A Beginner’s Guide to Quarantine Plants

Graphic By Alekhya Maram

By Savonnah Wong

Plants are an amazing way to decorate your space even if it's just a small desk plant. Along with looking nice, plants can also be fantastic quarantine pets or buddies! However, if you are a beginner in the plant parent world, buying a houseplant can seem daunting at first. There are so many varieties of plants out there, and if you are just getting started on your plant collection, you might be wondering how to determine which plant best suits your home, and more importantly how to take care of it. If you want a low-maintenance houseplant that will spruce up your home with a little greenery but want to stay with plants that are fairly easy to care for and are more forgiving, here’s a list of eight different plants to choose from!

Pothos

This trailing plant is one of the easiest plants to care for because of how forgiving it can be. If you are a beginner to plants, this is the plant for you! Pothos (a.k.a the Devil’s Ivy) can withstand over and underwatering and can thrive just about anywhere, except in direct sunlight. There are many types of pothos plants, from the Golden Pothos and Marble Queen Pothos to the Neon Pothos and Jade Pothos. These easy-to-maintain plants can be found in almost every nursery and plant store. For the best results, keep this plant in medium to low indirect light, and water when 1-2 inches of the top layer of the soil dries out.

Precaution: Keep out of reach of small children and house pets, like cats or dogs, because any part of this plant is poisonous if ingested.

Photo Credit: luca85/Shutterstock: Air Plant

Air Plants

Air plants, or Tillandsia, are plants that require very little attention and are an amazing addition to your workspace or home as decor! These plants are super easy to care for since most of the nutrients they need come from the air, and they grow without the use of soil. Air plants thrive in bright indirect sunlight and good air circulation. Just remember to water these plants once a week by soaking them in water for 15-30 minutes, and allowing them to dry out before watering again! After that you are good to go!

Succulents

These almost impossible-to-kill plants are the perfect addition to a window sill or as a small decoration in your room. Succulents are very easy to maintain and are great starting plants for people new to taking care of plants. There are a variety of succulents that come in different shapes, colors, and sizes! Succulents come from a family of drought-resistant plants, so these plants can survive without water for weeks on end! But please remember to water your plants! To get the best results and keep this plant alive, it is recommended to water every couple of weeks.

Peperomia

Peperomia have beautiful foliage and there are over 1,000 species of this type of plant! Some people call it the “Baby Rubber Plant,” because these plants actually just look a lot like miniature versions of a rubber tree. Peperomias are considered easy to take care of because of how adaptable they are to different levels of light, except for bright direct sunlight. These plants should be watered once or twice a week, but allow the top layer of the soil to dry out completely before watering again to prevent root rot.

Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)

The Chinese Evergreen plant, or also known as Aglaonema, is the perfect plant for people who love to decorate their homes with plants but are beginners to being plant parents or are too busy to take care of their plants. Their luscious foliage comes in a variety of colors from green and white to pink and even red! Aglaonema are an amazing addition to a workspace, or as a centerpiece on tables! These plants are very easy to maintain, for they are incredibly forgiving when overwatered, and can tolerate just about any indoor conditions. Watering them every one to two weeks and allowing them to stay in low to moderate light allows them to thrive! 

Pilea (Chinese Money Plant)

Chinese Money Plants are known for their cute coin-shaped leaves and are easy to care for! Pileum (plural for Pilea) love to be in bright, indirect sunlight, and they should be watered when the leaves start to droop slightly and the first two inches of the soil is dry. This plant is also perfect for people who have animals, as the Pilea is a pet-friendly plant! Along with being easy to care for, this plant is known for being a “self-propagator”, meaning that the Pilea can produce small babies of its own known as “pups.” These pups can be replanted, and from there a new Pilea has been formed that can be given as gifts to others or to increase your collection of plants!

Photo Credit: dropStock/Shutterstock: Small Pilea Peperomioides house plant in a gray pot in front of a white wall

Snake Plant

This succulent plant known for its sword-like leaves is one of the toughest plants to kill. This is another plant that can withstand a lot and is great for people who forget to water their plants! Snake plants can go for weeks without watering because they like their soil to be dried in between waterings. With bright indirect light or low light and waterings from time to time, this plant will thrive! 

Prayer Plant (Calathea)

The Calathea gets its nickname “Prayer Plant” because of how the plant’s leaves curl up like prayer hands at night. There are many species of these plants which range in different shapes and colors! To care for the Prayer Plant, place it somewhere that receives bright indirect sunlight, and the more humidity the better. For watering, allow 1-2 inches of the soil to dry completely. An added plus is that these plants are pet friendly!