BEST EASY CARE HOUSEPLANTS FOR BEGINNERS

LEARN ABOUT EASY TO CARE FOR HOUSEPLANTS FOR BEGINNER PLANT KEEPERS. THESE PLANTS HAVE SIMPLE, BASIC CARE REQUIREMENTS AND ARE HARD TO KILL!

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Many of you had reached out to me asking for suggestions on easy care houseplants for beginners. I took a walk around my home and thought about every plant for a couple of minutes. I asked myself: Which plants here require little to no effort? Which of these plants have I completely forgotten about without any ill effects?

There are many easy to care for houseplants out there. These are my top 5 easy care plants that I own (and have owned for several years). I chose these plants specifically because they do not require any special care, and they do very well when neglected.

HOW TO KEEP EASY CARE HOUSEPLANTS ALIVE? START WITH THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE

If you haven’t already read Houseplant Care: A Beginner’s Guide, you should click over there and read that post first. I explain a detailed overview of basic houseplant care for beginners, and this information will set you up for plant-y success!

FOR EASY CARE, JUST LET THEM BE

The greatest lesson I have learned so far in my houseplant keeping, is to just let them be. Put a plant somewhere in your home where you think it will thrive and don’t move it. It can take a bit of time before the plant tells you if it likes it’s location or not, so try not to constantly be moving it around. The same goes for watering/inspecting your plants. I’m very plant-obsessed, so if you are too I totally understand where you’re coming from. The best thing you can do for your plants is not to fuss with them daily. I’ll check every few days to see if anybody needs water, but resist the urge to water too often.

MY FAVORITE EASY CARE HOUSEPLANTS FOR BEGINNERS

As I mentioned earlier, I made these selections based on how well they survive neglected (or stuffed in a random corner of my home)! Here’s the line-up:

ZZ PLANT

The first easy care houseplant I am sharing with you all today is the Zamioculas zamilifolia (aka Zanzibar Gem), or the ZZ Plant! When I first started doing houseplant research, I thought ZZ plants were rather boring. That was, until I saw them in a store! ZZ plants have thick, shiny leaves and these plants are well known for being extremely hardy.

Lighting: ZZ plants are tolerant of a wide variety of lighting. These un-killable houseplants are generally loved for their low-light requirements, however will tolerate brighter (indirect) light quite well. If the ZZ is getting too much light, brown spots will appear on it’s leaves.

This ZZ lives in my bathroom, under a skylight where it frequently gets hit with clothes that missed the hamper. I’ve even dropped it a couple of times while cleaning and this plant just continues to grow.

ZZ plants are not the fastest growing plants, so if you find yourself with one don’t be alarmed if you don’t see any new growth for some time.

Watering: This forgiving plant can dry out between waterings without ill effects to the plant. I often forget to water it, even though I look at it each day!

Feeding: For the majority of my houseplants, I use an all-purpose plant fertilizer diluted down to 1/2 the recommended dosage. Water bi-weekly during the growing season (April-Oct). Because I don’t water the ZZ plant very often, I don’t fertilize it as often either. The plant still continues to thrive, but our fertilizer schedule is more like monthly for this one.

Humidity: ZZ plants do not require extra humidity in their environment, and will thrive in normal household conditions. During the winter our home is very dry when the wood stove is in use, ZZ doesn’t mind a bit.

POTHOS

Pothos may be the most widely recognized houseplants out there. Also known as Epipremnum aureum, Pothos come in a huge number of different varieties. Most Pothos varieties are easy to care for, and have similar care requirements. In our home, I currently have Golden Pothos and Marble Queen Pothos. I care for both varieties exactly the same way.

Lighting: Like the ZZ, Pothos can handle low to moderate amounts of sunlight. People like Pothos plants because they can often be used as decor in a part of the home or office that doesn’t have adequate lighting, and the plants can thrive there. Bright, direct light may burn the leaves – so indirect lighting is best.

Watering: Infrequent watering is well tolerated by Pothos plants, as they can dry out between waterings without issues. In fact, I have forgotten to water my Pothos to the point where the leaves felt completely limp! When it is time to water, be sure to water the plant enough so that water comes out of the drainage holes in the pot.

Feeding: Pothos grow extremely quickly, and plants that grow fast need to eat! Fertilize bi-weekly during the growing season for a healthy plant.

Humidity: Pothos benefit from a little extra humidity in their environment, but will not die without it. During drier months I often run humidifiers for our family, so our plants have a bit of extra humidity. From my experience, it is not essential to run a humidifier to keep Pothos alive.

SNAKE PLANT

This list would not be complete without talking about Snake plants! Much like the Pothos, there are many different varieties of Sansevieria (snake plant) available for purchase. The variety that I am picturing here is a Bird’s Nest Sansevieria.

Lighting: Snake plants can handle any type of lighting, as long as they are gradually introduced. Meaning, if you’ve had your snake plant in low light all winter and want to move it to full sun outside for the summer, it may be a good idea to transition it slowly.

Watering: Wait until the plant is dry before watering (like, really dry). Snake plants can die from being overwatered, so it’s safest to treat them more like a cactus than a tropical plant. My snake plant is in a glazed terra cotta pot (glazed pots retain more moisture) so I water it maybe once per month?!

Feeding: Snake plants aren’t too needy to care for at all, they hardly even need to be fertilized! Once or twice per season provides plenty of fertilizer for snake plants to thrive.

Humidity: No humidity? No problem. Snake plants enjoy dry air just fine.

ALOE VERA

Not only are Aloe plants easy to keep alive, these plants are wonderful to have in the home. Use them for sunburns, shaving cream, hand sanitizer, or any other DIY skincare products you can dream up! Aloe’s technical name is Aloe barbadensis miller, it is a succulent plant that thrives under many growing conditions.

Lighting: Aloe thrives in bright, indirect light such as the light coming through a South facing window with a sheer curtain. Aloe can burn when too much direct sun beats down on it’s leaves.

Watering: Let your Aloe dry out between watering. I water our Aloe about as often as I water our Snake Plant, every month or so.

Feeding: At this time, I don’t feed my Aloe plant because I am using this plant for skincare recipes. If you choose to fertilize your Aloe, use an organic fertilizer once during spring.

Humidity: No extra humidity is required for Aloe plants. Our aloe actually lives right next to our wood stove!

SPIDER PLANT

Chlorophytum comosum, also known as the Spider Plant. Just about every plant keeper has a Spider Plant at some point in their plant keeping journey. They’re so easy to care for, it’s no surprise!

Lighting: Spider plants prefer bright light, but they will grow in just about any lighting condition. These plants thrive outdoors during summer, just remember to bring them back indoors when evening temperatures drop to 50 degrees.

Watering: During the summer months, Spider plants should be watered regularly so that their soil stays moist. There’s a bit of a trend here, I do tend to forget to water plants on occasion – our Spider thrives even when it has been totally dried out. During the winter months, water less frequently.

Feeding: Spider plants can be fertilized bi-weekly (1/2 strength) with the other plants. If you skip a feeding or two, that’s okay! Feeding is not essential.

Humidity: These hardy houseplants don’t mind drier air, and do not need any extra humidity in their environment.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE …

• Houseplant Care: A Beginner’s Guide
• Summer Garden Tour (2020)
• How to Care for Houseplants During Winter
• Cool Weather Crops to Plant for a Great Fall Garden
• How to Store Heirloom Seeds: And Why You Should!

I hope this article inspires you to try keeping some of these easy care houseplants in your homes! Houseplants naturally clean the air of our homes through photosynthesis. In addition, houseplants can support feelings of calm and help to ground us.

In the comments below, I would love to know what your favorite houseplant is!

Thank you for visiting our farmhouse today.