Indoor plants are quickly neglected in the hustle of hectic schedules and everyday lives. The best house plants are ones that are resilient and prefer a slight bit of neglect or the Low-Maintenance Plants. Green thumbs are not everyone’s cup of tea, which is okay; indoor plants can cater to every lifestyle, making luscious indoor plants possible for every home. When deciding what plant, you want to bring into your home, be realistic about your personality and time constraints.
Do not opt for a plant that requires daily maintenance if you work a job with daunting hours and know that when you get home, the last thing you want to add to your to-do list is water, rotate, and clip the plant. Succulents are neglect-friendly and drought tolerant. On the other side of the spectrum, the Poinsettia is more for those of us that have the extra time to devote to more TLC. No plant is zero maintenance, and if that is your preference, then an artificial plant is for you, but we are hopeful that if you are interested in giving your green thumb a whirl, potentially try out one of the low-maintenance plants from our list.
Low-Maintenance Plants
Before choosing your plant, evaluate not only your time constraints but your indoor space. Mainly what are the lighting conditions? No matter how easy a plant is to care for, it will always require some type of lighting to thrive, and typically most indoor plants prefer medium to high indirect lighting conditions.
Here are 15 indoor houseplants that require minimal maintenance.
1. Philodendron – Low-Maintenance Plants
Philodendrons require sunlight, water, and fertilizer. They like bright, indirect sunlight; find a window with plenty of natural sunlight but keep an eye out for signs of too much light. Burnt yellow, red, or browning leaves are a good indication that your plant could be burning. To keep this from happening, try adding a sheer curtain to filter the direct rays.
When watering your Philodendron, allow it to dry out a few inches beneath the soil between watering’s.
Liquid fertilizer is excellent for Philodendrons; add fertilizer to the plant’s soil on average every two months.
2. Phalaenopsis Orchid
Water your Phalaenopsis Orchid every one to two weeks allowing the soil or medium to dry out between watering’s. Too much water can cause your plant stems to become mushy, root rot, and yellowing leaves. Orchids, if in the correct soil, will require watering every seven to ten days.
Orchids can grow in orchid-based potting mixes or pebble-type mediums. You want to clean, repot, and fertilize your Orchids after every blooming season.
Orchids also love bright indirect light, similar to most other indoor plants. If natural light is not an option, consider incorporating artificial lighting to help your plant grow.
3. Ponytail Palm
Ponytail palms are more flexible on light compared to some other indoor plants. These plants can adapt to medium light but prefer bright indirect to direct full sunlight.
When watering your ponytail palm, allow the soil to dry out completely. Ensure your pot has the proper drainage holes because root rot will kill your plant fast if it sits in excess of water.
When potting your plant, choose a cactus, palm potting mix with slow-releasing fertilizer incorporated.
4. Rubber Plant – Low-Maintenance Plants
Rubber plants are at the top of our list for low-maintenance plants.
The rubber plant only needs bright, indirect light and a good watering twice monthly to thrive. Make sure these plants are watered with lukewarm or room temperature water. They do not like to have their roots shocked with cold water.
Aside from the bases of water and sunlight, the only other thing a rubber plant needs to survive indoors is repotting and pruning twice yearly. It is best to add fresh soil before the cooler seasons. Try doing so in early Spring and late Summer.
5. Dragon Tree
Dragon trees have sword-like leaves and red edges around the leaves. The dragon tree is very drought-tolerant and extremely resilient against neglect.
The dragon tree prefers bright indirect light but can adapt to low light conditions. These are slow-growing plants, so if kept in low light conditions, expect minimal to no growth.
6. English Ivy
The English Ivy likes to be watered but does not like to be overwatered. Water your English Ivy thoroughly but allow your plant’s soil to dry out a few inches beneath the top layer of the soil before watering again.
Ivy’s love humidity even though they do not want their soil saturated. Add a humidity tray beneath your plant or a humidifier in the room to supplement moisture missing from the air.
English Ivy’s need the correct lighting to thrive; medium to bright indirect light is ideal for these beautiful plants to flourish.
7. Aloe
Aloe is a common houseplant to have due to its ease of care and medicinal properties.
These plants require bright, indirect sunlight. They can tolerate direct light but only if slowly conditioned to do so. If your Aloe plant is placed in the direct light monitor to ensure the leaves are not burning.
Aloe is also a neglect-loving plant. Besides proper lighting conditions, all it needs to thrive indoors is watering occasionally and drying out before watering again.
8. Peace Lily
The Peace Lily is a beloved plant of many due to the symbolism and ease of care.
Peace lilies, unlike many other indoor plants, can do well in low light. Not only low light, but these plants can also grow in fluorescent lighting, making them a great addition to office settings.
Only water your Peace Lily when the soil is dry; overwatering will cause root rot and plant death.
9. Spider Plant
Spider plants are tough, abuse tolerant plants that are perfect for the forgetful gardener. Provide your spider plant with well-draining soil, water when the soil is dry, and find a sunny window location for it to grow to its optimal potential.
10. Pothos
Pothos are a plant of choice for beginner gardeners. Also, these plants can thrive in bright or low lighting conditions and grow in potting mix or water vases. Pothos are said to be impossible to kill plants, so if you are a beginner wanting to bring a super easy plant indoors, you cannot go wrong with a Pothos plant.
11. String of Pearls
A String of Pearls are unique, eye-catching plants to keep indoors. These succulents are perfect for hanging over a shelve or in a window and letting their foliage seep over the edges.
The String of Pearls is a simple houseplant to own. The only thing they strictly require is six to eight hours of bright indirect sunlight daily.
Aside from sunlight, it needs well-draining soil, never to be overwatered, warm low moisture environments, and only trimmed back if that is your preference.
12. Paddle Plant – Low-Maintenance Plants
When you think of a paddle plant, think of a flapjack pancake.
You only want to water your paddle plant when the soil is dry to prevent soggy stems. As for sunlight, the paddle plant adapts well in bright indirect sunlight or a bit of shade.
Avoid direct sunlight, especially in the summer, since the paddle plant will quickly burn and become damaged when finding the perfect sunny spot for your plant.
13. Christmas Cactus – Low-Maintenance Plants
The Christmas Cactus, also known as the Schlumbergera, is a popular plant in the Fall season and is especially loved during holidays. This Christmas Cactus is an easy-to-maintain plant that can be passed down throughout generations if well-loved throughout the years.
Christmas Cacti prefer rich soil that is quick draining to help prevent the risk of overwatering. Christmas Cacti need moderate to bright indirect sunlight and will produce fuller blooms the more sunlight it receives. The beloved holiday plant also requires medium humidity levels indoors; add a humidity tray beneath your plant to prevent wilting.
14. Jade Plant – Low-Maintenance Plants
Many indoor plants do well with the soak and dry method in terms of watering. Jade plants, however, do not like being overly saturated and will not survive if allowed to dry out. Water your Jade plant when the surface of the soil is dry to the touch. If your Jade plant starts losing leaves, most likely it is receiving too little water.
Jade plants are also one of the few plants that crave direct sunlight. Most indoor plants will burn if allowed access to direct sunlight but not the Jade plant; they love bright sunlight.
15. Yucca
The Yucca plant is a fun tree-type plant to grow indoors and these plants add dimension and characteristics to any room they bless with their presence.
These plants are easy to care for indoor plants if given the right formula for success. Yucca plants like bright indoor sunlight and never want to be overwatered. The soak and dry method is an excellent option for this plant when watering.
Yucca plants are not picky about their soil if it allows proper drainage to release excess water.
Low-Maintenance Plants – The Wrap-up
There are many low-maintenance indoor plant options. Whichever plant you choose, you will not regret it.
There are plant options for apartment dwellers and those with bright sunrooms in their homes. There are options for those that prefer succulents and for the opposite that opts for luscious blooming flowers. Figure out what your home conditions offer for a plant, and then base your preferences around what your environment can provide.
