Houseplants that I can't kill

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networkn

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#306882 30-Aug-2023 21:22

My mother and mother-in-law were/are green-fingered. Despite that, my wife and I have an uncanny ability to kill plants of any type but recently I read about the health benefits (imagined or real who knows!) of having some pot plants in rooms around the house.

I am looking for attractive and incredibly (and I mean damn near impossible) hard-to-kill/low-maintenance.

Edit: No Cactus, or anything that could harm our cats (or kids).

TIA

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#3122013 30-Aug-2023 21:34

I think i found what you are looking for should be easy enough to get locally, link below.

https://tinyurl.com/ycymh4es

networkn

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#3122015 30-Aug-2023 21:38

Qazzy03:

I think i found what you are looking for should be easy enough to get locally, link below.

https://tinyurl.com/ycymh4es

Heh, I knew that was coming. Did you miss the part about unkillable? I think you underestimate just HOW bad we are with plants.

jarledb

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#3122016 30-Aug-2023 21:40

If you kill off artificial plants then more power to you! ;)

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k1w1k1d

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#3122018 30-Aug-2023 21:56

Dandelion.

Gurezaemon

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#3122021 30-Aug-2023 22:17

Triffids. Then you'll only have to worry about them killing you.

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k1w1k1d

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#3122022 30-Aug-2023 22:21

On a serious note, my wife suggests non prickly succulents.

eonsim

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#3122039 31-Aug-2023 00:02

Spider plants, can survive nearly anything. If the leaves look yellowish add water, if not leave them. They can happily survive a teenage boy who remembered to water them only when they were yellow, if they have a big enough pot that may be once a month.

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michaelmurfy

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#3122043 31-Aug-2023 00:07

So there are a fair few nice looking plants that are toxic to Cats - here is a somewhat useful list: https://www.spcapetinsurance.co.nz/pet-insurance/the-good-life/toxic-safe-houseplants-pets

The Wife and I who are both terrible with looking after plants opted for artificial plants along with open windows after killing many.

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mattwnz

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#3122044 31-Aug-2023 01:03

The reason why many people kill house plants is because they over water them and the roots rot. They may already be damaged when you buy them from a garden centre as they can also overwater them. Lack of light is also an issue. Yuccas are pretty hardly and can survive a long time without water and I have one I got 20 years ago and keep chopping it up can creating new plants. The health benefits are mainly due to ambience. They are said to 'clean the air' and although they do produce oxygen, you would need a lot of plants to make much difference IMO to air quality.

neb

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#3122135 31-Aug-2023 10:42

k1w1k1d:
On a serious note, my wife suggests non prickly succulents.

Yeah, they're pretty much indestructible. Mother-in-Law Tongues in particular.

It really depends on what you want them for, it's like food, the healthier it is the more bland it tastes until you get to stuff like celery which isn't a food at all but a member of the plywood family. With house plants, the more boring they look the harder they are to kill. If you want them for visual appeal then unfortunately decent fakes may be your best bet.

neb

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#3122138 31-Aug-2023 10:45

mattwnz:
They are said to 'clean the air' and although they do produce oxygen, you would need a lot of plants to make much difference IMO to air quality.

The "study" that was based on was bogus, you'd need a small deciduous forest in your house to have any real effect, although the sound bite form of it keeps getting cited over and over. So they're for visual appeal only.

neb

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#3122140 31-Aug-2023 10:46

michaelmurfy:
So there are a fair few nice looking plants that are toxic to Cats - here is a somewhat useful list: https://www.spcapetinsurance.co.nz/pet-insurance/the-good-life/toxic-safe-houseplants-pets. The Wife and I who are both terrible with looking after plants opted for artificial plants along with open windows after killing many.

Cats?

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#3122149 31-Aug-2023 10:51

There are sensors that you can get to monitor water etc, as geeks we should be all over those :)

tdgeek

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#3122161 31-Aug-2023 11:04

mattwnz:

The reason why many people kill house plants is because they over water them and the roots rot. They may already be damaged when you buy them from a garden centre as they can also overwater them. Lack of light is also an issue. Yuccas are pretty hardly and can survive a long time without water and I have one I got 20 years ago and keep chopping it up can creating new plants. The health benefits are mainly due to ambience. They are said to 'clean the air' and although they do produce oxygen, you would need a lot of plants to make much difference IMO to air quality.

100%. Best to water from the tray the pot sits in, so it can wick up. Dont be over zealous with water as the simple fix it, for the exact reasons you stated.

Now, if the soil mix was clearly dry, I would pop the pot in the kitchen sink and fill the sink with water so the pot is saturated, soil moisture sorted, allow the pot to drain the saturation away in the sink then put back on the tray. A little water in the tray once a week if needed. Diffuse light not direct (but Google the plant to check that as that can vary)

blackjack17

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#3122175 31-Aug-2023 11:57

Cyclamen

Tradescantia Zebrina

Spider plants

Mother in law tongue

Peace lily

Ficus

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