Naked Plant Land
Plant Care, Simplified
Houseplants are more forgiving than you think. Here is everything you need to read your plant, keep it happy, and step in when it looks a little sad.
How to read your care card
Every plant on the site has its own little care card with these five icons. Here is what each one is telling you.
Low is happy away from any window. Medium likes a bright room, a step back from the glass. Bright indirect wants lots of light with no harsh midday sun on the leaves. Full sun loves hours of direct light.
Low would rather be forgotten than overwatered. Moderate likes a drink once the top inch of soil is dry. High likes to stay evenly moist, never bone dry.
Low is fine in normal room air. Medium is happy in an average home. High loves a steamy spot like a bright bathroom, or a pebble tray of water nearby.
The mix a plant likes to sit in: an all-purpose houseplant mix, a chunky aroid mix, a fast-draining cactus & succulent mix, a moisture-retentive mix, or a loose, bark-based epiphyte mix.
How fast and pushy it grows. Gentle takes its time. Steady is well behaved. Vigorous grows fast and wants room to spread or something to climb.
The four things every plant wants
Water it by feel, not by schedule
Stick a finger an inch into the soil. If it comes out dry, water until it runs from the drainage hole, then empty the saucer. If it still feels damp, wait. More houseplants are lost to overwatering than anything else, so when in doubt, wait a day.
Give it the right light
Bright indirect light means a spot that is well lit but where the sun is not landing directly on the leaves for long. A few feet back from a bright window is perfect for most plants. If leaves reach and stretch toward the window, they want more.
Raise the humidity if needed
Tropicals love moisture in the air. Group plants together, set the pot on a tray of pebbles and water, or keep it in a brighter bathroom. Misting helps a little, but grouping and a pebble tray do more.
Pot it so roots can breathe
Use a pot with a drainage hole and the mix your plant likes (the care card tells you which). Repot when roots circle the bottom or poke out the hole, usually every year or two, into a pot just one size up.
Help, mine looks a little sad
Most plant troubles trace back to water or light. Here is where to look first.
Usually too much water. Let the soil dry out more between drinks and make sure the pot drains freely.
Usually too little water or dry air. Water a touch more often and raise the humidity.
Check the soil. Bone dry means it needs a drink; soggy means it has had too much and the roots are struggling.
Not enough light. Move it closer to a bright window and it will fill back in.
Too much direct sun. Pull it back from the glass into bright, indirect light.
Wipe the leaves down, isolate it from your other plants, and treat with insecticidal soap or neem until they are gone.
Still not sure?
Every plant page has its own care card, and our AI tools can identify a mystery plant or suggest one for your exact spot.