Looks like you are off to a fun start!

Welcome!

I agree. Off to a good start.

Personally, id sell or give away the Ficus and not wait to see how they do.

Once they lose most of their leaves from lack of light, you’ll have a harder time finding someone who wants them.

A north window just wont cut it. If it’s a huge north window, you could try one of those trees, but I probably wouldn’t do both.

Ficus really don’t want temps below about 55° And anything below freezing will kill them.

you can’t cover them with burlap like a pine in the north because Ficus never go dormant and they’d then be getting no light.

unless you live in an area like south Florida, Texas, California, etc, it’ll die outside.

Nice introduction! You have some good looking plants there. I agree with Dave, the ficus aren't going to do well, will drop a lot of leaves too. They really should be watered until it runs out the bottom which is difficult in plants that size. You are probably thrilled to have them, but you might want to reconsider. (sorry!)

I wish you had a kitchen window sill or something like that for some of the plants on your pretty shelf, especially the ones down low. They would love the additional light.

Hi, and welcome, Cassie J.! From what you wrote, I have to assume that you'd be thrilled to know you've arrived at green thumb status. I think one of the most productive things you can learn is how to avoid a constant battle with your chosen soil for control of your plants' level of vitality. On one hand, you can fight that fight and weather the frustrations and disappointments inherent in it, or learn how to make sure your soil is working for you instead of against you. It's important to realize that your plants level of vitality begins with root health. If you can't keep the roots happy, there's literally no hope for keeping the plant happy. You might find value in this.

If you do find something of value at the link I left, let me know and I'll provide additional information that (I think) will help you establish a framework, like the border of a jigsaw puzzle, that will make the puzzle easier to assemble.

Al

The link I left in my last post upthread is an over-view of good growing practices aimed at beginners.

You'll find lots of good info about soils and water retention here.

When you get to the end of the first text box, you'll see:

Continued below

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See 466 more comments

Click on 'See 466 more comments". Toward the end of the first page that comes up, a continuation of the opening post, you'll find recipes for the gritty mix and the 5:1:1 mix. Keep in mind though, that making sure you have a clear understanding of the concept the post explains is far more valuable than the recipes.

Al

So ...... it's been several months and I'm wondering how you're faring?

Al

Hi,

I'm not sure about English Ivy indoors, 'cause most ivy grown indoors tends to bring major bug problems. We've heard it here often, so you MAY wish to consider leaving the Ivy out or at least separate it from the rest of the plants, just in case.

..... sounds like that itch to nurture is getting scratched. Wish you all success.

Al

OK, sounds good, glad you knew to do so. Enjoy.