Easy Plants to Keep Alive Without a Green Thumb
It’s easy to fantasize about the tiny details of your home. From DIY projects to funky decorations, we can represent ourselves in our spaces in all different ways. Although there are many ways to enhance your home, there seems to be a common thread in most decoration inspiration: plants.
Plants are a great way to bring life into your home without sacrificing precious space or needing to add more colour. The care they need allows you to feel more connected to your home and can make great company if you live alone. That being said, not all of us are able to keep a plant alive at the best of times, and in those busy weeks where you can’t find a spare minute to water your plants? Good luck. To prevent (or at least postpone) the demise of your plants, we’ve compiled a list of plants that are virtually indestructible.
Cacti
We know, it’s shocking. Cacti are actually some of the easiest plants to keep alive - If they can live in the desert, your home shouldn’t be a problem. The key to keeping a cactus alive is to not overwater. Make sure that you let the soil dry completely before watering again, and be mindful of how much you give when you do. If your cactus is feeling shaky or unstable in its pot, has developed soft spots, or is changing colour, it’s likely due to overwatering. Although your instinct in seeing a dying plant is to water it again, resist the urge. If anything, wait far longer to water than you normally would, and starve the cactus for a couple of weeks. After that, slowly reintroduce water back into the soil for the next month or so to see how it reacts.
If you can nail the maintenance aspect, cacti can be very streamlined, cute additions to your home. Just be careful of those spikes!
Succulents
As the cactus’s step-sibling, succulents also prefer to grow in dry places. The primary difference is you’ll need to water succulents more frequently - about once a week. Although this is the recommendation, succulents are extremely tough and persistent and are quite hard to kill.
Dried-out dead leaves at the bottom of the plant are completely normal. Although alarming, they are a natural part of the growth process. If your plant starts to yellow and new leaves are falling off without drying out or turning brown, however, then you’re likely overwatering your succulent. Lay off the caretaking for a few days and see how it goes. On the other side of things, shriveled and crispy plants are indicative of under-watering. There is a healthy balance between the two that you will find as you learn read your plants and adjust accordingly.
Along with this, the variety that succulents come in, makes a wide variety of aesthetics that are compatible with any home’s style. They will add a little something extra to your decor without being overboard.
Leafy Plants
Once you’ve mastered cacti and succulents, You’re ready to move on to Leafy plants. A sometimes more intimidating category, these guys are used to a little more water and TLC. Leafy plants are often avoided by first-time plant owners, however, there are still some low-maintenance options that will leave your home feeling alive:
Ferns
Ferns are tough little guys that grow in shady forest areas. They’re a great plant to keep in mind for spaces in your home that may not get as much light, but still need a pop of green to brighten things up. Although they don’t need much sun, they still need some, so be sure to provide what little sunlight is available. A frosted window sill in a bathroom, for example, is a perfect spot for most ferns.
What they don’t use in sunlight, they make up for in water. Ferns prefer conditions where there is a lot of water available. Without a sufficient amount of moisture in the air, most ferns will turn brown and dry out, so be sure to either be constantly misting the air near the fern or put them in a more humid space in your home like the laundry room or bathroom. Along with a humid room, frequent watering will help with growth and survival.
Money Plants
Money plants come in a few different shapes and sizes, however they all have easy care in common. They are easy to keep alive as long as they are in a bright space, and are watered at least once a week. Curled leaves on your money plant could be a sign of overwatering, so be mindful of this when checking in on it.
Be sure to rotate money plants periodically or they will start to grow lopsided. If you’re finding it difficult to keep your money plant alive, fear not. These guys are super easy to propagate (replant the spores off of the original plant), which means you’ll get endless money plants and endless tries at keeping them alive.
Pothos
You’ve probably seen them before in your friend’s homes, or sitcoms about Millenials. This viney plant is a popular leafy decoration known for being indestructible. It likes to be in bright but indirect light and thrives when the soil fully dries out between waterings.
If your Pothos’ leaves are turning yellow, it’s a pretty good sign that something is going wrong - it’s most likely too much sunlight, or poor drainage in your pot. These issues are the prime culprits, so be mindful of these things when setting up your plants. With that said, pothos are resilient, and you can experiment with where this plant thrives best in your space.
Last, but not least
If all of these options seem way too intimidating, or like an overwhelming amount of responsibility, we have one last suggestion. These guys are low maintenance, low risk, and are impossible to kill; plastic plants. Fake plants can look nearly identical to the real plants, and provide all of the benefits of the real thing. If you manage to kill these guys, then we don’t really know what to say. The only advice we have in this case is to not get a dog any time soon.
No matter what plant it is, it’s a good idea to start small and expand your collection slowly. Plants can be addictive. You get your first and before you know it, every surface in the house has something green on it. Before getting in too deep, try beginning with one or two plants from this list. Starting small and working your way up is the best way to turn your thumb green.