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Good apartment plants?
Ande
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hello H/A!
I'm looking for a cool new plant for my condo since the poinsettia I got for 3 dollars at Christmas 3 years ago finally died. =( It managed to grow to be about three feet tall before it croaked, and would turn red again every year (though not around Christmas)... so I guess I must have a slightly green thumb. (My husband managed to kill bamboo though, he's got a black thumb).
The condo has huge south-facing windows, so it gets a lot of light and is generally pretty warm (26 degrees in the summer and 22 or 23 in the winter). I'd like a plant that doesn't need too much care or babying. On the other hand, if it only needs to be watered three times a month, chances are we'd forget entirely. We're not opposed to hanging plants (like spider plants) except that we'd have to figure out how to hang it. I'd like something that gets fairly big, and something a bit more unique than a cactus or a bamboo...
Also, there's a parrot and a cat that would likely come into contact with the plant at some point, so one that isn't toxic or harmful to animals is a must.
So, if anyone had any suggestions for plants that do well in condos, we'd really appreciate it!
I'm looking for a cool new plant for my condo since the poinsettia I got for 3 dollars at Christmas 3 years ago finally died. =( It managed to grow to be about three feet tall before it croaked, and would turn red again every year (though not around Christmas)... so I guess I must have a slightly green thumb. (My husband managed to kill bamboo though, he's got a black thumb).
The condo has huge south-facing windows, so it gets a lot of light and is generally pretty warm (26 degrees in the summer and 22 or 23 in the winter). I'd like a plant that doesn't need too much care or babying. On the other hand, if it only needs to be watered three times a month, chances are we'd forget entirely. We're not opposed to hanging plants (like spider plants) except that we'd have to figure out how to hang it. I'd like something that gets fairly big, and something a bit more unique than a cactus or a bamboo...
Also, there's a parrot and a cat that would likely come into contact with the plant at some point, so one that isn't toxic or harmful to animals is a must.
So, if anyone had any suggestions for plants that do well in condos, we'd really appreciate it!
Ande on
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The problem that you'll have getting something "big" is that they're very expensive to buy large, and it can take a loooooong time to grow large from small. My norfolk pine has grown maybe two inches in the past eight months and can take years to get from a coffee table size plant to a floor container sized plant. Figs will grow faster but again, could take years to get from small to large.
These things get huge and are hard as hell to kill. It can be toxic to animals if ingested but they rarely drop foliage so if you have it somewhere reasonably out of reach of the cat you should be fine.
PSN Hypacia
Xbox HypaciaMinnow
Discord Hypacia#0391
I have one of these. It was a gift from my paternal grandmother when I was born.
I am 30.
Basically anything with waxy kinds of leaves will keep well indoors. Look at the plants at restaurants. Those kind.
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I have one of those as well and the durability of this little plant never ceases to amaze me. For a couple of months I moved it from the window to the middle of the room where it got very little light and I forgot to water it all of the time, but it is still doing fine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophytum_comosum
This is also a very forgiving plant, a number of times I was sure I had killed it by forgetting to water it and then it just came back. Also a very fast growing plant.
- Philodendron (I have several cultivars)
- Croton Petra (colorful, exotic looking)
- My coleus have done well inside
- Begonias
- Ivy
- Most succulents
Seriously, that thing survived all the tortures of a curious small child with access to scissors, pins, and a plant as well as massive overwatering, massive underwatering, no light all that time when I was a teenager and kept my shades closed 24/7, and actual mold because when I was little I used to keep sentimental things in the pot with it, which tended to get watered over. I was not good to this plant, but it's still kicking.
My mom has a Jade plant at home which is about 3 feet tall. How hard would it be to get a cutting from that plant to grow for me?
I kind of like the idea of a Norfolk pine as well. Having a little tree inside is more interesting (to me) than just a 'regular' plant. My only concern would be if it sheds needles a lot. Also, are they 'soft' needles, or is it really prickly?
How fast do the Snake plants grow? And how big is 'huge'? I like the fact that it grows straight up, and not out as much, so it can be big without losing a ton of floor space. I've seen a few websites saying it's toxic to cats, though none of them said how much she'd have to eat before getting sick. I know people said the poinsettia was really dangerous to have with a cat, but it turned out she would have to eat about 2 pounds of leaves to actually get sick. She seemed to leave it alone anyway.
Both the Norfolk pine and the snake plants appear to be safe for parrots, which is a bonus!
Snake plants I've seen in stores are about a foot high and cost about $15-20. The get about 3-4 feet tall. I'm not sure how toxic they are, I had a cat and a snake plant at the same time but the cat wasn't interested in chewing plants at all anyhow.
PSN Hypacia
Xbox HypaciaMinnow
Discord Hypacia#0391
They're low maintenance, and fairly resilient.
Bamboo is super low maintenance and you can put it in almost anything. Not to mention it's cheap and virtually takes care of itself!
List of cat-friendly indoor plants: http://alphabetsoup.hubpages.com/hub/Pet_friendly_plants
ETA: I bought an African Violet once, as well as venus fly trap but the bean decided they would make a good dinner and within a day he had eaten all the blooms and leaves off the violet, and all the heads off the fly trap!
Lilies are VERY toxic to cats.