There are a couple of basic considerations which must be kept in mind in the selection and care of any house plant or group of house plants.

It's always easier (and better) to prevent the disease than to cure the patient. That's just as true for house plants as it is for people. Thousands of words have been written on plant diseases and blights; we can read books on insects and plant insect infestation but the number of house plants that fall prey to these ills is infinitesimal when compared with the tremendous majority that die from neglect or from the gardener's lack of knowledge of the habits of the plants themselves.