How to choose the right houseplant for each room

Plants are the jewels of a home. They can bring a breath of fresh air to any room and create a positive aura. There are numerous house plants that you can choose from; however, growing them indoors can be challenging unless you have a few tricks up your sleeve. Don't forget that every plant can't be grown wherever we want.

According to experts, every single room in the house is suitable for a different type of plant or flower due to factors including sunlight and humidity. Prof. Murat Zencirkıran, the head of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Uludağ University, shared some of the secrets of flower care for anyone who wants to grow potted plants at home.

Zencirkıran emphasized that every single room has its own ratio of sun and humidity depending on the amount of sunlight they are exposed to in various locations inside a home.

"It can be said that every room is suitable for its own kind of flower or plant. Choosing the right flower involves taking the condition of single rooms into consideration to prolong the life of your plants and the quality of the air and aesthetics in a room's atmosphere," he said.

"For example, potted flowers that are placed in rooms with insufficient sunlight are likely to face mal-development. Some developmental anomalies like thinner stem development, pale and weak leaves, an anomaly in leaves and young shoots turning towards light are observed in these flowers," the professor explained.

He also said that flowers like camellia, coleus, geranium, begonia, caladium, orchid and African violet are a few of the best flowers to grow indoors.

Flowers like begonia, geranium and caladium are suitable for kitchens and living rooms featuring windows facing to the south, east and west as they require the most amount of sunlight.

Plants requiring less sun and daylight like sword ferns, English ivy, maranta leucorneua, Benjamin and aspidistra, are suitable for rooms with north-facing windows.

The second most important thing to keep in mind in flower care is nursing the plant with the right material. There is no doubt that the most important point in nursing for a healthier and long-lasting flower is the optimal arrangement of humidity, light, fertilizer, disinfection and changing the pot's water at regular intervals.

Zencirkıran stated that over watering potted plants and flowers results in decay, ripening and losing leaves. "Put your finger in the soil of your plant, through its root. If you feel moisture, there is no need for watering as this means the soil has enough water inside. Hence, it is the humidity of the soil that provides insight prior to watering your plants," he said pointing out the importance of potted plants.

According to Zencirkıran, another important parameter is fertilizing.

"Like all plants, house plants also require sufficient and balanced fertilizing for normal and heathy development. For example, nitrogen-rich fertilizers shouldn't be used for flowers like geranium, begonia and violet, which are grown for their blossoms," he said.

"Otherwise, blossoming decreases while leafing increases. Potted flowers other than those mentioned above must be fertilized at least once every 15 days," he continued.

"Another issue is the capacity of the pot. Plants must be placed in soil that is neither too tight nor too loose. Plastic pots are ideal as they both give space for the roots to grow more easily and balanced while allowing the soil to stay humid and wet more," he added.

Noting that you should change your plant's pot if the root tips start peeking out from the holes in the bottom of your pot, Zencirkıran concluded, "It is important that the pot must be changed for a pot that is one-size larger. You must avoid oversized pots because they affect the plant development in a bad way. Another point you have to be careful about is that flowers shouldn't be exposed to the air stream. Flowers especially like Benjamin and English ivy lose leaves in such unfavorable conditions."