Easy-Care House Plants
Inspiring lush greenery into your home with these easy-care home plants. They're a breeze to start and require little maintenance, requiring little more than a few minutes of watering.
These common house plants, from the most popular orchids that are sold in big-box stores, to the robust and tough ficus, will add a touch of elegance to your indoor gardening design. They also help to clean your air.
1. Areca Palm
Palms are great house plants, as they are easy to care for and add a tropical touch to any home. The Areca Palm, also known as the Bamboo Palm or Butterfly Palm is native to Madagascar. It is found in the wild on slightly acidic soil and topsoil that is rocky or sandy. Also called the golden cane palm, bamboo palm or butterfly palm It has a smooth silver green trunk and fronds with feathery frogs that look like butterflies.
Areca Palms are excellent in bringing humidity to the home and are effective air purifiers that eliminate toxins and pollutants from the air. Because of their large surface area, the fronds of this species naturally supply more oxygen to the house than plants with fewer leaves.
These plants thrive in humid conditions and warm temperatures similar to those found in the tropics. They can be grown outdoors in USDA hardiness zone 10 and higher. They reach as high as 30 feet at maturity.
To grow this plant, shake the soil from the roots, then gently cut off four to five stems with a sharp knife. Put the fronds you have separated in a pot using two-to-one mix of regular soil, coarse sand, and water thoroughly. Let the soil drain before watering it once more. Palms are generally moist plants, but they can tolerate some dryness once the plants have established themselves.
2. Spider Plant
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) can be grown in hanging baskets or pots. They look very attractive when mature and are displayed on a high surface where their long stems, decorated with plant 'babies' can be admired. They are also excellent plants to display in conservatories or similar where the'babies' of the plant can be hung in a variety of ways.
This is one of the easiest houseplants to care for and can be grown in a low light level too, although bright indirect sunlight can enhance the colour of the leaves and encourage growth. It is a tolerant plant that can withstand some direct sunlight in Summer, but not in the middle of the day as it can scorch the leaves. It is easy to water as the plant does not need a lot, but it is crucial to avoid over watering so feel the soil and only water it when it is dry. In the Winter the amount of watering must be reduced to stop the plants from drying out too fast.
The spider plant is a great air purifier and helps to remove toxins from the environment like formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene. These are present in the majority of homes, offices, and buildings. They also help reduce allergies by eliminating pollen, dust mites, mold spores, pet dander, and other airborne contaminants. This makes the spider plant an ideal choice for those suffering from chronic hayfever or asthma. It's also a non-toxic plant and therefore suitable for pets and children!
3. Fiddle Leaf Fig
The fiddle leaf fig sometimes referred to ficus Lyrata is well-known for its striking curly leaves. It's an excellent choice to create a lush, natural atmosphere in your home. A plant this tall is a center of attention in a room and looks stunning against white or neutral, light walls. Fiddle leaf figs are also ideal for contemporary or farmhouse designs where their shape and size contribute to the overall look.
Because this is a tropical species, it requires bright, filtered light to flourish and look its best. Direct sunlight can burn the leaves and diminish their color. Fiddle leaf figs can be able to be trained into either a bush or a tree shape. A bush shape is the default but pruning can be used to encourage branching for an appearance that resembles a tree.
Fiddle leaf figs are native to rainforest environments and thrive in humid, warm conditions similar to greenhouses. To replicate this environment at home, misting the plant on a weekly basis is suggested. Repotting the plant every two weeks will also help with its growth and health.
This houseplant is relatively simple to maintain, however it requires constant attention and love in the form food water, sun and. This consistency is hard to maintain, particularly if life happens to get in the middle. It is recommended to choose the location that you are able to commit to and stick to it.
4. Rubber Plant
Ficus elastica, better known as the Rubber Plant or Rubber Fig is another popular and fashionable house plant. It has gorgeous glossy green leaves and is believed to cleanse the air in the home by removing harmful substances like formaldehyde and other pollutants from the air.
It is a very easy-to-care for plant that is tolerant in light levels and other environmental conditions at home. However it can be sensitive and may shed its leaves if the conditions aren't right. The lack of growth in the leaves for instance, could indicate that the levels of light aren't right. This can be corrected by bringing the plant closer to a window, or by using a growlamp.
This is an excellent plant for those who are just beginning to learn how to care for plants. It is also one of the easiest house plants to propagate. You can propagate a rubber plant by cutting a hole in the stem and then packing a little damp moss around it. Once it has begun to root, you can take it out and put it in a new pot of ficus pots. It is important to keep the soil moist but not wet and to wash the leaves regularly. This will stop fungus and encourage the plant to absorb more sunlight. You can use a mister to spray the plant, if you prefer but keep in mind that wet leaves can cause stains on carpets or furniture.
5. English Ivy
The English ivy, Hedera helix, is a perennial vine and is a popular house plant because it's always green. It's also a great climber for trees and walls and also provides privacy screening. house plants tall and Pothos are less aggressive ivy-like plants to consider for those who don't want to have a climbing plant spread throughout your home.
Remember that English Ivy, if it gets too heavy, could choke out the trunk of a tree. This will reduce the health of the wood as well as increase the chance of fungus and disease decay. It can also cause damage to the bark of mature trees during windstorms as it pulls and clings to them.
However it is a beautiful plant in its own way. There are many cultivars available, including those that have all shades of green, and also variegated varieties with yellow, white, and gray. There are numerous cultivars of the plant including Ivy-like leaves, a heart-shaped leaf, and narrow lobes. Other varieties include ivy-like leaves such as 'Itsybitsy Congesta, ivy-like leaves "Fluffy Ruffles,' 'Diana,' and ivy-like leaves 'Fluffy Ruffles,'; large, curly, and with w
Ivy plants love cool, indirect light and a well-drained soil. They require only a little water and are able to shield the foliage from drafts and heating vents. Misting the plants regularly will prevent dryness and keeps away spider mites. If pests do appear up, treat them as you would treat other common houseplant pests like mealybugs and aphids. These treatments can be treated using neem oil or insecticidal soap.
6. Kalanchoe
Whether growing them year-round outside in warmer regions or as house plants to coddle winter, the kalanchoe (KAL- n-KOH-t It is a succulent that blooms that requires little care. The long time it takes to rebloom is what makes it so well-liked by florists and plant enthusiasts who use it for centerpieces and dish gardens. It makes a great gift, since it usually blooms for a long time after the initial display.
Like many flowering plants, they love bright light and a good drainage. Allow the soil to completely dry between waterings to avoid water spots. Don't let kalanchoes rot in water that is stagnant since this can cause root rot. When watering, only use pots and potting mix that drain quickly, and make sure not to overwater a kalanchoe.
Try exposing them to lower levels of light, that mimic shorter days, as you would with a poinsettia or a Thanksgiving cactus. Try this for a month or so and it should start to begin to rebloom.
Like all flowering plants, they require a regular fertilizer, preferably with a balanced water-soluble formula. Most ready-made potting mixes contain some nutrients, however it is recommended to feed your plant regularly from spring through fall. This can be done by placing a saucer under the pot and then pouring excess water out. It is recommended to mist the leaves of a kalanchoe instead of spraying them directly. This is because soaking the leaves could trigger a fungal infection known as Fusarium or Rhizoctonia root rot.