Five "Brown Thumb" Approved House Plants

Five “Brown Thumb Approved” Houseplants

In most states, January is the coldest month of the year. I don’t know about you but it makes me crave a little bit of springtime. Nothing brightens up the house more than a little bit of jungle in your living room. I have compiled a list of five houseplants that should thrive even if you’re “house plant challenged”.

The Jade Plant

The most important thing about caring for your jade plant is your watering. The jade plant should not be watered on a schedule. The jade plant should be watered when the top inch of soil is dry. This will keep you from overwatering and causing root rot. Never let your jade plant dry out completely. Jade plants prefer full sun and will grow slower if they only receive partial sun. They do great in average room temperatures and only need fertilization once every six months. Never fertilize a dry plant as the chemicals will damage the roots.

The Spider Plant

Spider plants can tolerate a lot of abuse. They even enjoy it a little bit. This makes them perfect for beginners or people with a “brown thumb”. Spider plants like to be kept in cooler temperatures, between the mid-50’s and mid-60’s. They do not like a lot of water and can be susceptible to root rot if over watered. Spider plants even enjoy drying out completely every now and then. Spider plants do enjoy a semi-pot bound life so only repot them when the main roots become very visible and watering becomes difficult. Finally, spider plants take root easy. You can plant the spiderettes or split the mother plant.

The Snake Plant

This plant is easily the front runner for most hardy plant. This plant can tolerate low light levels, needs very infrequent watering, and can even help clean the air in your home. The most important thing you need to know about caring for a snake plant is that they need soil that drains well. The snake plant is a succulent and it can store a lot of water in their leaves for a long time. Watering once every two to three weeks in the summer and even less frequently in the winter will keep your snake plant happy. There are many varieties of the snake plant. The most common is called “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue” but all varieties are very tough.

The Pothos Plant

The pothos plant is by far one of the easiest plants to care for. It can thrive in low light and it can grow in soil or in a vase of water. Many varieties of pothos are variegated meaning they have more than one color in their leaves. When a pothos is struggling it will appear more green than white. This is because only the green part of the leave is used when photosynthesizing light and nutrients. An important thing to remember about your pothos is that if you start it in water you should keep it in water for its entire life. If you start it in soil you should keep it in soil. Pothos have a hard time switching between mediums. Is the pothos poisonous? That is always the first question we are asked when we recommend this plant. This plant does contain calcium oxalates so it can be toxic to humans, cats and dogs though it is rarely fatal. Many people keep this plant in their house with no ill effects to their families or pets.

The Peace Lily Plant

The Peace Lily is brilliant. They are so brilliant they tell you when they need water. The Peace lily is very drought tolerant so when you notice the leaves starting to droop that’s when you should water. The most common cause of death among peace lilies is over watering. Peace lilies do well in medium to low light levels. If you place the plant in an area that gets a lot of sun you will notice that it blooms more often. If you like the dark green leafy looks keep it in lower light rooms. These plants grow well, when you notice that the leaves are not as broad and look misshapen it’s time to repot.  When you repot your peace lily make sure that you are putting it into a pot that is at least two inches larger than the pot it is already in. Finally the broad leaves can get clogged with dust it is a good idea to wipe down the leaves once a year.

These five plants are very easy to care for and should thrive no matter how they are treated. These plants should shoo away those winter blues and gives you a touch of the jungle right in your living room.