small, hardy houseplant - and how to keep it alive

[lust2hart]

I'd like to add some plants to my home, one at a time. I really and truly do have a brown thumb; my recent victim is an aloe vera plant, which I understand to be extremely durable. So I'm looking, again, for a plant that, maybe, I might not kill. I'd like something that stays relatively small - say, up to 2 feet tall and up to 1 foot in diameter. Any suggestions? 

I believe I figured out my problem with the aloe. I transferred it into a pot that has no drainage holes, and even though I only watered it once every few weeks, I believe it still got waterlogged as the base of the leaves got all mushy and brown while the rest of the leaves were still green and plump. So at the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, my question is - If I want a plant in a pretty pot, do I just leave it in its plastic pot that I buy it in, that has a bunch of holes, and just put the whole thing in the pretty pot? Would I put soil in around the plastic pot that's in the pretty pot? 

Other houseplant tips? 

[Deleted]

I only have one house plant and I forgot it exists most of the time LOL It’s a Pothos and pretty hard to kill. I’ve always planted directly in to a pretty pot that has drainage holes and set the pot on a plate or dish to catch any excess water.

[lust2hart]

Aug 3, 2020 16:57:05 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

I only have one house plant and I forgot it exists most of the time LOL It’s a Pothos and pretty hard to kill. I’ve always planted directly in to a pretty pot that has drainage holes and set the pot on a plate or dish to catch any excess water.

This is a vining plant, correct? Can you prune it so it doesn't creep all over the place?

[InBetweenDays]

How about a Christmas cactus? I neglected mine for years and it held on. Finally repotted it and pruned it and it looks great (and bonus - I took cuttings and potted them in 4" pots. They've grown enough that I've been transplanting them in to nice pots and giving as presents). Now I have a reminder on my phone to water my plants weekly

[dr.girlfriend]

I am DEATH to plants so everything I'm left with has been pretty hardy. I'll post pics and see if other people can ID them for you. Here's the ones I can name:

I have a bunch of money tree plants that have survived -- one big one and a few smaller ones.


The little ones are probably about the size you mentioned.  They've grown a little leggy because I think they don't get enough sun, but they seem to have survived my absentminded watering:

Otherwise, as you can probably see, it's a LOT of succulents.  The main thing for those I think is to not OVERWATER them.

Also, see that tall plant on the left (the orchid flowers are fake but the plant is real) and the vine-y one on the right?  The vine-y plant is both hardy and a GREAT plant to have, because it noticeably droops when it needs to be watered but then perks up again when you water it.  I think the vine-y one is called Porthos (actually, I googled, it's Pothos).  It helps me remember to water all the other ones.  Whatever succulent that is on the table (a jade plant, maybe?) is really hardy too.

If you have Trader Joe's near you, their succulents are cheap and hardy in my experience.

[smock]

I like to put plants through their paces. If they can survive my totally inconsistent watering, they can stay.

Pothos are definitely hearty and you can cut off the vines any time. My mom just gave me clippings from a plant that's over 40 years old!

I have a 10+ year old ficus that I haven't killed. They're supposed to be pretty particular but this one seems to not mind drying out when I forget to water it.

I also just got a snake plant and it's supposed to be pretty easy. Plus it looks cool.

As for planting, get a pot with a drainage hole and put a small rock over the hole to keep soil from falling out. You can set it on a plate or a plastic drainage saucer. And second the trader Joe's rec, they have some nice (and cheap!) plants.

[dragon's breath]

I have a spider plant I've managed to not kill (had it just over a year). I'm constantly forgetting to water it. I've heard they "make babies" pretty fast, but haven't had that happen for me (probably because I always forget to water it). They also do better in a sunny window, and I don't have a great window for that year-round.

[dr.girlfriend]

Aug 3, 2020 16:51:14 GMT -5 lust2hart said:

I'd like to add some plants to my home, one at a time. I really and truly do have a brown thumb; my recent victim is an aloe vera plant, which I understand to be extremely durable. So I'm looking, again, for a plant that, maybe, I might not kill. I'd like something that stays relatively small - say, up to 2 feet tall and up to 1 foot in diameter. Any suggestions? 

I believe I figured out my problem with the aloe. I transferred it into a pot that has no drainage holes, and even though I only watered it once every few weeks, I believe it still got waterlogged as the base of the leaves got all mushy and brown while the rest of the leaves were still green and plump. So at the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, my question is - If I want a plant in a pretty pot, do I just leave it in its plastic pot that I buy it in, that has a bunch of holes, and just put the whole thing in the pretty pot? Would I put soil in around the plastic pot that's in the pretty pot? 

Other houseplant tips? 

Seeing your update, two things:

Succulents normally come potted in dry, sandy soul. Don’t repot in moist, loamy soil.

Yes, I normally put a few rocks in the bottom of the pretty pot and then drop the whole plastic pot in. Sometimes I’ll cut the rim off the plastic pot so it goes in flush.

[bunnies]

Snake plant is one of the easiest. Pothos, as well.

I've never found succulents to be easy plants.

[Deleted]

Aug 3, 2020 16:59:24 GMT -5 lust2hart said:

Aug 3, 2020 16:57:05 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

I only have one house plant and I forgot it exists most of the time LOL It’s a Pothos and pretty hard to kill. I’ve always planted directly in to a pretty pot that has drainage holes and set the pot on a plate or dish to catch any excess water.

This is a vining plant, correct? Can you prune it so it doesn't creep all over the place?

Yeah, but I think because I never remember to water mine, it doesn't really grow, but it does look nice LOL

[RockNVoll]

Spider plants tend to be super easy to care for.  Years ago I had a friend buy a couple of them for his apartment. He was a 20-something dude who partied a lot and generally wasn't all that responsible. 15-ish years later those plants are still alive and well, and have survived moves across multiple states. They're just very forgiving and a little water revives them if they get droopy.

On the potting question, yes you can just put the plastic pot with holes inside a solid decorative pot (apparently this is called double potting). Professionals usually put some foam on the bottom to raise the inner pot a little so water can drain out. most professional arrangements seem to put significantly smaller pots inside much larger decorative ones, and they use things like Spanish moss around the perimeter to hide the difference and provide ornamentation. Like this:



I also recently bought a dracaena that might be a good option; it seems really easy to care for so far.  Not my picture, but it looks like the one below.  I used a bunch of decorative black rocks to camouflage the double pots.

[Susie]

Christmas cactuses are good.  I have several in my office at work, and they've survived me WFH since March and only occasionally going in and watering.  

A kalanchoe might also be good.  I have one at home and its growing nicely although I am bummed that it has not flowered in a long time.  In general succulents are good.

Peace lilies are perennial good choices, although mine need too much water to leave at the office.  I hear snake plants are easy too.

The prayer plant I had at work died, I don't recommend that one.

[susiebw]

More votes for Pothos and spider plants. They're both super forgiving and easy to care for.

Drainage is important, and if your pot doesn't have drainage holes and you can't drill any, put a layer of small rocks in the bottom. I just planted a little baby plant in a glass mason jar with pea stone in the bottom. I can see the water draining into the stones and am easily able to tell when it's dry and needs more.

Orchids are notoriously fussy, but I have 2 of those "just add ice" orchids from home depot or the grocery store, and they've lasted for years on 2 or 3 ice cubes every couple of days, and trimming the spent stalks after the blooms are done. One of them is almost constantly in bloom or about to bloom.

[redheadk]

I left my pothos in the plastic nursery pot, it fits perfectly inside a decorative pot I have. I just remove the decorative pot, plop the plant in my sink, spray with water, then let it sit for 20-30 minutes to drain.

I’m a terrible brown thumb but this seems to prevent overwatering.

[rooster222]

I've done well with Pothos and Christmas Cactus. I've had both for close to 5 years.

I've had 2 wavy leaf ferns and killed them both.

A larger plant that I've had luck with is my Fiddle Leaf Fig. I've had it for 1.5 years and it's doubled in size and is really low maintenance.

[hamster]

I have a peace lily that has a serious will to live. I can't tell you how many times I should have killed it.

I killed mini succulents if that tells you how good I am at house plants.

[starburst604]

I “inherited” a scrappy looking Pothos in 2003 when it was left behind in an apartment I moved into. That thing is indestructible. I’ve once re-potted it and it’s come a long way from it’s original appearance even though I don’t do much but water it occasionally and trim it when it gets out of control. It likes to get sun. Even though I don’t have a great place to keep it where my cats won’t get at it, I feel like it’s a survivor and it’s now lived in 4 different places with me. So i can’t just toss it out.

[dottyblue]

Houseplants come to me to die. It’s really bad.

I have found only these can survive my infrequent watering:
Spider plant
Peace lily
Snake plant
ZZ plant
Pothos
Parlor palm / lady palm
Jade plant

[wildrice]

Be careful if you have pets. Several of these listed are toxic to cats, including pothos. I recently bought a few and didn't think about this until AFTER I bought them, so I've had to be careful about placement to be out of reach.

[rubytue]

Growing up, we had a massive jade plant. It was awesome, and I keep trying to reproduce it. But I’ll killed every jade plant I’ve had.

As far as houseplants, we have corn plants (a Dracaena) that are impossible to kill as best I can tell. We move them to the covered porch April-October, and in the winter, they live in a dark corner of our living room, rarely watered. My office one survived from March to July without attention. I brought it home finally.

We also have peace lilies. Ours our root bound, so they wilt super quick, but ally revive with some water.

[tiki]

There are also some really great fake plants these days. I have an artificial jade plant from Crate and Barrel that is very convincing and great for those dark/cold/hot/whatever corners where it's hard to keep something real happy.

[dr.girlfriend]

Aug 5, 2020 18:40:52 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Growing up, we had a massive jade plant. It was awesome, and I keep trying to reproduce it. But I’ll killed every jade plant I’ve had.

As far as houseplants, we have corn plants (a Dracaena) that are impossible to kill as best I can tell. We move them to the covered porch April-October, and in the winter, they live in a dark corner of our living room, rarely watered. My office one survived from March to July without attention. I brought it home finally.

We also have peace lilies. Ours our root bound, so they wilt super quick, but ally revive with some water.

I got a jade plant as a favor at a birthday party when I was in 3rd grade. It kept growing and growing. My dad eventually planted it in his yard in Texas and it is gigantic!

[memenee]

I’m no green thumb and often forget to water my plants and they are all thriving. I do have only easy-to care-for ones though as I don’t trust myself with anything else.

I have:
Multiple Spider plants (thanks to all the babies)
Snake plant
ZZ plant
Pothos

GOOD LUCK


ETA: I also have a Hoya plant which is positively indestructible- it is fine to be watered once a month! How could I forget this one? I’ve had it for close to 15 years and it looks great.