There are many reasons why having plants inside your home is good for you and your family. For one, indoor plants can cleanse the air inside your home, giving you a fresh breath even indoors. Placing plants inside your home can also serve an aesthetic purpose as they can easily be an indoor decoration that can add a beautiful pop of color in your home. Some plants even have extra purposes such as spicing up your dish or emitting a pleasant scent to your home. The downside is that it’s often difficult to grow plants indoors because they’re not exposed to their ideal environment when they’re inside the house. The temperature is not right and the plants don’t get enough sunlight. Fortunately, there are a couple of plants you can easily grow indoors which require little maintenance so you don’t have to worry about it dying on you. Here are some easy houseplants you can grow.
Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterphylla)
All that Norfolk Pine really needs to grow is ample light and humidity. If the light is too low, its branches will turn brown and fall off. If the air is too dry, the plant becomes a viable habitat for the common houseplant pest spider mites. Subject the plant to bright light and 60-75°F. Allow the soil surface to dry before watering again. Norfolk Island Pine, in its native habitat, can grow up to 200 feet tall but it only grows to about 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide indoors.
Aloe (Aloe sp.)
Aloe is a very low-maintenance succulent with distinctive elongated leaves that fan out from a central base. Some Aloe grows into large sizes but there are smaller varieties such as Aloe vera which you can keep by the sunny window. Aloe can grow up to 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. The leaves are often spiky so keep the plant away from rooms with many people who can accidentally scratch themselves on the leaves. The ideal environment for Aloe indoors is a temperature of 65-75°F, under bright lights, with moderately dry soil.
Cast-Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
Just as the name suggests, the cast-iron plant needs very little maintenance and even likes to be left alone. It can survive in low light, poor soil quality, a wide range of temperatures, and spotty watering. Its foliage can grow up to two feet high and its dark leaves are great eye-catchers. There is no more perfect houseplant for people with no green thumbs to grow than the cast-iron plant.
Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
If you want to add a touch of tropical in your home, what better way to do it than by growing the pretty Areca palm? It can grow up to several feet, great for filling up an empty corner in the room, but you can grow it in a smaller pot to keep its size smaller as well. It does well in indirect light and likes its soil somewhat dry so you can water it on alternate weeks.
Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerii)
There’s nothing like a beautiful plant with pretty blooms and nice fragrance. You can get all that in one of the most popular houseplants called Sweetheart Hoya. Because it has large, succulent leaves, you don’t need to water it often and it doesn’t require much sunlight as well. However, you’ll need to expose it to the right amount of sunlight in order to coax the beautiful blooms. Even without the blooms though, the heart-shaped leaves are still something to look forward to. It’s even safe for your pet cats and dogs.
Echeveria
Another pretty succulent plant that’s safe for both cats and dogs is the Echeveria. The plant grows in a bloom-like shape, somewhat like a rose, and it comes in many varieties and colors so you have a lot to choose from for your home. It needs a lot of constant light and the soil must be kept moist in order for it to grow healthy.
