Most common reasons it seems people kill house plants
Too dark
Grossly overwatering
Not applying any kind of fertilizer
Most house plants only need water once a week at most, or whenever the soil becomes dry. They should be given a few drips of plant food in their water every 2-3 weeks. Use a light meter app on your phone to see how much light they are getting, too little is most common but some vareities need shade and can get too much when sitting in a south window.
If you want a plant that does well in lower light and with frequent watering, I’d recommend the maidenhair fern.
Mine gets cranky if it’s not watered at least daily, and it would probably prefer twice a day! In the wild, these plants grow in places with constant water, e.g. alongside a waterfall. Still they’re fairly hardy plants somewhat acclimated to weathering dry spells; I’ve almost killed mine then had it return from the brink of death multiple times following a week of neglecting to water it. Ironically the maidenhair fern’s love of water means you won’t need a plant sitter to come over and water when you go on vacation: if you’re going to be gone for more than a few days, stick the pot in a tub of water a few inches deep; maidenhair ferns doesn’t seem to mind wet roots at all (I’ve done this for up to a month, no prob).
They do need at least a little light, such as an hour or so of direct morning light or hours of indirect light, making them a great choice for north-facing windows and other conditions where many houseplants would struggle.
Most common reasons it seems people kill house plants
Most house plants only need water once a week at most, or whenever the soil becomes dry. They should be given a few drips of plant food in their water every 2-3 weeks. Use a light meter app on your phone to see how much light they are getting, too little is most common but some vareities need shade and can get too much when sitting in a south window.
The first two are the most definite reason I’ve killed a lot of plants.
A friend came over and nearly screamed “you should be watering these every 2 WEEKS NOT 2 DAYS!!”.
But what do you mean that 5m from a window is “too dark”? I can see fine…
If you want a plant that does well in lower light and with frequent watering, I’d recommend the maidenhair fern.
Mine gets cranky if it’s not watered at least daily, and it would probably prefer twice a day! In the wild, these plants grow in places with constant water, e.g. alongside a waterfall. Still they’re fairly hardy plants somewhat acclimated to weathering dry spells; I’ve almost killed mine then had it return from the brink of death multiple times following a week of neglecting to water it. Ironically the maidenhair fern’s love of water means you won’t need a plant sitter to come over and water when you go on vacation: if you’re going to be gone for more than a few days, stick the pot in a tub of water a few inches deep; maidenhair ferns doesn’t seem to mind wet roots at all (I’ve done this for up to a month, no prob).
They do need at least a little light, such as an hour or so of direct morning light or hours of indirect light, making them a great choice for north-facing windows and other conditions where many houseplants would struggle.