In celebration of Earth Day this past April 22 and Arbor Day on April 27, here are some easy to maintain, dorm/apartment friendly, and most importantly, adorable plants to help liven up any room during this stressful time. It’s actually been proven that plants help improve physical and mental health as well as help improve work performance.
According to Kansas State University, surgical patients with plants in their hospital rooms had lower blood pressure, requested less pain medicine, and were released earlier than patients without plants in their rooms. Plants have also been shown to help with symptoms of anxiety and depression, this is often attributed to their air purifying properties as well as the moisture vapor they release that helps make breathing easier! The plants on this list are all easy to maintain and hard to kill.
The Snake Plant is one of the most resilient plants available and can survive weeks without water, light, or being acknowledged in general which make it perfect for a dorm room. Plus it’s been proven to help improve air quality, in general they release more oxygen at night so they’re perfect for bedrooms.
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Light: Indirect light is ideal but can withstand direct sunlight and low light environments
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Water: From dry climates so do better when allowed to dry between waterings. In fact can rot easily when over watered.
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Temp: Prefer warmer climates. Perfect for Phoenix’s climate.
Aloe plants are desert plants and because of this they require very little water and lots of sunlight so they make great windowsill buds! Their pulp has tons of uses like helping with sunburn and can even work as moisturizer.
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Light: Prefers bright light
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Water: Let dry between watering. Water every 3 weeks or so.
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Temp: Grows best in temperatures between 55 and 80°F so make great indoor plants.
Jade Plants are some of easiest to recognize plants out there, mostly due to their plump and glossy leaves that make it hard to tell if it’s real or from Ikea. Don’t be fooled though, these plants are also known as the “money tree” and are considered to be symbols of good luck. You can save all your luck for finals though since these plants don’t need much to stay alive and happy!
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Light: Prefers full sunlight
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Water: Let topsoil dry between watering.
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Temp: As succulents they do perfectly fine in higher temperatures.
Normally you might not want a dead looking plant in your dorm room but the resurrection plant might be the perfect exception. The resurrection plant gets its name due to the process it goes through when it’s exposed to water after a long period of time without it. As the plant dries up without a water source it curls into a ball, but after being exposed to water it’ll unfurl it’s leaves like a blooming flower. Plus these cute little guys have a little crystal hidden inside their centers for maximum witchiness.
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Light: Prefers direct sunlight all day.
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Water: Doesn’t need any soil so can be kept in a bowl with water that you can top off when it begins to curl up.
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Temp: A desert plant that can handle high temperatures very well but doesn’t do great in the cold.
The Pothos Plant, or devil’s ivy, is another very popular plant and can likely be found in grandma’s houses everywhere, but for a good reason, these little guys are super easy to keep alive. When healthy the Pothos will stretch out it’s leafy vines up to 10 feet long. Don’t worry though these leaves are super easy to trim with some scissors and can even be planted in soil if you want a whole host of devil’s ivy lining your sill.
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Light: Do well under fluorescent light and do best under indirect sunlight.
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Water: Let soil dry between watering.
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Temp: Prefer high humidity and high temperatures.
The name says it all, air plants are super low maintenance and easy to care for because they survive on well, air. These plants are able to survive without soil due to scale on their leaves that let them absorb moisture and nutrients. These little guys are often featured inside adorable terrariums but they do perfectly fine by themselves and can spruce up a book shelf or desk.
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Light: Prefer bright, indirect light.
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Water: Need humid air to be able to suck up moisture. Spraying with water can help. Another great idea is keeping them in a bathroom where they’ll be sure to get lots of moisture and sunlight.
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Temp: Do best in hot environments