Forum: gardening.stackexchange.com
Tags: <indoors><houseplants><plant-recommendations>
Title: What are some low maintenance plant choices for apartment (indoor) living?
Question: I'm not an expert on plants, but would like to add some plant life to my apartment. I'm looking for good choices that:   don't require direct sunlight  require minimal watering  survive for at least a few months at a time  have low risk of attracting pests   Bonus points for "interesting to look at". Cacti seem low maintenance and resilient, yes? What other choices are there that I might consider?

Answers:
sents: text: Many houseplants can withstand low light intensity.
text: You can google "houseplant".
text: Some of them can clean the air too, according to a research done by NASA.
text: I have a copy of that research in google doc here .
text: Here is a shortlist of houseplants: Hedera helix
text: English ivy Chlorophytum comosum spider plant Epipiremnum aureum golden pothos Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa' peace lily Aglaonema modestum
text: Chinese
text: evergreen Chamaedorea sefritzii bamboo or reed palm Sansevieria trifasciata snake plant Philodendron
text: scandens `oxycardium' heartleaf philodendron Philodendron selloum selloum philodendron Philodendron domesticum elephant ear philodendron Dracaena marginata red-edged dracaena Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana' cornstalk dracaena Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig'
text: Janet Craig dracaena Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii' Warneck dracaena Ficus benjamina weeping fig I recommend Snake Plant , Golden Pothos and Spider Plant myself.
text: Golden Pothos is very hard to kill because they are pretty good at different environment.
text: You can also plant Golden Pothos in water within a glass container which is beautiful.
text: Among all of them, snake plant require minimum attention.
text: You can water once a month.
text: On the other hand, cacti require good sunlight and prefer hot, dry environment.
text: In low light environment they don't look very good.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/140/lamwaiman1988
score: 25
sents: text: We've had a Christmas Cactus (A.K.A. Holiday Cactus) in our bathroom window for over ten years now, with very little watering.
text: I have a picture of the same young plant (in bloom) from the 90's .
text: The name of the plant comes from the bright flowers that bloom during Christmas.
text: It's remarkably unlike traditional cacti and from a distance it doesn't look like one.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/147/Ambo100
score: 10
sents: text: Regarding low maintenance, one of the things to bear in mind is choice of compost : in my experience, a peat-based compost dries out much more quickly than a soil-based one (however much moisture-retaining additive the first contains); this involves more frequent watering which, if you have a number of indoor plants, can be fairly time-consuming.
text: Sooner or later, if you have a busy schedule and fail to water your plants often enough, the tip of their leaves will turn brown and curl up or wilt; instead of contributing to the amenity of your apartment, they will detract from it; so, if you buy quite a few plants, and are very busy, a soil-based compost would be a better choice.
text: Of the plants already suggested, the one that will withstand the most neglect - a real ironclad - is almost certainly the Spider Plant ( Chlorophytum comosum ).
text: I've had one for over twenty years and I can vouch for its tolerant nature!
text: Source:
text: Wikimedia Commons
text: If you opt for a palm (another ironclad that I've had for many years), given that you live in an apartment, height will be an important consideration.
text: Indoor palms do well in low and filtered light.
text: There is some useful information on the different varieties here .
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/136/Mancuniensis
score: 9
sents: text: As well as cacti, I'd look more generally at succulents .
text: When I was a kid, I loved growing lithops (living stones) just because they were so visually interesting.
text: And, they positively reward neglect, as over-watering will cause too many leaves to form, which spoils their camouflage.
text: I also had a number of different forms of crassula ,
text: whose geometrical leaf patterns I loved (I always found a certain beauty in nature's expression of math!).
text: Finally, if the spines on cacti might make them unsuitable in places, how about something like euphorbia obesa ?
text: Suitably bizarre to look at and, again, nicely drought tolerant.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/139/Mal Ross
score: 8
sents: text: Dieffenbachia species tend to make good house plants.
text: They don't need much water or sunlight and tend to be really hardy indoors.
text: A brand name of one of our Dieffenbachia is "indoorstructable"!
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/397/Lisa
score: 7
sents: text: I have a Jade plant sitting near an East window that I've had for years.
text: I only water when its very dry
text: and it takes care of itself.
text: It started as a table plant and now sits on the floor and is roughly 4 feet wide and tall.
text: A great plant that requires very little care.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/1635/cynthia bramberg
score: 5
sents: text: Most ferns and ivies work well indoors.
text: We use these mainly in our vertical gardens when planting them indoors.
text: Pothos is a great plant for indoors as well.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/809/Gavin
score: 4
sents: text: I've had good luck with hoya plants.
text: They have a variety of leaf shapes and colors and require little water.
text: They need good light but not direct sun.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/1368/Rain
score: 4
sents: text: I have a beautiful rubber tree that's been living indoors with indirect sunlight for a while, and just can't stop thriving.
text: It's a peaceful and oxygen-adding addition to an apartment.
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/3475/Charney Kaye
score: 4
sents: text: Philodendron Cordatum and Philodendron Hederaceum .
text: Massively leafy.
text: Small footprint (pot size relative to amount of leaves).
text: Great for cleaning air in city apartments.
text: Thrive in diffused (indirect but near) sunlight.
text: Resist the urge to untangle its cords.
text: Those "tangles" provide support while the plant winds its way to the best light it can find.
text: Left undisturbed, they'll link into woven waves.
text: Start with a small one and transplant it into a pot with plenty of room to grow.
text: Keep the soil moist, but never flooded.
text: Use standard 4-4-4 houseplant fertilizer.
text: After a year of consistently good care, it'll be huge.
text: These are perfect in hanging pots near the top corner of a window.
text: Don't hang it
text: too high--
text: it'll be difficult/dangerous/messy to water, and it won't be happy if its base foliage is in the dark (above the diffused window light).
text: Every "node" of the plant has the ability to shoot down roots if it hits soil.
text: Thus, a piece can easily be snipped and re-planted to start a new plant.
text: Give trimmings to all your buddies (before the apartment is overrun by your massive plant)!
text: Clippings will even grow in jars of water-
text: but they want some root support to thrive.
text: This same species grows wild in Caribbean (Hederaceum) and tropical (Cordatum) climates, booming on the forest floor with stalks as thick as a baseball bat and leaves the size of a table!
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/3475/Charney Kaye
score: 4
sents: text: Aspidistra elatior , commonly called the Cast-Iron Plant; this plant lives up to its name!
answer_details: author: gardening.stackexchange.com/users/3351/stormy
score: 3

Summary of the answers:
Golden Pothos, snake plant, spider plant and indoor palms are all good choices. You could also look at succulents in general, as well as ferns and ivies.
Golden Pothos is hardy in different environments and snake plant and the spider plant requires little attention. Indoor palms also do well in low and filtered light. Christmas Cactus needs little watering and you can also consider cacti and succulents in general. Dieffenbachia  species  tend to make good house plants. Most ferns and ivies work well indoors. Pothos  is a great plant for indoors as well.