Sunlit Conservatory & Houseplant Rescue Quiz

Why these answers are correct

Every question below is taken from a step in How to Keep Houseplants Alive (25-Step Guide). The explanation names the rule the step applies, so a wrong answer points to the exact part of the guide to reread.

1. 1. What is the #1 cause of houseplant decline in indoor homes?

   Answer: D. Watering on a rigid calendar schedule instead of checking soil moisture 2 inches deep

   Roots require oxygen as much as water. Watering wet soil suffocates roots and triggers rot - always test the top 2 inches with your finger first.

2. 2. Why does placing a layer of gravel at the bottom of a pot WITHOUT a drainage hole actually worsen root rot?

   Answer: B. It creates a 'perched water table' that pushes the saturated zone higher up into the root ball

   Water will not move from fine potting soil into coarse gravel until the soil above is 100% saturated - raising the stagnant wet zone right into the roots.

3. 3. Why does grouping tropical plants on a pebble tray with water help calatheas and ferns thrive?

   Answer: C. It creates a humid microclimate around the leaves without submerging the roots in water

   As water evaporates from the pebble tray alongside natural leaf transpiration, relative humidity rises right around the foliage while the pot base stays above the waterline.

4. 4. Why should you wipe dust off broad-leaved plants like Fiddle-Leaf Figs and Monsteras every couple of weeks?

   Answer: A. Dust blocks light absorption for photosynthesis and clogs microscopic stomatal pores

   A thin film of household dust can reduce light reaching chloroplasts by 20-30%, noticeably slowing growth indoors where light is already limited.

5. 5. When repotting a root-bound houseplant, how much larger should the new terracotta pot be?

   Answer: D. Only 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm) wider in diameter than the current pot

   Jumping to an oversized pot surrounds small roots with a huge volume of wet soil that stays soggy for weeks, inviting root rot.

About this quiz

5 illustrated questions, about 3 minutes, aimed at a beginner level. The quiz is free and needs no account. Answers are checked in your browser and the score is stored only on this device.

Each illustration is a real step image from the source guide, not a decorative stock photo. If a question sends you back to the guide, that step is the one to reread.

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