Low Maintenance House Plants
Looking to find low maintenance house plants? Worried that you can’t even keep a gold fish alive? Fear not, we have some beautiful and more importantly LOW MAINTENANCE plants that are practically “unkillable” just for YOU!
1. Peace Lilly
Peace Lilies are one of the most common houseplants because they’re easy to grow and beautiful, too! They originate from the forest floor, used to damp soil and receiving dappled rays of sunlight through the canopy layers. The trick to keeping a healthy and happy Peace Lily is trying to replicate these conditions. Here are just a couple of top tips for these luscious lilies:
- Pot in well-draining, all purpose soil. Take the time to Re-Pot annually, they enjoy the treat of fresh soil!
- Keep soil moist, BUT NOT over watered! They can deal with dry soil for a short period. However, be sure to pay attention to the leaves as they will let you know when thirsty.
- Keep in naturally warmer rooms. They are tropical plants and thrive in 70F temperature. Keep them away from drafty windows or air vents.
I could go on, but here’s an awesome blog that covers all of the above and much, MUCH more! –> Growing Peace Lilies
2. Spider Plant
These easy-to-grow houseplants look especially nice in a hanging basket and were a favorite in Victorian-era households. During the Summer, spider plants may produce tiny white flowers on long stems, as well as baby spider plants (offsets) called “pups.” The pups look like tiny spiders – hence the plant’s name!
Here are a couple of top tips for maintaining a healthy spider plant:
- Even moisture – they don’t like it too dry or too wet, like Goldilocks it needs to be “Just right”!
- They enjoy the warmth and sunlight but it MUST be indirect sunlight.
- Plan to re-pot every other year, as they tend to grow rather rapidly.
- Fun Fact: Spider plants can be grown outside! But again, plant then in an area that doesn’t receive direct sunlight. They look fantastic planted along the edge of a container bed. 🙂
For more on the care of this aptly named plant, follow this link –> Growing Spider Plants
3. Dwarf Date Palm
Indoor dwarf date palm trees, also called pygmy date palm trees can grow between 6 and 12 feet tall, with leaves that can reach 12 inches long. So make sure you have plenty of space – perhaps a sun room with vaulted ceiling would be PERFECT!
Here are some key tips to help your Date Palm flourish:
- Moist, fertile and well-drained soil – be careful not to let the pot sit in standing water as this will lead to root rot.
- Find an East facing window so this plant can catch the morning sun and also benefit from indirect sunlight throughout the day.
- No pruning required!
- Re-Pot every 2-3 years. You’ll want to ensure you find a pot a few inches bigger in diameter to allow for growth, as well as a drainage hole.
There… it’s that easy! For more in depth pointers, check out this link –> Caring for an Indoor Dwarf Date Palm Tree
4. Devil’s Ivy
Pothos (also called Devil’s Ivy) is a tropical vine with shiny, heart-shaped leaves that often have gold, white, or yellow variegation. It is one of the easiest houseplants to grow! “Why is it called Devil’s Ivy?”, I hear you say. Well, very simple – it can’t be killed! Pothos’s vigorous growth and its ability to bounce back to life, even in the worst conditions, is where it’s more well known name comes from.
Here are just a couple of helpful tips to keep this little Devil under control:
- Keep in a warm location – room temperature is perfect!
- Lots of bright but indirect sunlight is best. They can tolerate in low light conditions but it might stunt their growth.
- Do not over water – these guys do not like sitting in wet soil. Wait until the soil is dry before watering.
- To make this plant more full, cut the vine just above the leaf.
- Remove rotted or dead stems and any spotted leaves to help promote healthy growth.
**FUN FACT: According to NASA, Pothos is one of the best air purifying house plants.
Click here to read more about this fascinating Ivy –> Growing Pothos (Devils Ivy)
5. Rubber Plants
Ficus elastica, also known as a rubber plant, is an odd-looking plant from the tropics of Southeast Asia with huge, soft leaves and an exotic name. Believe it or not but these beauties can grow up to 50 feet tall!!! But don’t worry, they’re a bit like fish, it’ll grow to the size of it’s home. Although this is an easy low maintenance house plant, it is pretty particular with regards to placement in the home. Here are a couple of tips to help you out:
- Keep everything moderate – light but not too much, water but not too much (keep soil steadily moist), and fertilizer but.. you guessed it.. not too much!
- Vulnerable to cool drafts – an indicator that it might not be in the right spot is the leaves will begin to yellow, before turning bornw and falling off.
- If the leaves are full but drooping, the light levels are likely too high.
- You’ll need to re-pot yearly, until the plant has reached it’s ideal size.
For more information on this eye catching plant, check it this link –> Rubber Plant – Ficus elastica
That concludes our list of Low Maintenance House Plants…. but there are many MANY more! Just remember – location, location, LOCATION!
Looking to improve your air quality in your home? Check out this blog with some awesome tips and tricks to get you breathing clear in no time!
