Plant Care for Beginners

In Indonesia we can just throw seeds or bury branches.  A few days later, they will be growing. Its not that simple, is it? Yes, and this is because of the tropical climate.

Let's go back to the German climate! I have been living with so many kinds of plants for two years. I have noticed which plants are easy to grow and need less care, especially in the German climate. So, I will share some tips with you. They are based only on my experience in Germany so far. Anyway, there are many house plants you can easily keep. But in this article, I want to mention the eight easiest houseplants. So, enjoy it!

Zamioculcas zamiifolia (Zz Plant)

With this plant you can't do anything wrong. It’s super easy to look after. You don't need to worry! Somehow this plant can always survive, no matter what. The few things you need to keep in mind are don't place the plant in a room with direct sunlight and don't overwater it. I placed my Zz plant in the north window and its looking good. It propagates and grows very fast. Within eight months, it has already three shoots. You can also put it in the bathroom window. In winter, you can water it around once every two weeks. During this time this plant needs less water. During spring and summer, water it once a week. Or before watering, you can also check the soil with your finger to make sure that the soil is already dry. You can propagate it as well to have more Zz plants. You can propagate either with the leaves or using a stem cutting. Just take some leaves or stems and put them together in the water or soil. If the roots come out, you can plant them separately.


Sansevieria (Snake Plant)

laurentii (left), moonshine (right), jade(bottom)

There are many kinds of Sansevieria. Let me introduce my Sansevieria, I have S. Moonshine, S. Tripasciata Laurentii, and S. Tripasciata Hahnii Jade.

In general, these plants need less care.  To determine the right location, we need to look at the colour of the plants. The brighter they are, the more sunlight they need. Sansevieria loves humidity. Bathrooms are also an option because there is more moisture there than in other rooms. Especially after a shower, the humidity of the bathroom increases, which is very good for plants. But I have placed some of my Sansevieria in different places, in the bathroom, at the south and the north window. So far, they look happy. And I also did some leaves cutting propagation. I will report on whether it is successful. Before you water Sansevieria, please check if the soil is already dry. To know, put your finger one centimeter deep in the soil. This plant can be watered once every two or three weeks during warm days and less in the winter. Their thick leaves can keep the nutrients and water for a long time. 

my cacti

Cactaceae (Cactus)

There is nothing more simple than growing cacti. Honestly, I pay less attention to this plant than to my other plants. Sometimes in the winter, I forgot to water them but it's alright because cactus can save a lot of water. It’s better to underwater than it is to overwater cacti.  Ideally, you want to water it once a month. You can put them in a bright room with direct sunlight. Although from my experience, it doesn't matter if I place them in the north window which doesn't have direct sunlight. 

Aloe Vera 

my aloe v. is in the center

What could make us happier than to have a useful plant? Besides simple care, Aloe Vera can be used for skincare, on your hair and even as a drink. So, have you ever tried it? When I was in Indonesia, I used to have a big pot of Aloe Vera and always used it for my hair. In Indonesia, people call it “crocodile's tongue”. Possibly because of the sharp thorns on the edge of the leaves. Aloe Vera loves humidity and indirect sunlight. The bathroom is the best place for this plant. I have some Aloe Vera here and placed them in the bathroom. Since then, I didn't have to water them anymore and yet, all my Aloe Vera are thriving. They get enough humidity there. Aloe Vera is similar to cacti which can save a lot of water. The watering rule is the same as for cacti. Once a month is enough. During winter, you don't need to water them. 

Epipremnum Aureum 

"I want to have the same plants as I have in my garden in Indonesia, to make it feel more like home." My first thought! But it's not easy to make it work in the German climate. Especially for growing papaya and mango! No worries! Many other plants have adapted to new conditions or new places.

*white pot: the cut plants (kid)

Right now, I have plants that I never knew before. E. Aureum is one of the plants that I mentioned.

the Mama E. Aureum 

This plant grows by climbing on a big tree in the jungle where it doesn't get direct sunlight. E. Aureum needs a lot of humidity.

So, the bathroom is the best place for it. But you can also place it near a north window as I do. However, this plant grows beautifully. I have cut it two times. Now, the cut plants are starting to grow. Don't be afraid to cut your plant, because they will grow faster and thicker. And you will have more plants at home. 

Tillandsia (Airplant)

T. juncea

T. Ionantha (Kolbii)

T. caputmedusa&T. seleriana

T. brachycaulos abdita

Yeah, we come to one of my favourite house plants. Airplant is an epiphyte plant. It means that airplants grow on the surface of a plant, but it doesn't take nutrients or water from other plants. As a growing medium, you can put airplants everywhere, even on the table. You can see in my pictures, where I put my airplants. So far, they are doing fine. There are two different colors, green and grey. I have five species of the grey one. Although, the color looks to me between grey and green. So, the grey ones need more humidity and light than the green ones, that's why the species is found at the top layer of the jungle, where it can get more sunlight. Let's talk about watering.

If we can put these airplants anywhere we want, how can we water them? Easy! We just need to spray and bath them. It's better to use distilled water or rainwater.

To have healthy airplants, we need to bathe airplants in a big bowl two times a week in the spring and summer. And please keep it humid! During winter, just spray them once every two weeks.

If you have a bathtub at home, it would be perfect for bathing them. Last but not least, if you have the grey variety, it's enough to place them directly in the north window. Though for maximal sunlight, the south window is the best place.

Ficus 

Ficus has more than 1000 species and I have three of them. See in the pictures, there are F. Benjamina, F. Elastica, and F. Lyrata (I thought it was Larita) Lol.  F. Lyrata and F. Elastica are my favourite. I love the big dark green leaves of F. Lyrata. The leaves remind me of a Catappa tree in my hometown. This tree has fruits. They taste like almonds. When I was a child, I liked to collect the fruits when they fell on the ground. Back to plant care, Ficus need a bright room with morning or late evening sunlight. The east and west window are ideal. If you want to put Ficus in the south window, please put a light curtain, so that the plant doesn't get too much sunlight. During the summer you can also bath them, even in spring. It makes the plant happier with a higher humidity.

F. lyrata

F. benjamina

F. elastica

Chili

The last one in this article is the hottest lol. I always need chili for cooking. After cooking two years ago, I planted a lot of chili seeds on the top of my tomato pot.  I remember it was wintertime. A few weeks later, it surprised me that many chili plants grew. I was so pleased with it. So, it works well with chili seeds even in the winter. If you want to grow chili from seeds, it's better in the springtime. You need something like a mini greenhouse. If you don't have any, no problem! I also just put something like glass or a vase on the top of the pot to create more humidity. The shoots came out about one week later. If you provide chilis with a lot of sunlight, they will grow fast. In the cases where you don't have either a south window or west or east in your apartment, you can extra put LED lights for optimal growth. If you don't have a mini greenhouse I mentioned above. No worries! Just put the chili directly beside any window. At least, it's bright enough. It will grow as well, I swear. My apartment, for example, has neither an east nor west window >.<

my five months old chili

Note: for watering, it's always better for ALL kinds of plants to use soft water. To get it, we can boil water and filter it with a coffee filter or mix boiled water with distilled water, without filtering them. Growing time is from March to August. This time is very good if you want to grow plants from seeds or want to propagate them. I am looking forward to writing the next article. Stay healthy!

Xoxo, Rita

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links to products on amazon Germany. If you use the links to navigate to amazon and buy something (even if it is not the item the link leads to) I will receive a percentage of the purchasing cost. It doesn't cost you any extra but really helps me. So, feel free to use these links for any purchases you might want to make. Thank you guys!

Here is a list of the items that I have linked to in this article:
Sansevieria Zeylanica
Zamioculcas
Ficus Elastica Tineke
Ficus Lyrata Bambino
Ficus benjamina
Gummibaum Ficus Elastica Abidjan
Aloe Vera
5 different cacti
Epipremnum Aureum
5 Mix Mini Tillandsia
Red Hot Chili Pepper Seeds