Beginner's Guide to Indoor Plants

For beginners, it’s best to start with plants that are hardy and don’t require too much maintenance. Once your indoor plant care skills improve and your confidence grows, you can look at fussier plants. Here are some hardy and low-maintenance plants to try: Arrowhead Plant (Syngonium podophyllum), Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum aureum), Jade Plant (Crassula ovata), Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Dracaena trifasciata syn. Sansevieria trifasciata), Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii), and Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum).

Most indoor plants will do best in a room with bright but indirect light. However, some hardy plants will tolerate lower amounts of light, including: Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior), Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum aureum), Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Dracaena trifasciata), and ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)

Unless you install artificial lighting, there are no plants that can grow in rooms without sunlight.

Humid rooms such as a steamy bathroom, laundry or kitchen are ideal places for plants that are native to humid tropical forests. Here are some plants that will enjoy living in your bathroom: Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.), Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii), Parlour Palm (Chamaedora elegans), and Flamingo Flower (Anthurium scherzerianum).

Plants with trailing stems look wonderful when positioned on shelves or grown in a hanging basket. Their stems can cascade down or be trained horizontally across a wall. Plants with trailing stems include: Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum aureum), Mistletoe Cactus (Rhipsalis baccifera), Hoya (Hoya spp.), and Chain of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii).

Small plants are ideal for desktops, coffee tables and shelves. The following plants don’t take up much room and are great plants for beginners: Zebra Cactus (Haworthia fasciata), Chinese Money Plant (Pilea peperomiodes), Air Plants (Tillandsia spp.), and Baby Rubber Plants (Peperomia obtusifolia). 

Some indoor plants may pose a risk to pets and children, including from contact with plant sap or ingestion. The following are a few common examples of potentially toxic indoor plants: Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia spp.), Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata), Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii), Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Dracaena trifasciata), and Swiss Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa).

Monitor pet & child behaviour around these plants and move to an inaccessible position if required.

There is a beautiful array of pots available for indoor plants. Once you have chosen an indoor plant, match the size of the plant with a new pot. The new pot should be a few centimetres larger in diameter than the plant’s existing pot. Also match the height of the plant with the new pot. A tall plant in a shallow pot can easily topple over. A rough guide to follow is the pot should make up about one-third of the total plant plus pot height.

It’s important that your pot has drainage holes. Pots without drainage holes are very difficult to manage and it’s easy to drown your plant. For decorative pots that don’t have drainage holes, sit a slightly smaller plastic pot with drainage holes inside.

For most plants, use a premium potting mix such as Yates Specialty Potting Mix Plants & Ferns - ideal for potting up leafy indoor plants.

For Orchids, use a potting mix that’s been formulated for their free-draining needs, such as Yates Specialty Potting Mix Orchids.

For cacti and succulents, Yates Specialty Potting Mix Cacti & Succulents.

After buying a new indoor plant, you may wish to upgrade the plain plastic pot to a decorative pot. Or the new plant may need to be planted into a slightly bigger plastic pot. For either scenario, you’ll need some fresh potting mix. It’s very important to use a quality potting mix, to provide the best possible environment for the plant’s roots and help promote healthy plant growth.

Gently remove the plant from its existing pot and gently tease out some of the roots if they’re compacted. Place the plant’s root ball in the new pot and backfill around the roots with the fresh potting mix. Ensure that the final level of the potting mix is the same as the level of the existing potting mix around the plant. The roots should only be half a centimetre underneath the mix. Water in well to help settle the fresh potting mix around the roots.

Potted plants are completely reliant on us to give them nutrients for healthy growth. So, it’s important to feed indoor plants regularly with the right fertiliser. One of the easiest ways to feed indoor plants is with Yates Thrive Plant Food Spikes Plants & Ferns. These fertiliser spikes are a concentrated source of nutrients that will feed indoor plants for up to two months. They are super easy to use – just push a spike into the potting mix mid-way between the pot wall and the plant stem. For feeding orchids, use Yates Thrive Plant Food Spikes Orchids. For feeding cacti and succulents, use Yates Thrive Plant Food Spikes Cacti & Succulents.

Two of the biggest culprits for indoor plant death are underwatering and overwatering. Underwatering leads to plants wilting and leaves dying. Whereas overwatering results in yellowing and dying leaves, and Root Rot. In either case, prolonged dryness or wetness can be fatal.

There is no one rule when it comes to watering indoor plants. Different plants require different levels of moisture. The plant tag should provide some information on whether it needs consistent moisture (for example, Maidenhair Ferns) or prefers to dry out in between watering (like ZZ Plants). Alternatively, consult Yates’ Growing Guides on an extensive range of indoor plants, cacti and succulents. Information includes watering requirements for the individual plant's needs.

To check the moisture level in the potting mix, dig your finger into the top few centimetres of mix. You’ll be able to feel if it’s dry or moist.

Indoor plants can be gently watered from above with a watering can with a narrow spout. Apply the water directly over the potting mix. Alternatively, for plants in pots with drainage holes, the pot can be ‘dunked’ in a bucket or sink of water. The water level should be around two-thirds the height of the pot. Leave the pot in the water for 15 minutes and water will soak up into the potting mix through the drainage holes. After dunking, leave the pot to drain before placing it back on its saucer or inside its decorative pot.

To avoid overwatering, do not leave water in plant saucers. For plain plastic pots that sit inside a hole-free decorative pot, do not allow water to collect in the base.

Just like outdoor plants, indoor plants can be affected by a range of pests and diseases or become unhealthy due to incorrect care. Here are some of the most common problems that you might encounter...

Two of the main causes of yellowing leaves are watering and lack of nutrients. Check the moisture levels in the potting mix and ensure plants are fed regularly.

Brown leaf tips can be caused by overwatering, lack of humidity (for plants native to tropical areas) or being burnt by direct light. Check moisture levels in the potting mix, during hot and dry weather mist humidity-loving plants with water and move plants away from direct sunlight.

Confusingly, wilting can be due to over or under watering. Check moisture levels in the potting mix and either reduce or increase watering to suit the plant’s moisture preference.

Lack of nutrients can lead to poor or slow growth. Feed indoor plants every two months from spring to autumn (see How to Feed Indoor Plants).

Plants that have been in the same pot for an extended period may also have run out of room and nutrients. Repot into a slightly larger pot to help promote new growth (see How to Choose the Perfect Indoor Pot & Potting-Up Your Indoor Plant).

Flowering indoor plants such as Hoyas, Peace Lilies and Orchids may not flower if lacking in nutrients and/or not receiving enough sunlight. Move plants to a brighter position but still out of direct sunlight and feed regularly (see How to Feed Indoor Plants).

Common pests of indoor plants include Aphids, Mites, Mealybugs and Scale. You may notice the pests themselves, or leaves starting to discolour and plant health suffering. Regularly check your plants for signs of pests and as soon as Aphids or Mealybugs are noticed spray with Yates Advanced Garden Insect Killer. Yates Advanced Garden Insect Killer kills aphids and mealybugs and protects indoor plants against these pests for up to 21 days.

To control Scale and Mites, spray plants with Yates Nature’s Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray. It works via contact so coverage under leaves, where pests often hide, is essential.

Another common pest of indoor plants is Fungus Gnats. Fungus Gnats are incredibly annoying tiny flying insects that hover around indoor plants. The adult insects lay eggs in the potting mix that hatch into damaging larvae. To help stop the Fungus Gnat lifecycle apply Yates Gnat Barrier over the surface of the potting mix.

Common diseases of indoor plants include Powdery Mildew and Leaf Spots. Individual affected leaves can be removed. If multiple leaves are affected, spray with Yates Rose Gun or Yates Liquid Copper Fungicide (check the labels for diseases controlled).

For more information about growing indoor plants, Yates has a book just for you! Yates Top 50 Indoor Plants & How NOT to Kill Them! provides how-to-grow information on 50 of the most popular indoor plants. Plus, details about what plants to grow where, pots and potting mix, how to water and feed indoor plants and trouble-shooting. Available at bookstores and online booksellers.