• Grow healthy houseplants to enhance your home.dollar plant (crassula portulacea) leaves close up image by Dmitry Rukhlenko from Fotolia.com
  
  Houseplants, whether grown for their foliage or flowers, provide living color to indoor spaces. The low-light conditions and dry air in many homes present some challenges to plant growers, but with careful care, growers can address these issues. Care requirements depend on the particular houseplant variety, although many houseplants are tropical or subtropical in origin and have similar needs.
  
  

Pots and Soil

• Pots and soil must provide proper drainage, as most plants don't tolerate wet roots. Avoid decorative pots with no drainage holes and instead use pots with at least one drainage hole and a bottom drip tray. Lightweight potting soils containing peat or compost provide good soil drainage and aeration. Houseplants may require occasional repotting. Use a pot just one size larger at each repotting, as overly large pots may dry out too quickly.
  
  

Light

• Houseplants classify as low-, medium- or high-light plants. Low-light plants don't require direct sunlight and usually thrive with just four hours of indirect light. Medium-light plants need four to six hours of bright light, and high-light plants require six or more hours of direct sun. Too much light can burn leaves or bleach out desirable color variegation patterns. Supplementing natural light with artificial lights may be necessary for plants with high-light needs.
  
  

Water

• Houseplants usually require soil that is evenly moist but not soggy. Check the soil moisture before watering. When the top 1 inch of soil begins to dry, it is time to irrigate. Water pots until the excess drains into the drip tray, as this ensures the soil is moistened throughout. Empty drip trays after watering, otherwise the soil may reabsorb the water and become overly soggy. Most houseplants require humidity. Spritzing the foliage with water daily provides humidity, as does setting the plants on trays filled with pebbles and water.
  
  

Fertilizer

• Regular fertilizer applications replenish the nutrients in the potting soil. Soluble houseplant fertilizers supply most needed nutrients, are readily available and easily applied. The majority of houseplants require only a balanced fertilizer. Slow release pellets and sticks allow you to fertilize less often. Do not fertilize during the houseplants' dormant periods, which are typically in the winter.