Do plants come to your apartment to die? While some people may never have a truly green thumb, that doesn't mean all plants are off-limits. Delicate or sensitive plants may not be your forte, but there are a whole host of species out there that can withstand a lack of watering, low light, or general negligence (to a point, of course). Even those with the worst plant care skills ever can find plants that are just plain hard-to-kill with a little research and help from a garden center. We'll highlight a few here, as well as some tips to help you treat your leafy friends with a little more respect.
Brown Thumb Approved Houseplants
Cacti: If you have a hard time remembering to water your plants, cacti may be a good choice for you. They need little water (some only need to be watered once or twice a month) or care, but they will require a bright window. Just make sure not to over water, as that's one of the few ways to do these guys in.
Bamboo: There are few houseplants easier to care for than bamboo. All it needs is to be in water and kept out of direct sunlight. You can even put it in a dark bathroom. It's pretty hard to kill and as a bonus is rumored to bring good luck.
Corn plant: Corn plants are called such because their leaves resemble that of corn. These hardy plants need little sunlight and only need light watering once a week.
Philodendron: You'd be hard pressed to murder this plant, though I'm sure it can be done. It does require good light, but doesn't need a ton of water. Your biggest problem may be that it grows out of control, as is often the case with the climbing varieties.
Spider Plant: This South African houseplant is one of the most popular houseplants out there, in part because it's so easy to care for. It needs bright light so it's not ideal for dark spaces, but isn't picky about temperature and doesn't need to be watered more than once a week.
Peace Lily: I can personally attest to the hardiness of this plant, after letting one completely wilt, watering it, and having it come back like it was no big deal. Added bonus: it doesn't need much light. It should be noted, however, that it's very difficult to get a peace lily to flower at home unless you have very bright light in your apartment.
African Violet: These pretty little plants don't need a lot of water, once a week is sufficient and they like to dry out before being watered again. Even better, they offer up loads of beautiful blooms to make your space look nice.
English Ivy: This plant will thrive under even artificial light and requires little care. Growers do need to watch out for spider mites on this plant, however.
Dracaena: I have a few of these which I routinely forget to water and treat terribly. They are growing steadily. I rest my case.
Pothos: These plants are all over offices and cubicles. Why? Cause they're easy to grow! They don't like direct sunlight and need to be watered only once a week to start growing like crazy.
Tips and Tricks
Put a reminder in your phone or in a planner. Can't remember to water or fertilize? Make it super hard to forget by adding a weekly reminder to water your plants into your phone.
Read up on your plants. A simple internet search can tell you quite a bit about how to care for your plants. Light, water, humidity, temperature; these are all things you need to keep in mind when caring for your plant so do your best to get conditions just right.
Water sparingly. Once a week should be enough for most plants, and some succulents and cacti need to be watered even less frequently.
Let them rest. Plants need a break, too! Most plants need to rest in winter which means less food, less water,and possibly a lower temp.
Keep plants away from radiators and heat vents. This can dry out plants and if too close to the heat source, may even burn them.
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