We have decided to bring more living things into our home given the research it helps mood, stress etc. I know nothing about house plants as I’ve never owned one.
Any suggestions on plants that are nice looking, easy to maintain, and lower probability of being infested?
Plum trees
Depends on what you think’s nice looking (with your well-documented varied taste it could be anything).
But I think the most beautiful often tend to be more demanding of conditions than yer average Aspidistra, requiring moist air and damp peat around the pot (double pot these and spray with water every morning).
Calatheas are delicate and beautiful
as are Maraantas
Dieffenbachia have a lovely light airy appearance
Then again, the classic draughty Victorian hallway plant does deserve a photo it’s so architectural. Aspidistra:
Philodrendums are nice and this variety has a velvety look:
Will add more to this post when I think of some
We also tried this during the pandemic and it’s nice. Right now we’ve got two peace lillies, two dracaena “trees” (one big one small), one dumb cane, two agave babies (we killed momma), one snake plant, and an assortment of succulents.
Two quick notes as you look around the internet for ideas:
Out of the plants we’ve got we both agree that peace lillies are our favorite (toxic to pets though). They’re pretty easy to take care of, watering every 5 days or so (they tell you when they need it by drooping a little bit), and bloom with these cool white buds. You could also start with something like a snake plant that looks nice, is easy to care for, and is pretty forgiving.
Our biggest challenge has been finding a groove for watering, which obv differs by species. I’d 100% recommend double-potting because it’s more forgiving in the case of over-watering–you can just drain the outer pot. Just take the plastic pot the plant comes in and put it inside of a slightly larger pot that’s more decorative. I fault over-watering for the few casualties we’ve had so far: rotting an agave and killing a couple snake plants that weren’t double-potted.
I got a few house plants about a year and a half ago. A couple of them aren’t doing so well.
I don’t think there’s near enough light at the windows in my apartment. I downloaded a free light meter app just for fun and it seems to work pretty well. Hypothesis verified. There are some caveats including that illuminance in lux is tied to human perception (peaks at ~green), not directly to what plants crave (red and blue), but you still get an indication.
Also have an issue with gnats, which is pretty common I guess. I may overwater, so maybe watering less would help with that? I ordered some traps to cut down the population (it’s not a lot, but after a while I notice they tend to die and collect at the sunniest window sill). I don’t want to do insecticide. Any advice on this is welcome.
