Indoor plants should be welcomed in any home or apartment because of the creation of a pleasant indoor environment. A small indoor plant adds both color and a scenic picture to both tables and windows. The larger indoor plants seem to meld with the furniture groupings. The curious thing about these plants is why some indoor plants prosper and others just wilt and die over time. The important factor here is that most of the foliage plants, purchase for use as indoor plants, have as their origin tropical areas and conditions. Here then is your basic reason why a great many indoor plants require a humid and indirect lighting environment.
There are five definitive elements required of indoor plants; light, temperature and ventilation, humidity, watering and fertilizer. The first of these elements to be discussed here is light. Plants really have varying needs for light. My croton for example requires to be positioned at a window with direct sunlight but my Norfolk pine can do just fine with medium to low light intensity. Natural light is usually obtained from a window position to sustain the life of an indoor plant. However this is always governed by how close the plant is to the window. This natural light decreases exponentially with plant farther and farther from the natural source of light provided by the window.
There are many other things you can do to provide the necessary light for survival. You can possibly do hanging baskets,provide some glass shelves allowing light to reach all plants in the event of more than one shelf, or you could construct a bay window providing a greenhouse effect for your plants. A more practical idea would be to add some broad spectrum lighting specially designed for plants. These fluorescent lights are generally better then the regular fluorescent lights. It is best to position these lights 12-14 inches above the indoor plants which provides a medium light intensity.
Temperature and ventilation are definite factors in the life of any indoor plant. As a rule of thumb, the majority of indoor plants perform their best between 60F and 75F degrees. Plants otherwise tend to become thin and weak if maintain at temperatures warmer than the above. Hot and cold drafts, warm appliances and especially heat registers are the kiss of death to once thriving indoor plants. They retain their flower blossoms longer at lower temperature settings as well as having better resistant to insect infestation and disease. Ventilation is important and in a great many homes sufficient fresh air is available. You should be aware of the presence of fumes that may escaped from gas appliances or furnaces.