Easy-Care House Plants
These easy-care plants can add lush greenery to any space. They're easy to learn and low maintenance, requiring nothing more than an occasional watering.
These common house plants, from the most popular orchids that are sold in big-box stores to robust and tough ficus, can enhance your indoor garden design. They also help to clean your air.
1. Areca Palm
Palms are often used as house plants because they bring a tropical vibe to homes and are easy to cultivate. The Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens, previously Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) is native to Madagascar and grows in the wild in soils that are slightly acidic with rocky or sandy topsoil. It is also known as bamboo palm, golden cane palm or butterfly palm. It has a smooth, silver-green trunk with feathery fronds.
Areca Palms are great for bringing humidity into your home and are efficient air purifiers, which remove contaminants and toxins from the atmosphere. Because of their large surface area, the fronds of this species naturally supply more oxygen to the home than plants with less leaves.
They thrive in humid conditions and warm temperatures comparable to those in the tropics. They can be grown outdoors in USDA zone 10 or higher. They can grow up to 30 feet at maturity.
To propagate the plant, gently break off four or five stems with a sharp knife. Place the separated fronds together in a pot with a two-to-one mixture of regular potting soil and coarse sand. Then soak them in water thoroughly. Give the soil time to drain before watering it once more. As a general rule, palms prefer to be always moist but are actually tolerant of some dryness when the plants are established.
2. Spider Plant
Spider plants (Chlorophytum Comosum) are an attractive house plant that can be placed in hanging baskets or regular pots. They look very attractive when they are mature and placed on a high surface where their long stems, decorated with'babies' of plants can be observed. They are also excellent plants to show in conservatories or other similar spaces where the'babies' of the plant can hang freely.
It is a plant that is very adaptable that can flourish in a low light, however, bright indirect sunlight will improve the color and growth of the leaves. It is a plant that can be adapted to a variety of conditions and can withstand some harsh direct sunlight in summer, but not during midday when it can burn the leaves. The plant doesn't need much water, which makes it easy to water it. However it is essential not to overwater. Take a look at the soil and only water when it feels dry. During the Winter, watering should be reduced to stop the plants from drying out too fast.
The spider plant is a great air purifier, and can help eliminate toxins from the air like formaldehyde, toluene, and xylene. house plants common are present in the majority of homes, offices, and buildings. They also help to reduce allergies by removing pollen mold spores, dust mites pet dander, as well as other airborne contaminants. The spider plant is an excellent choice for people with asthma or chronic hayfever. It's also a non-toxic plant so it's safe around children and pets too!
3. Fiddle Leaf Fig
Popular for its dramatic lush green leaves, the fiddle leaf fig (ficus lyrata) is a popular choice to bring a lush jungle-like vibe into the interior of a home. This plant can be the focal point of a room and looks stunning against neutral or white walls. Fiddle leaf figs are ideal for contemporary or farmhouse designs where their shape and size add to the overall design.
This is a tropical flower that needs bright, filtered light to grow and appear at its best. Direct sunlight can burn the leaves and diminish their color. Fiddle leaf figs can be trained to be either shape like a tree or bush. A bush shape is the default but pruning can be utilized to encourage branching for a more tree like appearance.
Fiddle leaf figs are native to rainforests and thrive in warm, humid conditions similar to greenhouses. Misting the plant regularly is recommended to help mimic the same environment at home. In addition, repotting the plant on a biweekly basis aids in the growth and overall health.
This houseplant is relatively easy to maintain, but it requires constant care and affection in the form of food as well as water and sun. It is difficult to maintain, especially when life happens to get in the middle. This is why it is advisable to select an area for your plant that you are able to commit to and keep at the same spot.
4. Rubber Plant
Ficus elastica, more commonly known as the Rubber Plant or Rubber Fig is another popular and fashionable house plant. It has gorgeous glossy green leaves and it is believed that it cleans the air by removing harmful substances like formaldehyde from the atmosphere.
It is a very easy-to-care for plant that is forgiving when it comes to light levels and other environmental conditions at home. However it is sensitive and may shed its leaves if the conditions aren't right. For small house plants , the lack of growth in the leaves could be an indication of inadequate light levels. This can be corrected by bringing the plant closer to a window or using a grow lamp.
This is a great plant for beginners who are just learning how to care for plants. It is among the most easy plants to propagate. It is possible to propagate rubber plants by cutting the stem and packing some damp moss on top. Once it starts to root you can take it out and place it in a pot of ficus pots. It is essential to keep your soil moist but not soggy. It is also important to wipe the leaves down regularly. This will help to stop fungal disease and allow the plant to absorb more sunlight. If you would like, you can spray the plant with misters. However, dripping wet foliage can cause staining on furniture and carpets.
5. English Ivy
The English Ivy, Hedera helix, is a vine that is evergreen and is a popular house plant because it's always green. It's also a great climber for trees and walls and provides privacy screening. If you do not need a plant to climb that will spread across your home there are a lot of less-invasive ivy like plants to look at like pothos and Philodendron.
Be aware that English ivy can choke out tree trunks if it gets excessively heavy, which affects the health of the wood and increases the chance of fungal decay and diseases. It can also cause damage to the bark of mature trees during windstorms because it pulls and sticks to them.
The plant is still attractive by itself. There are a variety of cultivars of the plant, including all shades of green and variegated varieties that have white, yellow, gray and cream. house plants common of them include 'Itsy Bitsy', which has tiny leaves that look like ivy Congesta, which has two-sided, heart-shaped, or triangular leaf lobes 'Diana' and 'Fluffy Ruffles and 'Fluffy Ruffles', which have birds-foot-shaped leaves with narrow lobes; 'Curlilocks' as well as 'Gold Child', which have large curly leaves that are rippled or wave-like; and 'Silvery Variegation and 'Glacier' which have silvery variegations.
Ivy plants love cool indirect light and well-drained soil. Water them sparingly and protect the foliage from drafts and heating vents. Misting the plants frequently helps prevent dryness and also keeps spider mites away. If pests do appear up, treat them like you would treat other common houseplant insects such as aphids and mealybugs. These treatments can be treated using neem oil or insecticidal soap.
6. Kalanchoe
The kalanchoe plant (KAL- n-KOH-t ) is a simple flowering succulent that flowers with minimal attention. Its long period of reblooming is a favorite among florists and house plant lovers, who use it as a centerpiece and dish gardens. It's also a great present since it is a perennial bloomer that can rebloom for years after the initial display.
Like many flowering plants they love bright light and good drainage. Let the soil completely dry between waterings to avoid water spots. Also, do not allow kalanchoes to sit in water that is stagnant for long periods of time, as this could lead to root rot. When watering, only use pots and potting mixes that drain quickly, and be sure not to overwater a Kalanchoe.
Try exposing plants house to lower levels of light, that mimic shorter days, just as you would a poinsettia, or a Thanksgiving cactus. Try this for a month and you'll see it start to bloom again.
Like most flowering plants, they require a regular fertilizer, preferably with a balanced water-soluble formula. The majority of potting mixes contain nutrients. However, it is best to feed your plant each month from spring until the fall. This can be done by placing a saucer under the pot and pouring any excess water out of it. It is recommended to mist a kalanchoe with water instead of spraying directly on it since getting the leaves wet may cause a fungal infection known as Rhizoctonia solani or Fusarium root rot.