Care basics

Pots and drainage

Every plant on the list needs a pot with a drainage hole. In low light, soil stays wet longer; a hole plus a saucer is the cheapest insurance there is. Pot size matters more: a small plant in a big pot sits in wet soil for weeks. Pot up one size at a time.

Soil

Standard potting mix is fine for most; add perlite or orchid bark for the snake plant and ZZ, which want air around their roots.

Feeding

Low light means slow growth, and slow growth means little feeding. A half-strength general fertilizer once or twice between spring and late summer is plenty. Feeding a dim-room plant heavily does nothing but burn roots.

Placement

"Low light" is a north window or a few meters from any window — not a windowless bathroom. Even the tolerant nine appreciate a few weeks each year near (not on) a brighter window.

What to skip

Grow lights the size of a thumb, watering globes, and "self-watering" globes marketed for dark corners. A $0 habit — checking soil with a finger before watering — beats all of them. See watering in low light.