Suffering from a brown thumb? Experiencing green plant envy? Coined yourself as a serial plant killer?
Well friend, I feel you are not alone here. Quite simply, you may just be choosing the wrong plants to grow. Some green leafy babies are very sensitive, needy, temperamental and difficult. If you are heavy on the water pour, not mindful of the light that is needed, or the air temperature isn't quite right, you may be adding these plants into your compost bin a lot sooner than you expected. We suggest staying away from those drama-queen plants, at least until you get your confidence back.
My friends comment on my plants, and question how I do it? How do I grow these lovely additions without killing them? I am frank with them - I mostly ignore them (my plants - not my friends lol). I honestly only choose ones that require very little of my time, and enjoy watering when I think of it - which is usually once a week. With my extremely busy work schedule, I'm not going to fool myself into thinking I can handle anything other than easy plants. I love them in my life, I love what it adds to a room, and they bring me joy when I see new shoots of life growing.
House plants really do boost our moods, are great for our mental health, and nurture us by having a living thing to concentrate on. Here are 4 impossible to kill plants that I suggest you give a go. Who knows, maybe you are a born #plantmama after all.
Ficus
One of my favorites, the Ficus plant is quite easy to care for. Once a week, I add a little water to it - but not too much! It happily sits on my dresser in my room, that enjoys the bright light but isn't in the direct sunlight. Repotting is good idea after you bring it home and again as it grows larger. If you are unsure on what soil to buy, just ask a plant professional at the store you're buying your plants from - they can steer you in the right direction.
Here are some solutions if your Ficus has a large loss of leaves:
If you changed the pot or it's location. Your Ficus is experiencing a mild form of transplant shock. Leave it alone (other than watering it) and it should be ok.
Maybe it's location has a lack light, in this case you must add more light to it.
Home is too dry! Increase the moisture in the air, this will help the plant cope in dry indoor environments.
Home is drafty. Ficus hates drafts and that may be enough to cause it to lose it's leaves.
Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra Elatior)
The cast-iron plant has earned its reputation as a hard to kill plant. It can survive a lot of neglect and growing conditions that would kill other plants. If you have signed yourself off as a plant killer without hope of rehab, well sister, this could be your plant for redemption.
It's really this simple:
Water when the soil dries out, grand canyon dry.
Fertilize once a year
Avoid over watering
Avoid direct sunlight
Spider Plants
Spider plants are one of the easiest houseplants to grow, even for beginners. I love its long, narrow leaves with longer shoots of baby plantlets that can be rooted and separated from the parent plant.
They like an even moisture; they don’t like to be too dry or too wet, so simple enough, right? Keep them in moderate, indirect sunlight. If their leave are burning - then too much sunlight. If their leaves are turning brown, you're overwatering them. Easy breezy-lemon squeezy.
Snake Plant
The snake plant, ranked high in popularity and hardy houseplants. Not only is it so easy to care for, it makes a great statement in your décor.
Easy to grow and, in many cases, are nearly indestructible. The Snake plant will thrive in very bright light or almost dark corners of the house. They grow slowly in indoor light, but simply increasing it's exposure to light will boost growth if it receives only a few hours of direct sun a day.
How do you know if your snake plant is unhealthy? The leaves have a yellowish tinge on the outer edge or the leaves are pale and floppy. To revive it, bring it into indirect light, and maintain a warm temperature to prevent cold stress. Perhaps you have overwatered it? In this case, stop the frequency of the watering schedule and only add a tiny bit when absolutely necessary.
Pothos Plant
I call this the university plant. You tend to see dorm rooms and apartments of students with Pothos plants hanging from planters or sitting on shelves, with its long vines growing around the room. Pothos plants are considered by many to be a great way to get started caring for houseplants. So easy to care for and undemanding, this lovely plant is an easy way to add some green in your home. They love bright, indirect light as well as low light and will thrive in dry soil or in vases of water. They do well in nutrient rich soil, but do almost as well in nutrient poor soil.
If you see these signs, your Pothos may be dying:
Yellow or brown leaves, dropping stems, leaves falling off or dried up curling leaves - you may be overwatering it, have it in too bright sunlight, or in very low humidity.
In any of the 5 plants we have discussed, if you're unsure if this plant is for you, need more information on care, or how to solve plant problem, you can call your local nursery for advice, or just google it. There is so much information at your finger tips.
Now that I have inspired you to bring some plants back into your life, here are my top 10 favorite planters, plant stands and of course our must-wear t-shirt.
Ready for some fun? Then take this plant quiz, let's see how you do.
I scored 84%!
Thank you for joining me on my favorite topic, plants. I hope I have given you some inspiration and guidance on your plantlady journey. I am grateful you paid me a visit.
Just a Dab of Plants Will Do xo
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