Here's the One Reason Your Indoor Plants Aren't Thriving

Do you sometimes feel like the whole world is against you? Do you sometimes come home to find your indoor plants, the only responsibility you've allowed yourself to take on, are looking more lifeless with every passing day? You're doing everything right: you're not overwatering, you're not under-watering. You give them just enough sun, and you regularly take to their leaves with a damp cloth, dust be gone. Why, then, aren't they prospering?

The reason your indoor plants aren't thriving could very well be the temperature inside your home. Complicating matters further, the climate in your hometown is potentially at odds with the general temperature inside your house, especially with the increased time people are spending inside and the related reliance on indoor heating and cooling.

With many of the most popular indoor plants native to rainforest regions with high humidity, they tend to struggle in drier climates. Read on to find out exactly what temperature your indoor plant needs in order for it to thrive.

Fiddle Leaf Fig

These popular indoor plants are native to the western African countries Cameroon and Sierra Leone, where they grow in lowland tropical rainforest. It follows, then, that they prefer a warm, humid climate conducive to moisture and free from chilly drafts. For this plant to thrive, the temperature should be at least 18°C (65°F). As far as humidity goes, keep your fiddle leaf on a tray of gravel and surround it with other plants.

Monstera Deliciosa

The monstera plant is native to tropical forests in the south of Mexico and thrives in humid climates. If you don't live anywhere tropical, keep the temperature at a minimum of 20°C (68°F) and be sure to mist your monstera once a week.

Devil's Ivy 

Native to the Society Islands of French Polynesia, Devil's Ivy is another popular indoor plant that loves a tropical climate. But unlike the monstera and the fiddle leaf it is a great choice for anyone living somewhere with low humidity. This plant is almost impossible to kill and stays green even when starved of sunlight. As long as your house stays above 12°C (55°F) it should be right.

Rubber Plant

Ideally the rubber plant should enjoy a minimum 15°C (60°F) temperature, but can withstand cold snaps as low as 10°C (50°). The most important thing here is to maintain a steady temperature year-round, as the rubber plant can be sensitive to temperature changes.

Boston Fern 

Now we're talking. Boston ferns are evergreen and can survive the occasional cold blast. With frequent misting they'll be able to thrive in a less-than-tropical indoor climate, making them a fine choice for indoor plant lovers in dry geographical locations.

Cactus

If you're really concerned about your track record with indoor plants, skip the tropical varieties and get yourself a hardy cactus or succulent. Keep your cactus in a sunny room that stays cool in the winter (i.e. away from that fan heater you've been blasting).

Want to know exactly how to grow an indoor jungle at home? We asked self-taught plant expert Kelly Thompson for her advice.