Plants have a charming, inviting quality and are gorgeous decorations that liven up any room, but some are super high maintenance, and if you find yourself struggling to keep them alive then you probably haven’t found the right plant for you. This list of plants is designed for the sustaining-plant-life challenged that are simple to care for and will survive perfectly in your dorm.
Pothos plants are some of the most attractive plants that exist and are perfect for surviving in your dorm room. This plant adores bright light, not to be confused with direct light, so set them by a window where they can be bathed without getting scorched. Keep it in a hanging planter of well-draining potting soil so it won’t stay soggy. The pothos plant doesn’t require a strict watering schedule so feel free to water it when the soil feels dry to the touch. Droopy leaves on this plant are a sign that it’s not getting enough water, don’t be stingy, pour it a drink! If the leaves begin to look too pale, try placing this plant in a lower lit area as pale leaves mean it is getting too much sun.
There is a common misconception that all plants need plenty of sunlight in order to survive. If your dorm doesn’t get much light, you can still keep a plant alive and fully thriving, such as this snake plant. Snake plants don’t require much maintenance and actually prefer indirect or small amounts of sunlight. As for its watering schedule, snake plants only require water when the soil they’re planted in is nearly completely dry, so every two to six weeks is a good amount of time to wait between watering. This is the perfect plant to have if your plants tend to die because you forget to water them.
The heart-leaf philodendron is known as the sweetheart plant due to its distinctly heart-shaped leaves. This plant looks beautiful in hanging planters or perched on stools and will not require too much attention, although you might not want to stop looking at it. Heart-leaf philodendron survives best in low light areas as they prefer indirect sunlight, perfect for a small dorm. Keep the soil moist, like a good cake, not soggy. Use a spray bottle to spritz the leaves, and clean the dust off with a cloth. This plant will begin to yellow if you are over watering or brown if you aren’t watering enough. The leaves will be beautifully green if you are giving it just the right amount of love.
English ivy is another lovely little plant that is also pretty easy to keep alive with little effort. This plant does best in environments with indirect or small amounts of sunlight. It’s best to keep English ivy rather dry as overwatering can lead to the leaves becoming brown and dead looking. Like snake plants, you will want to water English ivy when the soil feels practically dry. However, this plant enjoys more humid climates; create humidity for your plant easily by placing a saucer filled with small rocks and water underneath it. When the water evaporates, it will surround the plant with humidity. Keep this plant cool and it will love you forever.
ZZ plants are the second easiest plant to take care of on this list. They thrive well in practically any condition. ZZ plants can be pretty much ignored, and they will grow on their own. Low light is the best for this plant, but they can tolerate pretty much any lighting situation you have for them (although they do prefer to stay out of direct sunlight). When it comes to watering, the ZZ plant can survive in drought-like conditions, so don’t feel bad when you forget to water it. Wait until the soil feels completely dry before watering to prevent over watering. Leave it next to that one neglected textbook you have, and it’ll do just fine.
Similar to the heart-leaf philodendron, the arrowhead plant gets its name from its leaves which are remarkably shaped like arrowheads. Arrowhead plants love bright light, but not direct sunlight so keep this plant in the corner nearest the window. Like the last few plants on this list, the arrowhead plant does best with less water than most other plants. As with the previous plants, let the soil get nearly dry in between watering. This plant becomes even more beautiful the larger it grows. Keep it in a hanging pot since it will eventually grow vine-like.
Marimo moss balls are the absolute easiest plant on this list to care for. Also, they are super adorable! Take a second to look at them. Cute, right? All you have to do to keep these babies alive is submerge them in water, and keep them in low lit areas. Find the cutest little vase or terrarium you can, and drop them in. The only other thing they’ll demand from you is a bit of play time every few days. By playtime, we mean agitate them, shake them around a bit, give them a squish, and they will be the happiest plant babies that ever existed. It is genuinely impossible to kill these small moss balls. Make sure to change their water every two weeks so they can flourish properly.
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