Caring for an indoor plant can test your patience at times, even more so when your plant is located in an office space. Unlike the houseplants that you maintain in your own home, office plants aren’t nearly as accessible on a day-to-day basis. You won’t have the opportunity to tend for them at night, and unless you’re on top of things at work, it can even be difficult to balance your job and proper care throughout the week.

Luckily for you, there are ways in which you can keep your office plant looking happy and healthy throughout the year without stealing valuable time away from your work. Many houseplants are perfect for the office, as they require very little from you in the way of water and food. The less required care, the better, but if you find a plant that you love and it demands more than the minimum, there’s no need to panic.

Here are a few helpful tips for preserving the healthy appearance of your office plants!

Provide Proper Lighting

Lighting is everything when it comes to a plant’s growth. Every plant has a specific range of light that it will grow best when exposed to, and some are even capable of growing properly in a vast range of light levels. When browsing for office plants, first make sure that you’re able to provide it with the proper lighting. If it experiences too little or too much light than it prefers, its foliage will become smaller and lose its vibrant colors.

Most plants for the office are best kept in areas that enjoy bright, indirect light. Indirect light is a wide spectrum that covers a range of conditions, which is very good news for you! This can easily be achieved by placing your plant a short distance from any windows in the office. Be careful not to place it directly in a windowsill or within too short a distance, allowing for it to be exposed to direct sunlight. This could quickly lead to complications with its foliage, and ultimately it could force your plant into early retirement.

Plants For Office With No Window

What if you work in an office that doesn’t have any windows? Or, what if your personal office space simply isn’t anywhere near the windows that the building provides? While some more light-reliant office plants won’t be susceptible to these conditions, never fear! There are plenty of office plants that don’t need sunlight in order to grow properly. Some options will even grow better in low light conditions.

As is the case with all office plants, it’s ultimately on you to keep a careful eye out for irregularities. If your plant doesn’t appear to be growing properly, or its leaves seem to be losing their color, try to find a better lighted area of the office to place it in. If this isn’t an option, you can also look into purchasing a specialized light that provides your plant with the support it needs right at your desk!

Temperature Plays An Important Role

Similar to light, temperature plays an essential role in the development of your office plant. Fortunately, all houseplants follow a fairly universal temperature range, which covers those often found in the average household. Many offices fit into this range as well, as they generally share the same temperatures as those you encounter at home.

That being said, what if your office maintains a colder temperature than the average household? There’s still no need to worry! Most houseplants can grow properly in temperatures as low as 60° F, and some can even withstand conditions down to 50° F. So long as you don’t place your plant somewhere in the office where temperatures dip below 50°, your plant should be fine.

Plants Love Humidity

Similar to its temperature requirements, most office plants are acclimated to the humidity levels that you will experience in your home and office on a daily basis. As a result, you generally don’t have to worry about providing it in this department. However, you should try to avoid placing your plant in areas of the office that experience fluctuations in both temperature and humidity. This includes spaces in and around open windows, as well as near doorways and under air conditioning vents.

Always research the best humidity levels for any plant you purchase, as they might enjoy heightened levels. If you find that your plant grows better with greater levels of humidity, place its pot atop a tray filled with water and pebbles. If you don’t have any pebbles or extra trays on hand, simply mist your plant occasionally with a water bottle.

Establish An Ideal Watering Schedule

The most difficult aspect of caring for an office plant is likely the watering schedule. While there are general guidelines for the frequency at which you should be watering a given plant, there’s still a great deal of adjustments that you’ll have to make along the way. This is mainly due to the other factors that go into office plant care, such as lighting and temperature. The watering schedule of one plant will likely look different than that of another similar plant.

As is the case with all other aspects of plant care, keep a close watch over the growth of your plant while providing it with a particular watering schedule. If it doesn’t seem to be growing properly, try making changes to the frequency at which you provide for it. This is a system of trial and error, and while many low maintenance office plants won’t require this step, it’s always better to play things safe when it comes to your plant’s health.

In Conclusion

If you follow all of these guidelines, your plant should be happy and healthy for years to come! Controlling the conditions of your plant’s surroundings will give you the best chances of cultivating the perfect product.

While it might be more difficult to maintain a plant in the office than it would be for one at home, it can still be overwhelmingly easy to do so with the proper requirements in mind. Now that you possess the necessary information, go out and enjoy the beautiful splendor that comes with the best indoor office plants!