Ask HN: Which plants can be planted indoors and easily maintained? - gymshoes
======
iamben
I'm a big fan of cacti. I've not managed to kill one (yet). Also anecdotally I
found I was killing plants because I overwatered them. Turns out they don't
need love as often as I (and I think a lot of people) thought. Apparently a
good generic test is checking if the soil is damp - don't water if it is.

Anyway, just asked this question to the founder of a start-up I'm working
with. She replied "Sansevierras thrive on neglect and low light calatheas are
good" \- if that helps? As an aside / plug if you're in the UK:
[https://bloomboxclub.com](https://bloomboxclub.com) \- she's set up HN10
which will give you 10% off all plants / plant subscriptions for the next few
days and want some (more?!) greenery :-)

~~~
Jaepa
I'll second sansevierras (also called snake plant or mother in law's tongue).
When I started working as a programmer I had one in my office in the back of a
windowless office. It was amusing seeing how many people assumed it as a fake
plant as they didn't a plant could live back there.

Zamioculcas (or ZZ Plants) are also another very hardy plant that do well in
low light and can take a lot of abuse.

There is also Pothos, several types of ferns (Boston being the most aviable in
my experience), Spathiphyllum (peace lilly), Dieffenbachia, Monstera,
Spiderplant, Rubber plant, weeping fig, fiddle leaf fig. All of these are
pretty common and should be relatively easy to find.

If you want some more interesting ones there are Calathea Triostar, Ficus
Doescheri & Tradescantia Tricolor which all have a pinklish marbling, &
Tradescantia pallida which is a deep purple.

~~~
nkzednan
Another thing about snake plants is that you can cut a few inches of a leaf
off and plant it. Within 3-9 months or so it will sprout some new shoots.

------
eatonphil
Pothos is so easy to grow! I started with one last year after a move and have
propagated it successfully 8 times... I'm currently trying to get coworkers to
accept clippings so I don't have to throw away excess.

Snake plants are also easy to grow indoors.

When I was first looking around for indoor plants I found the NASA study [0]
on house plants for air quality and went with the easiest to maintain of
these.

To find how "easy to maintain" a plant is, just Google it and most sites that
talk about care will let you know.

[0] [https://www.greenism.com/nasas-guide-to-air-filtering-
housep...](https://www.greenism.com/nasas-guide-to-air-filtering-houseplants/)

~~~
faizshah
Peace lily is extremely easy to grow, we've had some in the house as long as I
can remember. Nice to know they're great for air quality too.

~~~
test1235
Probably worth noting that what is easy to grow for one user might not be for
another - we all live in different parts of the world. At first glance, Peace
Lilies wouldn't do well in my cold, dark and rainy part of UK.

~~~
stevekemp
I stood one on the window of my bathroom, and left it there for a couple of
years.

Never watered it at all, and it thrived despite the leaky window. I always
assumed it would get water, via condensation/steam from my shower and that
seeemed to be the case.

------
dotdi
I'm a big fan of Spathiphyllum[0] a.k.a. Peace Lillies. They don't need much
light and you practically cannot over-water them. When too thirsty, they start
slouching and recover quickly after adding water.

They seem to be good for the air quality and here's some anecdotal evidence: I
have a room in my flat that had a weird smell about it. My son was sleeping in
that room and the smell became very pronounced soon after closing the door. We
put a medium-sized Spathiphyllum into that room and the stink is much less
noticeable, even at night. My wife was skeptical but now we have them in
almost every room of the house.

[0]: [https://www.thespruce.com/grow-peace-
lilies-1902767](https://www.thespruce.com/grow-peace-lilies-1902767)

------
hprotagonist
Spider plants are basically immortal. I’ve traveled with cuttings wedged in an
empty toilet paper tube on the back of a motorcycle before and then forgot
about them for a few days.. and then they grew fine.

~~~
androidgirl
I had a friend who grew her spider plants in a fishbowl of water for years,
somehow. They're insanely tough little guys.

~~~
hprotagonist
Oh yeah, i've had a cutting i've been meaning to plant for about 18 months now
in a teacup.

------
jamesholden
Easier to read overview: Lifehacker [https://lifehacker.com/this-graphic-
shows-the-best-air-clean...](https://lifehacker.com/this-graphic-shows-the-
best-air-cleaning-plants-accord-1705307836)

NASA PDF - Interior landscape plants for Indoor air pollution abatement:
[https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/199300...](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073077.pdf)

------
dforrestwilson
[https://www.amazon.com/Rare-ZZ-Plant-Zamioculcas-
zamiifolia-...](https://www.amazon.com/Rare-ZZ-Plant-Zamioculcas-zamiifolia-
House/dp/B000PYAGFU)

It doesn’t need (or prefer) direct sunlight. It only needs water once a month.

The best part is it cost less than <$10 on Amazon.

I love mine.

~~~
Jaepa
Ah that drives me nuts. Its a super common house plant. Its tough as rocks
though.

------
workmandan
I have a few "Mother of Thousands" [0] which started out as a single plant
that I was gifted but it grew so rapidly that I now have about 6 pots of them.
They produce tiny little baby plants on the edges of each leaf which then drop
off. They are also nigh on impossible to kill (I rarely water them). I used to
plant all the tiny 'seedlings' but now throw them away as there are just way
too many. Be aware though that they are toxic so maybe not a good mix with
pets.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryophyllum_daigremontianum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryophyllum_daigremontianum)

------
getty
Spider plants are one of my favourites, you can get them from pretty much any
garden centre and they are easy to propagate/maintain. It's almost impossible
to kill Mother-in-law's tongue. Dracaenas look great, too

------
TheAceOfHearts
Bamboo and cactus are two easy choices. I keep a pair next to my bedroom
window. It's amazing how much impact having a few plants in your house can
have.

Sometimes I'll bring my bamboo buddy over to the desk and talk to it while
doing rubber duck debugging [0]. I'd invite the cactus as well, but it's a bit
too prickly. ;)

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging)

------
petre
You can plant a terrarium bottle garden. No maintenance needed. There are
bottle gardens that haven't been opened for 40 years. It will develop some
algae though, and it does look rather wild. Aquarium plans and ferns are
suitable contenders. I have a Progestemon erectus plant in a jar, Hemianthus
callitrichoides mixed with Eleocharis pusilla in a rectangular plastic box,
Micranthemum 'Monte Carlo' in another box and in an open bowl filled 1/2 with
aquasoil that we keep on the bathroom window and mist regularly. There are
also more beautiful plants such as Bucephalandra or Cryptocoryne but I've only
planted them submersed. Bucephalandra will attach to and grow on driftwood and
rocks.

[http://theaquaticplantsociety.org/world-of-
bucephalandra/](http://theaquaticplantsociety.org/world-of-bucephalandra/)

With bottle gardens as with tissue culture, your worst enemy is mold.

------
androidgirl
I grow a lot of plants indoors, and the limiting factor is almost always light
levels. If your space for growing has a large west or south facing window,
you're in great shape! You will be able to grow most plants.

However, East or North facing windows will be able to grow low light plants,
or need full spectrum (5000k) lighting.

Easy bright light plants include succulents, pony tail palms, avocados,
bananas, and most herbs.

Plants that tolerate or thrive in low light are pothos, spider plants, parlor
palms, the bromeliads, snake plants, and english ivy.

Of these, I suggest a spider plant, they're very hardy, nearly impossible to
kill, and even don't mind being a little root bound.

Succulents require more patience, but are also fairly easy. Be sure to not
overwater, and make sure they have enough drainage! Some indoor gardeners grow
theirs in a mix of gravel and pine bark, in order to completely drain, and
just fertilize every watering.

The most important thing is don't try orchids at first. Finicky things.

------
neya
To answer your question correctly, we'd need to know what's your climate like.
But, if you didn't give us that information, I'd of course recommend you a
cactus like everyone else.

But if you live in an island like me, Devil's ivy aka Money Plant is my
choice. Scientific name: Epipremnum aureum.

[https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Devils-Ivy-Pothos-
Epipremnum/d...](https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Devils-Ivy-Pothos-
Epipremnum/dp/B0076ZJ21K)

It's an excellent plant that you'll quickly fall in love with, while requiring
very little maintenance. In asian culture, this plant is considered to bring
good luck, prosperity and money. Hence the name.

I recommend it not for those reasons, but from a purely plant owner experience
point of view. You can control its direction as it can creep. Mine goes around
my 27" monitor so it's really a beautiful sight to see.

------
alangpierce
Depends on your goal, but I got a little succulent plant for Christmas that
I've been keeping at my desk at work. I have almost no previous experience
with plants, but I water it once a week and it has done pretty well for almost
a year now. I gave it a name and it has been a nice little joy in my life.

------
Logicwax
This is what I used to help cure my black thumb:

Cricket chirp when your plant needs water.

[https://www.adafruit.com/product/1965?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2LuJ...](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1965?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2LuJlaj-3QIVFf5kCh2eSAtPEAQYASABEgIWx_D_BwE)

------
thecolorblue
This may not be the answer you are looking for, but any plant will grow if you
have a good light source and the right amount of water and nutrients. Add a
grow light and some vermiculite to the soil and you can grow just about 90% of
the plants available at your local gardening store.

------
collyw
Ok, from a brief look into this before (I am in no way an expert) I think you
would need to define what you see as a problem with indoor plants. Is it lack
of light?

As a quick and not too detailed answer, take a look at the typical plants you
see around offices - dracaena is one that comes to mind. I think it handles
relatively low light and has the benefit of reducing mould particles in the
atmosphere. Ficus is another one that I have had indoors and is really
difficult to kill, though mine is outdoors now.

(As for easily maintained, I have had some dracaena before and they are pretty
easy, but in both ended up getting some sort of disease after a couple of
years).

------
PebblesRox
Air plants are fun and pretty easy - just dunk them in water every so often.

I have a Christmas cactus that is nice. I break off the long pieces and stick
them back in the pot and they keep growing. I did this with my aloe plant too.

And I have a cactus or succulent that I know of as a Hot Dog plant, though
google wasn’t recognizing that name. It might be a variety of Rhipsalis.

Also I was given a basket of indoor foliage plants and I replanted them into
individual pots. Most of them are still growing strong! Looking at a garden
center or a florist’s for a basket like that could give you a nice variety of
easy-to-grow foliage that would make a good start.

------
koolba
Fiddle Leaf Fig plants are a great choice.

[https://www.google.com/search?q=fiddle+leaf+fig&tbm=isch](https://www.google.com/search?q=fiddle+leaf+fig&tbm=isch)

------
akoster
I've had success with spider plants and "Wandering Jew" plants by growing them
in water for a while, and then adding soil at some point, and watering every
3-4 days or when the soil gets dry.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_pallida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_pallida)

------
NeedMoreTea
Grape ivy will tolerate no end of neglect except heavy overwatering or sub 5
deg C. Good for getting lots of foliage, wiithout support it'll trail, or
climb with a couple of sticks in the pot. Also very easy to take cuttings
from, and will come back from near death neglect.

[https://www.shrublandparknurseries.co.uk/cissus-
rhombifolia-...](https://www.shrublandparknurseries.co.uk/cissus-rhombifolia-
ellen-danica.html)

------
ribeka
I have a few orchids inside my place. Most are Phalaenopsis, and one vanilla
orchid. After talking with one orchid grower, they told me the key thing when
taking care of orchids are:

* Do not overwater them (no standing water on the base of the planter). Keep the media moist.

* When the root turned white, give them water until they turned back to green (apparently they also photosynthesize).

I also have big gardenia in my kitchen and small gardenia propagated from the
big gardenia that I put on my work desk.

------
sdfjkl
Cherry tomatoes (because they're smaller and lighter they don't require much
support), chili peppers, maybe strawberries (mine ended up getting aphids
though).

I've written a bit about this back when I played with indoor gardening:
[https://sdfjkl.org/blog/starting-
hydroponics/](https://sdfjkl.org/blog/starting-hydroponics/)

For obvious reasons I was only interested in food plants :)

------
westurner
Chlorophytum comosum (spider plants) are good air-filtering houseplants that
are also easy to take starts of:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum)

Houseplant:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houseplant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houseplant)

------
UI_at_80x24
Devils Ivy.

Leave it in water for years, or plant it and forget to water it for weeks.

It can grow quite long, so cut it, stick the cut-end back in the water and it
will root and keep going.

------
GeekyBear
Dracena are attractive and easy to care for. Water them twice a month and feed
them a couple of times a year.

They are a good indoor plant for beginners and they come in a lot of striking
colors that you can mix and match in the same pot.

[https://www.pinterest.com/iarapraude/dracena/](https://www.pinterest.com/iarapraude/dracena/)

------
grawprog
There's a lot of things already suggested so I don't have a ton to add, but I
didn't see green onions anywhere. You can grow them from the roots you cut off
of the ones from the store. They'll grow in just a cup of water if you really
want. Though they start to get kinda flavourless and mushy after a while that
way.

------
dvh
Ficus Benjamina, Aglaonema. I have both for two decades now, it last 1 week
without water. No pests. Huge. Leafy.

~~~
collyw
Ficus seem to be pretty difficult to kill (mine is still alive after close to
10 years). Pretty sure it has gone a fair bit longer than a week without
water.

------
matty22
My wife received an orchid as a gift. I know nothing about gardening, but I've
managed to keep it alive and growing for about 6 months. Just water it when
the soil feels dry and re-pot it every other year is about the extent of the
care instructions a DDG search turned up.

------
nelsonic
Here is the list of house/indoor plants which promote cognitive function in
order of ease of maintenance:

 _Areca Plam_ (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens AKA Dypsis lutescens)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dypsis_lutescens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dypsis_lutescens)

 _Mother-in-law 's Tongue_/ _Snake Plant_ (Sansevieria trifasciata)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata)

 _Money Plant_ (Epipremnum aureum)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum)

 _Boston Fern_ (Nephrolepis Exaltata)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephrolepis_exaltata](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephrolepis_exaltata)

 _Peace Lilly_ (Spathiphyllum)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathiphyllum)

 _Gerbera Daisy_ (Gerbera jamesonii)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbera_jamesonii](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerbera_jamesonii)

 _Spider plant_ (Chlorophytum comosum)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum)

 _English Ivy_ (Hedera helix)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedera_helix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedera_helix)

Take the list of plants to your local plant nursery to see how many of them
they have in stock. Buying them already established is much cheaper/easier
than growing them from seed/cuttings.

According to Allen et Al 2015 (see link below), having pure/fresh air in your
working environment _significantly_ improves cognitive function. i.e. having
indoor plants makes you smarter!

> Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation,
> and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled
> Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments ~
> [https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/27662232/4892924...](https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/27662232/4892924.pdf)

> _Conclusion_ : Office workers had _significantly improved cognitive
> function_ scores when working in Green and Green+ environments compared with
> scores obtained when working in a Conventional environment.

> We’ve been researching this for: “home”
> [https://github.com/dwyl/home/issues/8](https://github.com/dwyl/home/issues/8)

Relevant YouTube videos on this topic:

[https://youtu.be/gmn7tjSNyAA](https://youtu.be/gmn7tjSNyAA)

[https://youtu.be/lPNYdSZRSdg](https://youtu.be/lPNYdSZRSdg)

[https://youtu.be/9dG9K8IQo7s](https://youtu.be/9dG9K8IQo7s)

~~~
noio
A version controlled repo for a physical habitat. You're building the B&B from
Cory Doctorow's _Walkaway_ :)

~~~
nelsonic
@noio yes, indeed there are similarities with Walkaway
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkaway_(Doctorow_novel)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkaway_\(Doctorow_novel\))

We will avoid the war. ;-)

------
smt88
This depends on how much light you have, what you mean by "easy", and what
country you live in.

My personal opinion is that HN isn't a good forum for the question, especially
when it's been written about on countless websites for specific
locations/conditions.

------
icebraining
I'm growing Genovese basil on my windowsill. I water it irregularly, yet it
grows quite well. I'm hoping to do a nice pesto from it, but the smell alone
is very nice.

------
tmaly
In the Northeast, I would recommend boxwoods, I have 4 and they are super low
maintenance.

I have a large variety of rose bushes, but they require a ton of work.

------
iBookChick
I'd like to add coffee, baby rubber trees, dwarf umbrella, earthstars (or any
bromelaid, for that matter), and dracenas.

------
nkozyra
Cane palm doesn't need much care or attention if you're looking for something
more tropical.

------
cleetus
Pathos, jades, and other succulents are pretty easy. I water them once a week
and repot once a year.

------
tropo
Do mushrooms count? They don't need any light at all. Shittake just need some
wet oak.

------
Fiahil
I'm growing a Pineapple, and my SO is growing a Japanese Black Pine ! :)

------
atrilumen

        Blue Dream
        Green Crack
        GG4
        Dutch Treat
        Cinex

------
rhn_mk1
Peppermint willl survive multiple weeks of neglect and abuse.

------
megasquid
Yucca cane.

------
meggar
Cacti.

------
anoncoward111
I have a fig tree and a blueberry bush growing indoors with a 65w lamp and 70F
constant temperature.

The fig tree is dying and the blueberry bush is fruiting :)

Kind of the opposite of what I wanted though lol :(

------
another-cuppa
Succulents are easiest. Things like peace lillies are also classic. Anything
you could get from a supermarket is probably fine.

