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Are you looking for a new houseplant that is easy to take care of? So many of us (especially people new to plants) pick up plants at the store that are notoriously hard to take care of. Then we think we don’t have a green thumb.
The plants listed here are easy and grow beautifully in any home. I have all of these plants listed and made sure to showcase some of my easiest houseplants. Each plant has care directions as well.
I’ll share the following information on each plant:
- Lighting (which direction window is best or if artificial grow lights are an option)
- Water (how often to water)
- Humidity (what humidity percentage the plant requires to grow happy in the home)
- Fertilizer (how often to fertilizer and which type of fertilizer to use)
- Average price (price changes a lot with plants and depends on where you live so take this with a grain of salt)
Let’s get started!
Hoya Polyneura
One of the most unique houseplants on this list is the Holy Polyneura. This easygoing houseplant is no-fuss and produces these beautiful mermaid-like foliage. The starting price for this price is low (I bought the plant pictured below for $10) and now it has over 20 leaves. There’s also variegated versions of this plant that go for $150+.
Lighting: Very bright light is best, but never direct sunlight. A south facing window is best because this section of the home gets the longest amount of sunlight. The next best option would be a west or east facing window. This is also a great plant to grow under artificial grow lights which is what I do. I use T5 Barrina plant grow lights and run them on a timer for 12 hours a day.
Water: Aloe Vera have incredibly thick leaves that store a ton of water. Make sure the soil is completely dry before watering this plant as it can handle some drought. You’ll probably only water this plant once every three weeks.
Humidity: Hoya’s love high humidity and generally love 60%+ humidity, but I grow my plant at 40% humidity which is what most people’s houses are at (unless you live in the desert). I do think this plant can acclimate to lower humidity as well.
Fertilizer: Feed this plant every watering, every other watering, or once a month. A great option would be Dyna-Gro which is an all purpose fertilizer great for any houseplant. Pause fertilizing in the winter months when the plant is not actively growing and resume fertilizing in the spring.
Average price: Around $10-$20 for a few leaves in a 4 inch pot
Hoya Polyneura Plant Care Guide
Aloe Vera
The Aloe Vera plant grows thick textured leaves that made this one of the hardiest plants out there. This plant is great for beginners and as long as you give it a sunny spot in you’re home, you’re golden.
Lighting: Very bright light and can definitely handle a few hours of direct sunlight. I have my Aloe Vera growing under plant grow lights that run for 12 hours a day. However, I once had this plant sitting on a north facing window (north facing windows get very little light compared to south facing windows) and it was growing like crazy.
Water: Only water once every three weeks in the spring and summer months. Dial back watering in the fall and winter months to less often. Make sure soil dries out completely before watering this plant.
Humidity: Aloe Vera has no humidity requirements and can be grown in a very dry climate.
Fertilizer: Feed a high quality fertilizer like Dyna-Gro which is an all purpose fertilizer great for any houseplant. Pause fertilizing during the winter months when the plant isn’t actively growing.
Average price: Less than $10 for a 4 inch pot. This plant is the cheapest at big box stores like Lowes or Home Depot.
Philodendron Brasil
One of my very first plants was a Philodendron Brasil. This plant lives virtually anywhere in the home and thrives. The natural variegation on this plant is stunning and is one of my top recommendations for people new to plants. This is one of the hardiest plants on this list.
Lighting: Bright indirect sunlight or under artificial grow lights. Any direction window will do. I grow Philodendron Brasil in a northeast facing window and a south facing window and they seem to grow almost the same rate despite getting different intensity sunlight.
Water: Water when the top two inches of soil are dry or roughly once a week. This plant can withstand some drought and even some overwatering, but I always recommend erring on the side of underwatering. Overwatering can lead to root rot and easily kill your plant.
Humidity: This is a tropical houseplant but doesn’t require high humidity. Regular household humidity is perfect for this plant.
Fertilizer: Feed a high quality fertilizer to speed up the growth. Give fertilizer or a plant food during the active growing season which is typically March through October. Liqui-Dirt is a great option and super popular in the plant community.
Average price: $20 for a large 4 inch busy pot of Philodendron Brasil.
Philodendron Brasil Plant Care Guide
ZZ Plant
ZZ Plant is getting the top spot on this list for being the easiest, no-kill plant. You probably couldn’t even kill this plant even if you tried. These guys are known for being drought tolerant, so if you travel often, this is the plant to get. I have the regular ZZ Plant and the Raven ZZ Plant (black foliage) and noticed the Raven has more care requirements than the regular ZZ.
Lighting: Prefers bright indirect sunlight (south, east, west, north facing windows) and can live under artificial grow lights. I grow ZZ Plants under T5 Barrina plant grow lights and in a north facing bedroom.
Water: Water once every two weeks or so in the summer and dial it back in the winter. How much you water greatly depends on how much sunlight this plant is getting. For example, you’ll want to water a ZZ Plant that is sitting in a south facing window more often than if it were sitting in a north facing window.
Humidity: ZZ Plant has no special humidity requirements. This plant can grow in regular household humidity.
Fertilizer: Feed a high quality fertilizer or plant food during the growing season. Liqui-Dirt is a great affordable option and gives plants all the nutrients they need to thrive.
Average price: Less than $20 for a large 6 inch pot at a big box store like Lowes or Home Depot.
Aglaonema Siam
One of the most underrated plants is the Aglaonema Siam. This plant has vibrant red and green foliage that really lights up when the sun hits it. Siam has no special care requirements and is a very hardy plant.
Lighting: Grows in all kinds of light settings. Prefers bright indirect sunlight like a south facing window, but can also grow near an east, west, or north facing window. Also a great contender for plant grow lights.
Water: Give the plant a thorough watering once the top two inches of soil dry out. Place the plant under the sink to give a good drench. Then don’t water until the top two inches fully dry out again.
Humidity: No special humidity requirements. Lives and thrives in regular household humidity. If you decide to give it more humidity by placing it next to a humidifier, you may notice faster growth on your plant.
Fertilizer: Almost any fertilizer will do for the Aglaonema Siam. If you’re using a high strength fertilizer, make sure to dilute the recipe in half. You’ll know if the fertilizer is high strength if the NPK ratio is over 10-10-10.
Average price: Less than $15 for a 4 inch pot.
Spider Plant
I couldn’t make this post without mentioning the beloved Spider Plant. This plant is pretty much everywhere and always one of the plants you see at businesses like coffee shops or bookstores. It’s because this plant is easy to take care of.
Lighting: Bright indirect sunlight but can also manage lower light settings like a west, east, or north facing window. Also grows well under plant grow lights. Makes for a great bookshelf plant or bathroom plant.
Water: Water roughly once a week when the soil is almost dried out. This plant doesn’t need as much water as you might think.
Humidity: Has no special humidity requirements. Lives and thrives in regular household humidity. If you decide to give this plant higher humidity by placing it in a bathroom, you may notice faster growth.
Fertilizer: Jack’s All Purpose fertilizer is a great option for any houseplant including the Spider Plant. This fertilizer has a high NPK ratio of 20-20-20 so you need to dilute this recipe in half. Diluting the recipe ensures your plants won’t die from too much fertilizer.
Average price: Less than $10 for a 4 inch pot of Spider Plant.
Philodendron Birkin
Are you looking for a plant with high variegation? The Philodendron Birkin is it. This plant is super easy to take care of and is a great houseplant for beginners.
Lighting: Bright indirect sunlight like a south facing window or artificial plant grow lights are both great options. This plant does not like direct sunlight. An important thing to know is that the brighter light it receives, the better the variegation you’ll get on the foliage.
Water: Water once the top two inches of soil are dry. You’ll like only water this plant once a week in the summer and less often in the winter months.
Humidity: This is a tropical houseplant but it doesn’t need high humidity. This plant thrives in almost any humidity setting and can definitely live in regular household humidity. If you decide to give it higher humidity by placing it next to a humidifier or in a bathroom, you’ll notice faster growth.
Fertilizer: Jack’s Classic all purpose fertilizer is one of the best fertilizers out there. This product has high a NPK ratio of 20-20-20 so you’ll want to make sure to dilute this recipe in half or else you’ll see fertilizer burn on the foliage.
Average price: $15 for a 4 inch pot of Birkin Philodendron.
String of Dolphins
If you’re a fan of marine life, you’ll love the plant String of Dolphins. The foliage on this plant resembles dolphins when you look closely. String of Dolphins is such a fast grower and needs very little care. I bought this plant in a small pot with barely any foliage and now it’s trailing and growing like crazy as you can see pictured below.
Lighting: Bright indirect sunlight (like a south facing window) is best. Artificial plant grow lights are also a great option for String of Dolphins. I use T5 Barrina plant grow lights to grow my String of Dolphins and run them on a 12 hour timer.
Water: String of Dolphins is a drought tolerant plant because the foliage stores a lot of water. You only need to water this plant once the soil is completely dried out. A great tip for knowing when to water this plant is when the dolphin shaped leaves start to thin out or look shriveled up.
Humidity: This plant has no special humidity requirements and thrive in a dry climate.
Fertilizer: Dyna-Gro is a great fertilizer option for the String of Dolphins. I like to fertilizer all of my plants every watering during the active growing season.
Average price: $10 for a 4 inch pot from a big box store like Lowes or Home Depot.
String of Dolphins Plant Care Guide
Sanseveria
I couldn’t make this list without mentioning the Sanseveria’s. These plants can live in any light setting as long as you don’t shove it into a closet. All houseplants need some kind of light.
Lighting: Can live in almost any light setting as long as there is some kind of light hitting the plant. This plant grows the fastest near a south facing window but also makes for a great plant for a north facing window which gets much less light.
Water: Water once every three weeks or so. This plant needs much less water than you think. Wait until the soil fully dries out and even then, you can wait a few days. Sanseveria can handle quite a long period of drought.
Humidity: No special humidity requirements. Can live in a wide variety of humidity and even thrive in the driest of settings.
Fertilizer: Dyna-Gro is a great fertilizer option. Sanseveria don’t require too much so you can fertilize this plant as little or as often as you’d like. Choose to do every watering, every other watering, or once every few months.
Average price: Less than $25 for a tall 6 inch pot of Sanseveria from Lowes or Home Depot.
Scindapsis Argyraeus
One of my favorite plants on this list is the Scindapsis Argyraeus because of the beautiful silver foliage. This plant sparkles in the sunlight and is truly a no-fuss plant that isn’t talked about enough.
Lighting: Bright indirect sunlight like a south, east, or west facing window. This plant can also grow near a north facing window, but you may see slower growth. You can also place this plant under artificial grow lights.
Water: Water once the top two inches of soil are dry, so roughly once a week in the active growing season. You’ll likely dial back watering in the winter months when the plant isn’t growing as much.
Humidity: This is a tropical houseplant that thrives in high humidity but I’ve noticed it doesn’t need it. I have my plant growing in regular household humidity and it’s thriving and growing like crazy.
Fertilizer: Jack’s Classic is a great fertilizer option. This all purpose fertilizer is one of the best fertilizers out there and highly recommended in the YouTube plant community. This product has high a NPK ratio of 20-20-20 so you’ll want to make sure to dilute this recipe in half or else you’ll see fertilizer burn on the foliage.
Average price: $20 for a 4 inch pot of Scindapsis Argyraeus.
Scindapsis Argyraeus Plant Care Guide
Boobie Cactus
Yes you read that right, the Boobie Cactus. This fun plant is known to make people do a double take because of it’s crazy appearance. Any time someone visits my house they always gravitate toward the Boobie Plant.
Lighting: Very bright light and can handle a little bit of direct sunlight. This is a great houseplant to put on a south facing windowsill. You can also grow this plant under artificial plant grow lights which is what I do for this plant.
Water: This is a cactus which means it’s drought tolerant and needs very little water. You can tell this cactus is storing a lot of water in the plant. Water this guy once every three weeks. When you water cactus, give them a thorough watering under a sink, not just a few drips of water from a spray bottle.
Humidity: Has no special humidity requirements. This plant is a cactus therefore can live in the driest conditions possible.
Fertilizer: Dyna-Gro and Liqui-Dirt are both great options for the Boobie Cactus. Fertilize roughly once a month whenever you water this plant.
Average price: $40 for a 4 inch pot of Boobie Cactus.
Boobie Cactus Plant Care Guide
Philodendron Lemon Lime
Philodendron Lemon Lime foliage has a vibrant lemon lime appearance. There’s really nothing like this plant. It makes for a great bookshelf plant to have trailing down or hanging from a ceiling.
Lighting: Bright indirect sunlight (south, east, or west facing window) works great for this plant. When this plant receives enough sunlight, the leaves pop with a bright yellow color and you want it to stay that way. You can also grow this plant under plant grow lights.
Water: Water once the top two inches of soil are dried out. This is typically once a week for most people. Dial back watering in the winter months when the plant isn’t actively growing.
Humidity: This is a tropical houseplant that will reward you if you give it high humidity, but it’s not necessary. I actually tested this plant both in regular humidity and 40%+ humidity. I noticed quicker growth when it was given humidity in the 40%+ range. However, most peoples homes are close to this percentage. My house isn’t because I live in a dry climate.
Fertilizer: Liqui-Dirt is a great option for Philodendron Lemon Lime. People really swear by this stuff in the online plant community which is what made me want to try it out. Now I use it on a regular basis. And one small bag of Liqui-Dirt lasts forever.
Average price: $20 for a 4 inch pot of Philodendron Lemon Lime.
Philodendron Lemon Lime Plant Care Guide
That’s it! I hope this list inspired you to venture out to different houseplants. I did my best to list houseplants that you can commonly find at any plant store, but I also made sure to list out unique plants you don’t commonly see.
All of these plants are easy to take care of and reward you with amazing foliage. Let’s get growing!
Keep reading:
- 15 Hardest Houseplants For Beginners
- How To Get Free Or Cheap Houseplants
- 15 Creative Ways To Display Houseplants
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