Unique Indoor Plants To Brighten Up Your Room

Author: Kieran Teo

Editor: Nara Ruslan

Had enough of the dull indoor environment? Thinking of including some greenery into your indoor layout? This blogpost is perfect for you! We will be introducing a few plants that are 1) easy to care for, 2) occupy little space and 3) 10/10 thrive to be grown indoors.

If you are in search of a tiny plant that grows slowly, lithops (lithops pseudotruncatella) are highly recommended! Known as the “living stones”, lithops closely resemble pebbles and grow merely up to a few inches upon reaching maturation in at least three years of planting. As a member of the succulent species, lithops are versatile in hot temperatures and need just a little water. Hence, planting of lithops requires well-drained soil (sand, pebbles or other gritty materials) with occasional watering every fortnight until at least half inch of the soil is moistened. Lithops should be placed under indirect sunlight (probably near the window),but not under direct sun to avoid sunburn. This plant is slow growing in nature so don’t flood your little plant with fertiliser or water to increase its growth! Slow and steady wins the race. Fertiliser is not needed. For the acquisition of a lithops plant, you can get it by planting from seeds, division from the parent plant (that happens over years) or just buy it in store. I am sure these interesting looking mini “stones” could attract your guests and start off a conversation for you!

Lithops

Mature lithops flowering

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Well, if lithops look too tiny and still for you, here’s another one. Let us present to you one of the creepers, the devil’s ivy (pothos)! As a creeper, the pothos plant can thrive either in hanging baskets or as a potted plant on the desk. Although pothos plants can grow in both water and soil, it is advised to stick with one and not to switch in the midst as the plant may fail in adapting to a different medium. If you choose to plant your creeper in soil, the soil should be a well-drained potting mix (a general formula for the soil is one part of loamy soil, one part of sand and a little clay.) For pothos grown in soil, the watering should be done weekly, with the soil completely dried out between waterings. This allows the existence of air pockets for proper breathing of root cells. For the lighting conditions, a pothos plant can survive under a variety of light conditions except direct sunlight. But time and patience must be given to the plant to adapt to its new surroundings. To propagate a pothos plant, you just need to plant the small plant cutting obtained from the parent plant and it will thrive! If you’re worried about the plant getting too huge in size, it is not an issue. Pothos planted indoors could grow up to only 6 to 10 feet and I am sure that its property to grow hanging will compensate for the space used up! Fear not of the pothos dying too as it is beginner friendly and even known as the easiest houseplant to grow. Pothos plant can cause mild poisoning in pets and children (contains calcium oxalate crystal) so make sure it is kept out of reach!

Devil’s ivy in water

Devil’s ivy in soil

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As easy to care for as the pothos, snake plant is drought-resistant since it originated from the desert. With the plant originated from the desert, the soil condition should somewhat be similar to the desert too. It is recommended to use free draining soil that consists of mostly sand mixed with soil. Water your snake plant once every fortnight and allow the soil to dry out between waterings as snake plant can withstand long period of time without water. While snake plants grow best in indirect sunlight and act as air filter indoor to remove toxic pollutants including formaldehyde and benzene, making it your indoor plant is surely a wise option. This plant can grow up to 8 feet indoor but you can just snip off the tips of the leaves to limit them from growing as this stops the release of growth hormone. Snake plant can be propagated by leaf cutting (at least 6 inches) or division (cutting of root balls) from the parent plant. If you are a pet lover, keep this plant away from your furry friends as snake plant is mildly toxic if consumed.

Snake plant

Propagation of snake plant

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We could not miss peperomia while discussing the perfect indoor plant! Peperomia is easy to grow too, with the size ranging from 1 to 2 feet if grown indoors. Being native to tropics, peperomia prefers medium to bright indirect light (it tolerates low light too) and high humidity. Intense direct sun is a big taboo for peperomia and temperature fluctuations should be avoided as well. Simply place your peperomia at a west, east or south-facing window, nowhere near the heating or cooling systems. Waterings can be done weekly or fortnightly, when the soil completely dries out. Yellowish leaves or dropping of leaves could be a sign of overwatering (reduce your watering frequency!) Regarding the choice of soil, peperomia prefers well draining and loose potting soil. Propagation of peperomia could be done using any part of the plant except the roots. Even if you dream of owning a self-sustaining terrarium, peperomia is always a popular choice, considering that it is such an appealing semi-succulent.

Peperomia plant

Peperomia in terrarium

Having a hard time deciding which plant to choose? Inspect your environment carefully and research on the best-fitting plant! They are all easy to grow and beginner friendly so do not worry about failure. If you're sill looking for more general plant tips, take a look at our previous blog post where we go in detail of the things to look out when getting a new plant. Happy planting!

Also, SEEN will be temporarily stopping the blogpost as it is approaching our examination and summer break period. We shall resume the blogpost when the time comes. Until then, see ya!

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