Houseplant care guides
The Grove Plant Care library: 82 free houseplant guides and 34 sourced plant care cards from the team behind the Grove app. Each guide answers one question, like why leaves turn yellow, when to water or which plants are safe for cats and dogs, and explains the reason behind each step. Start with your question, open a collection, or find a guide by topic.
Start with your question
- Why are my plant's leaves turning yellow?Yellow leaves: read the pattern, then the soil
- Does my plant need water?Does my plant need water? How to check soil, pot weight and leaves
- Is this plant safe for my cat or dog?Pet-safe houseplants for cats and dogs
- What's an easy plant for a beginner?12 easy houseplants for beginners
- Why is my plant drooping?Why is my plant drooping? Too wet or too dry, and how to tell
- What are these tiny flies?Fungus gnats: moisture first, then the traps
Guide collections
Whole sets of guides on one theme. Each opens its own page.
HolidaysGift plants, Christmas trees and Thanksgiving hostess gifts, gathered for the season.22 guides
MonsteraPruning, propagating, moss poles, soil, growing in water and types, plus the care card.6 guides
OrchidsWatering, reblooming, repotting, roots and leaf problems, from your first orchid on.26 guides
Christmas treesCompare 16 tree types, pick a fresh one at the lot and learn how to care for it at home.9 guides
Winter careLight, water and dry air in the cold months, with guides for the Northeast and Midwest and the dry West.3 guides
Plant care cards
Sourced care cards for single plants. These six suit the season right now.
Pet safety:safe for cats and dogstoxic to pets, even if only mildly or in partTap an icon for the details.
Getting started with your first plants
Your first houseplant: how to choose one that thrives
Pick for the light you have and how often you will check the soil.
What to tell a first-time plant parent
Match the light, water when the soil is dry, and use pots with drainage holes.
12 easy houseplants for beginners
Which of twelve easy houseplants suits your light, your pets and how often you remember to water.
What houseplants actually do for your home
How houseplants lift mood, calm a room, and add color, life, and a care ritual.
Plant myths, checked against research
What research says about air-cleaning plants, ice cubes for orchids, misting, yellow leaves and oversized pots.
Care basics
What bright indirect light means and how to measure light for houseplants
Read window direction, distance and the shadow test before you pick a plant.
How to repot a houseplant without shock
Size up 1 to 2 inches, use a mix that drains, and check the soil before you water.
Pet-safe houseplants for cats and dogs
Check each plant against the pet-safe plant lists and keep a pet poison line number handy.
Care checks
Does my plant need water? How to check soil, pot weight and leaves
Learn how to tell when a houseplant needs water with the finger test, pot weight, a chopstick and a moisture meter, and what the leaves can tell you
Brown leaf tips and crispy edges: what causes them and how to fix them
Brown tips and crispy edges on houseplants usually come from dry air, uneven watering, salt buildup or tap water. Learn to spot the cause and fix it
Why is my plant drooping? Too wet or too dry, and how to tell
A drooping houseplant can be thirsty or drowning. Learn how to tell too wet from too dry by soil, pot weight and stems, and what to do next for each
Plant problems
Yellow leaves: read the pattern, then the soil
Read location, texture, and soil so you treat the right cause.
Fungus gnats: moisture first, then the traps
Dry the top soil, then sticky traps, then Bti if larvae keep coming.
Root rot: how to spot it, save the plant and keep it from coming back
Spot root rot early, rescue the plant step by step and keep rot from coming back, with evidence-based answers on hydrogen peroxide, cinnamon and fungicides
Pests and diseases
Spider mites and thrips on houseplants: how to spot them, stop them and treat them
Tell spider mites from thrips on houseplants, learn why they show up, and treat them with water, insecticidal soap, horticultural oils and predatory mites
Leaf spot on houseplants: fungal or bacterial, and what to do
Spots on houseplant leaves can be fungal, bacterial or no disease at all. Learn to tell them apart, then match the treatment to the cause you actually find
Ways of growing
Bonsai for beginners: choosing and caring for your first tree
Match the tree to where it will live, then check water in the shallow pot.
Hydroponic houseplants: how growing without soil works
How plants feed without soil, and the water checks that keep a home system going.
Semi-hydroponics: growing houseplants in LECA
Clay pebbles and a small reservoir water the plant. You supply the feed.
The beauty of kokedama and how to care for a moss ball
A moss ball you check by weight, then soak, feed, and refresh.
The best mounted plants: orchids and more
Orchids, air plants, and staghorn ferns on a mount, watered by a root check.
Propagating and keeping plants in water
Root a cutting in water, then move it into soil once the roots are ready.
Plant spotlights
Big leaves, big personality: houseplants beyond the monstera
Which big-leaf plants are easiest to start with, which take practice, and what each needs for light and water.
Exotic houseplants worth trying: unusual plants that grow well indoors
Ten exotic houseplants that grow well indoors, from pitcher plants to jewel orchids, with each one's indoor size, light, water checks and notes for pet owners
Seasonal
Winter houseplant care: light, water checks, dry air and drafts
Help your houseplants through winter with water checks, more light on short days, kinder humidity and protection from cold glass, drafts and heat vents
Winter houseplant care in the Northeast, Midwest and Canada
Winter houseplant care for the Northeast, Midwest, Great Lakes and Canada: short days, very dry forced-air heat, cold windows and when to bring plants in
Winter houseplant care in the desert Southwest and Mountain West
Winter houseplant care for the desert Southwest and Mountain West: very dry indoor air, bright low winter sun, softened water and plants that cope best
Got a plant as a gift? What to do in the first week
What to do with foil, drainage, light, watering, pests and pets in a gift plant's first week.
Holiday guides
Gift plants, Christmas trees and Thanksgiving hostess gifts, gathered in one collection.