eight years ago or more, I became more interested in houseplants, alongside my interest in home gardening.
Mom kept up the houseplant gifts and her green thumb helped guide me through garden creation and management.
Today, I have more than 50 houseplants and pretty much always want more.
Of course, while houseplant ownership has many benefits, managing all of those plants can be a task.
My houseplant must-have products
Many of these link to my Amazon storefront, and if you happen to purchase that way, I may get a few cents. However, most of these items should be readily available at your favorite local garden center. My two local favorites are Highland Gardens and Ashcombe.
Houseplant mister
Mini Humidifier
I recently purchased this little desktop humidifier, and I set it up right in my Fiddle Leaf Fig’s pot to deliver personal humidity to him. He was dropping leaves (rude), but I’m hoping this will remedy this. Fiddle Leaf Figs are some of the most fickle of the tropical houseplants, but regular humidity will go far to help them thrive indoors.
Grow Lights
Another way to boost your houseplants them over cold northeast winters is by using grow lights. My husband always jokes that our neighbors are going to think we’re growing something else, but utilizing grow lights has helped support plants that are used to more hours of sun. Or, if you’re overwintering, like I am with my citrus plants, it’s necessary to help them make it through. There are tons of different kinds of grow lights, but I’ve had success simply replacing a few standard bulbs in my laundry room or office, wherever plants need it.
Fertilizer
Granted, you’ll be fertilizing a bit less frequently during the winter, but plant food of some kind is a houseplant must-have. I try not to go too bonkers with individual fertilizers for every type of plant, but these are my favorites. For most houseplants, Jack’s Houseplant Special is tops (I use Jack’s Blossom Booster for my vegetable garden). I have some Fiddle Leaf Fig fertilizer, but in a pinch, I just use the Jack’s. I really like this cactus and succulent fertilizer, in which you simply add one pump to the soil, as needed. For my citrus, I like this (but also this).
Pest Control
No matter how green your thumb is, at some point, you’ll probably run into some unwanted friends trying to overtake your plant babies. There are myriad ways to address them, depending on what you’re dealing with, but two affordable and kid- and pet-safe tools are Neem Oil and sticky traps. Neem oil smells a little funky but it’s safe and natural. It can be used as a monthly treatment to keep your plants happy (I like to apply it to a soft cloth to gently clean leaves). If you’ve ever had fungus gnats, you gotta get these sticky stakes.
Moss Pole
If you have any vining plants, like pothos, heartleaf philodendron, or monstera, you may want to help these guys grow up rather than trail down. (Fun fact: pothos leaves that grow upwards grow bigger!) Moss poles help mimic how these plants would vine to trees in the wild.
Find more houseplant must-haves here, or message me with your houseplant questions!
