Plants You Can't Kill (PHOTOS)

Are you a plant killer? There are plenty of plants out there for people just like you, plants that will still thrive even if you abuse and neglect them ... some of them even enjoy the neglect. We've compiled some of the most low maintenance indoor plants out there-- have a look, and pick your favorite!

 

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Pothos Plant

Pothos is one of the most popular houseplants out there. It does well in indoor temperatures and needs to be watered about once a week. Pothos will also look out for you, as it absorbs indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde, xylene, and benzene.

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Top 5 Indestructible Plants

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Comments

[mokienatrix]

06:54 AM on 01/14/2010

Suggested addition: the Asparagus Fern.

I cut mine back and put them in the dark bathroom for the winter. A couple of days later, they've thrown out three feet of tendrils toward the sink. I think they've learned to water themselves, because God knows I haven't done it.

[philko]

04:15 PM on 01/11/2010

I've killed all of these. The only plant I haven't managed to destroy is florus artificialis...

[nikanj]

06:30 PM on 01/12/2010

LOL. My favorite can't kill it plant is the California Bay Laurel.

Grown as a houseplant here (110 miles south of Arctic Circle), no additional light in winter,
never loses its leaves or turns brown, very tolerant of random watering. Spends summers on the
deck and will even survive frosts down to about 20 degrees. They get big and need to be cut back, at which point the leaves can be dried for cooking.

Aloes can be tricky unless you get the soil mixture right, it needs to be fast draining. Every home should have one because the gel is so healing and also a great spermicide when used with a diaphragm (low cost, nontoxic, great sexual energy conductor, need i say more ?) If you kill your aloe (usually through overwatering, sometimes from sunburn, occasionally from overharvesting), just get another one and make sure to repot it into a cactus - type potting mix in a clay pot with good drainage. They prefer a smallish pot rather than a too big one.

Another good houseplant not listed here is the piggyback plant, which is fun and easy to propagate.

[dctackett]

03:11 PM on 01/11/2010

you can find many beautiful, affordable succulent plants here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSucculentGarden

[mzrecycle]

10:05 AM on 01/11/2010

I've grown almost all of these at some point. Most ARE almost foolproof. I disagree about african violets. In some locations, they've thrived. In the same pots, with my same watering habits, they've regularly died. Buy more...died. Not much luck with "lucky" bamboo, either.

Snake plant is great. HP mentioned this as one of 4 that NASA would include on long space travels: gives off LOTS of O2.

Spider plant also wonderful. The ones I have are descendents of a plant I got in '72. In some instances, the base plant died (turned down heat when gone for a week, or forgot to water). In a couple others, my base plant was so large at moving time, I just clipped some babies and started over. Twice I've had babies growing in a glass jar for over a year, thriving, no fertilizer.

Pothos is wonderful. Clip excess growth, put in water, when roots develop: new plant. Sucks up chemical pollution!

[mp3sevdam]

09:49 AM on 01/11/2010

very hard to kill, except if you under water them or they get too hot. And their flowers are lovely.
http://belsoguklugutedavisi.blogcu.com/

[uncomplicatedlife]

01:28 AM on 01/11/2010

I agree with the hardiness of the aloe plant. We moved ours outside (N. Florida) and it is thriving with no intervention on our part. The "pups" have been pulled and just dropped on the ground around the pot and have taken root.

Maybe it's actually a weed....

[ssfahrer]

12:38 AM on 01/11/2010

Snake plants can be killed from second hand smoke from the downstairs neighbors as the smoke travels through cracks in the walls....

[garystartswithg]

11:00 PM on 01/10/2010

spathiphyllums and philodendrons are easy to grow -- same instructions as pothos.

[brooklyn francis]

10:22 PM on 01/10/2010

I have a Spider Plant--quite lovely. But in my experience it can have NO direct sunlight. Anyone with other experience?

[garystartswithg]

11:03 PM on 01/10/2010

a spider plant can take early/late sun. it doesn't take being put on a windowsill. any plant on a windowsill in the sun is slow cooking unless you take the time and effort to put a fan on them. great for cacti and succulents -- not so great for broad leafed tropicals.

[juancapez]

09:05 PM on 01/10/2010

Wow

[jeplanet]

08:04 PM on 01/10/2010

I must be gifted because I've killed several of these plants.
My jade plant gave up the second it came through my door. I would hear the "thud" of the leaves falling off as I watched TV; it was very sad.
I might try an aloe though, if I'm feeling brave.
:)

[VOTER]

12:56 AM on 01/11/2010

Try the ZZ.

Beautiful.

[jeplanet]

08:26 AM on 01/11/2010

Sounds like a good match for me. I'll try it.
Thanks.

[deruo]

07:10 PM on 01/10/2010

Well now that I know the name of it, the snake plant I inherited from my folks has done great as a result of me ignoring it.

Jade plant - dead.
Lucky bamboo is actually Dracaena and part of the lily family if memory serves - dead.

In spite of all this death and destruction, I somehow figured I'd try overwintering two banana plants indoors over the winter. One may survive, the other.... I don't think so.

[iMissMollyIvins]

06:10 PM on 01/10/2010

Oh, I beg to differ, I've killed Bamboo, Snake and Spider plants. When the last Spider plant died I took mercy on the world's flora and retired my black thumbs.

[sadmonkey2]

05:59 PM on 01/10/2010

A way to make me look like I'm making my thumb greener this year, thanks for this post. Bookmark.

Note to self: Buy the bamboo-looking bamboo.

[elizlucinda]

05:48 PM on 01/10/2010

I have a Christmas cactus that belonged to my mother who passed away almost 10 years ago. It is flowering as we speak and will flower again in the summer. the key is not to over water anything. I killed an aloe once by doing that, so now I don't water my plants until the soil is dry to the touch