Light for Houseplants – High

Very few houseplants should be placed in direct sun. High light refers only to bright indirect light since direct sun often burns the leaves of indoor houseplants. An area that is too hot and dry encourages Spider Mites and causes blooms to quickly fade. A northern exposure really doesn’t provide enough light for high light … Read more

Light for Houseplants – Low

When you select “Low Light” a list of the most adaptive plants in our database appears. These plants can live in lighting conditions too low to support any other plants in our database, but will grow faster in medium and high light. Variegation (color) in the leaves is often lost in low light. A plant … Read more

Mealy Bugs

Learn how to identify and treat Mealy Bugs, a houseplant pest that leaves sticky, white, cottony residue on houseplants.

Powdery Mildew Plant Disease

Powdery mildew is a plant disease that puts a grayish white powder on plant leaves and stems. View a picture of this plant disease and learn how to treat it.

Neem Oil

Learn about Neem Oil, a natural, organic, non-toxic product for treating houseplant insects and diseases.

Plant Propagation Basics

Learn step by step directions how to propagate houseplants using these four techniques: division, offsets, plant cuttings, and air layering at Houseplant411.com/Glossary

Gray Mold or Botrytis

Botrytis, or gray mold as it is commonly called, is a fungus that attacks the leaves, flowers, stems, and rhizomes of house plants. It first appears as a round brown or gray spot that gradually turns into a mass of fuzzy gray spores. This is where the nickname, gray mold, comes from. Prevent botrytis by … Read more

Fertilizer for Plants

Plants need fertilizer only when they are actively growing. Slow growing plants in low light require very little plant food. Too much fertilizer is worse than not enough. Most plants prefer a water soluble plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Plants that are in bloom or dormant should not be fertilized. Houseplant food contains … Read more