The Monstera is a low maintenance, gorgeous tropical plant that can grow in virtually any light environment and is relatively drought tolerant.
Watch out for: Crispy leaves indicate overwatering or sunburn while yellow leaves indicate inadequate watering. But don’t be concerned—Monsteras are exceedingly understanding and resilient!
Which indoor plant requires the least amount of care?
There’s no need to obsess about caring for your plants in order to negate those advantages. Don’t worry if you have a propensity to overlook the presence of living things in your house.
Here are 11 plants that will never fail for the forgetful among us. I’m talking about things that are so low-maintenance that they’ll make fun of your carelessness.
Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller)
Aloe may be my favorite plant because it continues to love me despite my forgetfulness. Aloe is ideal for you if you can’t recall the last time you watered your plants.
Even though it would be difficult for me to describe anything as indestructible, aloe is more susceptible to dying from too much than too little treatment.
As an example, my amazing boyfriend started misting and watering the plants to help out. He did, however, treat every plant equally. Being so heavily misted or watered made my aloe unhappy. She can return to her cheerful bright self with a little neglect.
ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
The best beginning plants are ZZ plants. The ZZ is definitely ideal for you if you frequently forget to water anything, including yourself. Never once did I have to wonder if there was a problem.
It is alone and sitting in the corner right now. I water it occasionally, occasionally I don’t, and we coexist in perfect harmony.
The ZZ earns bonus points for its stunning appearance. Look for a raven ZZa beautiful, black variant if you want something even more distinctive.
Snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)
have insufficient lighting? Snake plants, often known as “mother-in-tongue” law’s in colloquial usage, are excellent for bathrooms without windows. They also function well in direct, bright light.
These attractive houseplants are ideal if you frequently travel or forget to water your plants because they can survive weeks without receiving even a drop of moisture.
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Spider plants are incredibly hardy, making them one of the greatest beginning plants. They remind me of indoor monkey grass, if that makes any sense.
Although they flourish in most environments, spider plants fare best in a hanging basket in front of a window.
Cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior)
If your ideal plant care schedule involves almost minimal maintenance, cast iron plants are great.
Try one of these hardy fellows out if you want a living plant but don’t want to take care of a live plant.
Succulents (multiple families)
Succulents now have their own Instagram feeds and Reddit subreddits, making them the latest trend. Succulents are among the greatest plants for beginners, despite the fact that I personally struggle with them. Therefore, I’m adding them.
Toxicity: The majority are harmless, but not all. Safe bets include Plush Plant, Tree Cactus, and Wax Rosette.
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
This is one of the most tolerant indoor plants and is also referred to as devil’s ivy because of its resistance to death. My pothos plants have been neglected for weeks on end, but all they needed was a little water here and there.
Pothos are available in a wide range of exquisite hues, including neon (a vivid, almost yellowish green), marble queen (a green and white patterned), and golden (which has a yellow and green pattern).
Cactus (Cactaceae)
Cacti are members of the succulent family and may essentially be cared after in the same manner.
Avoid cactus for the time being if you overwater, which is probably not the case if you neglect your plants.
Toxicity: The majority are harmless, but not all. Try Sempervivum “Ruby Heart,” Blue Echeveria, and Zebra Haworthia
Philodendron
The two are frequently mistaken because they behave similarly to pothos. These are excellent plants to advance to despite not being quite as hardy as pothos.
You can choose from a wide range of sizes and shapes because philodendrons are a diverse group of plants.
Swiss-cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa)
When I finally felt the urge to level up my modest collection, this was my first “big girl plant.” I was confident and prepared to tackle more challenging tasks.
I may have gotten bigger, but it wasn’t really any harder. It turns out that monstera plants are also remarkably hardy. Monsteras can tolerate a variety of lighting conditions and will overlook occasional watering lapses.
These will develop into monsters, as their name suggests. Keep them in a dimly light place if you’re a bit concerned about space and want them to grow more slowly.
What kinds of plants ought I to buy first?
7 Houseplants with Simple Maintenance:
- Calm Lily. The peace lily blends in with any environment because to its large, deep-green foliage and lovely white blossoms.
- Palms. It is a “plant it and forget it” option because it requires little maintenance.
- Sansevieria (Snake Plant)
- Plant ZZ.
- Planta alba (aloe).
- Monstera.
- Dieffenbachia.
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What kind of plant is the easiest to grow?
Simple Plants for Children to Grow
- a snap pea. Snap peas are an early crop that grows quickly.
- Sunflowers. The garden of a young child must include these cheery flowers.
- Radishes. Radishes grow quite quickly.
- Marigolds. These resilient tiny blooms can withstand rigorous treatment and still thrive.
- tomatoes, cherry.
- Pumpkins.
- Carrots.
- Potatoes.
Which indoor plant is the hardiest?
These plants require very little maintenance because they enjoy their pots and won’t need to be repotted frequently. They do best near windows in the kitchen or bathroom, where there is abundant indirect light. When the earth starts to dry out, give them a healthy drink even if they don’t require frequent watering.
Your spider plant will flourish as long as you don’t allow them to become overly wet. Spider plants rarely become sick or have pest problems, and their leaves only occasionally get brown tips.
Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)
Aloe plants thrive in rich potting soil that has been combined with vermiculite to aid drainage or in a succulent potting soil. Aloes enjoy a leisurely sip, but afterward they let the water drain completely away from the soil. If the soil is still wet, wait until it is.
Overwatering an aloe plant is the quickest way to kill it, but if you submerge it instead, your plant will thrive. Keep aloe vera plants in a sunny window since they prefer bright indirect light.
Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata)
These beautiful, colorful plants are simple for novices to grow and enjoy. They can reach heights of up to 20 feet when grown outdoors, but by properly potting and trimming them indoors, they can reach heights of one to six feet.
A wide variety of temperatures are acceptable to the Madagascar dragon tree. They accept lesser amounts of light as well, however they might lose part of their color. Bright indirect light is optimum for their growth.
Keep dracaenas in rich, permeable soil, and only provide water when the soil’s top half is dry. Due to their enormous root systems, these trees require huge pots. They don’t require a lot of fertilization or additional humidity. Although not toxic to humans, this plant may be poisonous to cats and dogs.
You may learn everything you need to know about raising these lovely, tough houseplants by reading my post on Madagascar dragon tree maintenance.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema sp.)
A Chinese evergreen is the ideal plant for the carefree plant enthusiast. This plant is attractive and hardy, with lovely green leaves that have silver flecks on them.
Small, immature plants can be placed on your desk, while older, larger plants would look beautiful on the floor as a corner piece in your space. There’s no rush to repot it because these plants develop slowly.
Flaming Katy (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)
The kalanchoe, often known as the fiery katy, thrives on neglect. At your neighborhood grocery store, you can frequently find these tough houseplants for sale in hues of red, white, yellow, orange, and pink. Large heads of tiny tubular blooms protrude from meaty, deep-green leaves. These beautiful plants are attractive and simple to take care of.
This plant can last up to two weeks without water; it only has to be watered when the soil becomes dry. Bright sunshine is essential for kalanchoes, therefore a sunny windowsill is the perfect location.
Deadhead your plant to extend its blossoming period. You are under no obligation to discard your burning katy once it stops flowering. You can get buds to start growing again in about a month or two by simulating 14 hours of darkness every night. Find out more about flaming Katy’s care in this article.
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)
A rubber plant is a great choice if you’re seeking for houseplants that are difficult to kill. Despite being classified as a plant, the ficus elastica can reach heights of 60 to 80 feet in the wild.
The rubber plant may grow rather quickly in your home under the correct conditions, so even if you get a little plant, you’ll receive a lot of plant potential for your money. These plants come in a wide range of colors, from pale variegated kinds to those with dark, rubbery green leaves.
The growth of rubber plants does require a lot of indirect light. The soil should be kept slightly wet but not drenched. Use a gentle, wet cloth to clean the leaves if they appear dusty. Other than that, as your rubber plant grows, you’ll need to repot it occasionally. Pick a substantial container and potting soil that drains properly. Find out more about caring for rubber plants in this article.
Bromeliads (Bromeliaceae)
Beautiful indoor plants called bromeliads are available in a vibrant spectrum of hues. These beautiful plants, which were once regarded to be difficult to maintain, may now be simply incorporated into your house.
When keeping a bromeliad indoors, you don’t need to worry too much about the temperature because they can endure wide variations in it. However, you’ll need to raise the humidity around the plant when it gets hot. The simplest method to achieve this is to place the pot inside of a pebble tray that has water in it.
Make sure you adhere to the parameters for the type of bromeliad you have because these stunning plants have a variety of light requirements. In general, bromeliads will thrive in direct light that is bright.
The soil and water are the most important aspects of bromeliad maintenance. Use a soil that drains quickly. Make careful to fully wet the area and to let the water drain out completely. Before watering again, let the soil entirely dry out. If the bloom on your bromeliad dies, it could be challenging to revive it.
Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
You may submerge your jade plant. When its leaves start to shrink, you’ll know it needs to drink. Give it a long, gradual drink of water after that, letting the water drain out of the ground completely. Wait to water again until the soil’s surface has dried. You can let it go a little bit longer in the winter because growth is slower.
Jade plants require a few hours of intense direct sunlight each day, but the variegated kinds can survive on only indirect light. Your jade won’t require replanting very frequently because they prefer to remain rootbound, which will help you manage their size.
How many indoor plants are ideal?
Human life is dependent on plants. They can eliminate contaminants from the air we breathe and change the carbon dioxide we exhale into fresh oxygen through photosynthesis.
Indoor plants help purge the air of cancer-causing volatile organic chemicals like formaldehyde and benzene, according to a renowned NASA experiment that was published in 1989. (Those NASA researchers were looking for efficient techniques to purify the air in the environs of space stations.) Later studies have discovered that soil microorganisms in potted plants also contribute to the purification of indoor air.
Some scientists claim that indoor plants are efficient natural air purifiers based on this research. The quantity of leaf surface area determines the pace of air filtration, according to Bill Wolverton, a retired NASA research scientist who conducted that 1989 plant study. And the bigger and leafier the plant, the better.
According to Wolverton, it’s impossible to predict how many plants could be required to completely purge a room of its impurities in the absence of pricy testing. He does, however, typically advise at least two “excellent sized plants per 100 square feet of indoor space.” One of the best plants for eliminating airborne contaminants is the Boston fern, although it might be challenging to cultivate it inside, according to him. “The golden pothos is a well-liked and simple-to-grow plant, so that’s usually what I suggest.
While Wolverton has long been a strong supporter of indoor plants—he has written books on the subject and currently runs a consultancy business that promotes their use to purify contaminated air—other experts contend that the evidence supporting their ability to do so is far from clear-cut.
According to Luz Claudio, a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, “There are no conclusive studies to indicate that keeping indoor plants can considerably boost the air quality in the home to benefit health in a meaningful way.
Claudio has examined the studies on the advantages of indoor plants on the quality of the air. She claims that under “laboratory circumstances,” there is no doubt about the ability of plants to remove volatile chemical pollutants from the air. However, there isn’t much solid scientific evidence to support the idea that adding a few plants to your house or office will help to filter the air there.
The majority of research projects to date, including the NASA study, placed indoor plants in restricted spaces to gauge their ability to purify the air. Stanley Kays, an emeritus professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia, claims that those studies aren’t really relevant to what takes place in a home.
A 2009 study on the purifying properties of 28 various indoor plants was co-authored by Kays. While many of those plants were capable of purging the air of contaminants, the author claims that transitioning from an enclosed container to an open atmosphere drastically alters the dynamics.