Questions tagged [houseplants]

Plants grown indoors. Use this tag with questions about houseplants in general. Please narrow down the scope of the question by using the appropriate genus or common name tags when asking about specific plants.

Houseplants are plants which are growing indoors in pots. They can help to make a room more pleasant, as well as freshen the air by producing oxygen and even to some extent help "clean" the air. Although these effects have been confirmed only in laboratory environment: "Which houseplants should you buy to purify air? None of them"[1]. As well as growing them for decoration, "house plants" could include , (e.g. dwarf citrus), and which are also grown for consumption.

Indoor environments are often very different to outdoor environments in most parts of the world, so the range of practical houseplants are often very different to typical regional outdoor plants.

[1]: www.nationalgeographic.com

1493 questions
13
votes
4 answers

Are there "air purifier" plants that can grow/survive in cars?

I'm aware of the NASA clean air study listing plants with air purification qualities. I'm interested if there are any "air purification" kind of plants that can survive a range of temperatures found in enclosed cars (-5 °C to +40 °C)? Are there any…
Alex Stone
  • 233
  • 2
  • 6
12
votes
2 answers

What are the disadvantages of having creepers or normal plants indoors?

I never had indoor plants before. Are there disadvantages to having indoor plants in a dusty environment? If the plant is a creeper, is there a way that I can clean its leaves? Probably by spraying water on the whole plant, but that might spoil the…
Aquarius_Girl
  • 819
  • 1
  • 7
  • 16
12
votes
3 answers

Can I separate this spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)?

I just bought a spider plant from a store recently. The plant is so aggregated that I can see many stems in a 8cm diameter pot ( 10+ ). I wondered if I can separate them. I tried to separate them from the soil, then I see their roots are so fat like…
lamwaiman1988
  • 7,530
  • 9
  • 42
  • 75
12
votes
2 answers

Can I cut the top off a drooping aloe plant?

I inherited this horrible aloe plant from an old roommate. It was living in a tall, skinny Tupperware in a dark corner of the kitchen, where it got knocked over and stepped on more than once. From reading around, I gather it grew tall like this…
kabest
  • 121
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
12
votes
1 answer

Help to identify this plant please!

I could use a bit of help working out what plant this is. I bought it a couple of months back from a flower cart lady who had a few boxes of random assorted plants. A few little details: Top of leaves is slightly waxy, underside is matte. The…
Mon
  • 201
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
12
votes
1 answer

Are the yellow leaves on my Massangeana due to root rot?

I bought my Massangeana (Dracaena fragens) 15 months ago, and he's be doing really well. Started off with a few burnt ends, but I switched to filtered water and he was good again. In the last couple of weeks I've noticed some leaves have suddenly…
Remy Sharp
  • 221
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
12
votes
1 answer

How can I help a sunburned jade tree recover?

I put my jade tree out to get some sun yesterday, and apparently the sun was a little too blazingly direct. Instead of the healthy red edges I was expecting to see, several of the leaves are now collapsed-looking and have a greyish-brown…
jscs
  • 515
  • 1
  • 3
  • 12
12
votes
1 answer

How can I encourage a jade tree to grow a strong trunk?

I have spindly jade plants. They don't much look like the tightly packed, overgrown one in this related question, but they are delicate, spreading out almost like vines. This is a problem any time I need to move things on the windowsill, as pieces…
aedia λ
  • 173
  • 1
  • 1
  • 8
11
votes
2 answers

How can I grow edible plants for a reptile in the reptile's tank?

I have a bearded dragon, and I recently came up with an idea to possibly plant my dragon's food in her own tank. This way it is fresh, always available, and may even help to keep the humidity in her tank up. My options are as follows: Kale Turnip…
Adra Elkins
  • 213
  • 2
  • 6
11
votes
2 answers

What's a good water system for my cactus plant during holidays?

I have a very resilient cactus that can be left alone for a month without consequences. Now, I want to leave it alone during two months and leave it some water system. I have seen little earthen jars that can be put into the pot and filled with…
Phira
  • 211
  • 1
  • 6
11
votes
2 answers

Can rice be used as a potting medium?

A friend took the attached picture a few months ago. It is an Aloe vera potted in rice, coffee and sugar. I would like to learn how to use rice (and coffee and sugar) to grow plants in. I wonder if such a growth medium has the advantage of being a…
11
votes
1 answer

Bonsai basil? Tips on herbal bonsai

I have a 5 year old basil plant growning in my window. Since I don't know much about gardning it has been a small hobby of mine to prune it and keep it alive. My idea was to create some kind of bonsai basil. Since the 5 year old plant seams to be a…
Bolli
  • 163
  • 1
  • 7
11
votes
1 answer

What's the name of this plant that has large, broad leaves with white spots?

I have this plant at home and I need to know its name so I can better take care of it. Here is a picture of the plant.
George Yacoub
  • 213
  • 1
  • 2
  • 4
11
votes
1 answer

What is this plant with red-pink lines/veins on its big green rounded leaves?

My mother bought this plant but she didn't bother to even ask what was its name and what type of care does it need. Can any of you identify it, so that we can find info about the proper care it should be given? It tends to stand up still in the…
Martin
  • 641
  • 2
  • 8
  • 16
11
votes
1 answer

What is this houseplant with dark green linear leaves?

I can't seem to identify this little guy.
stewart715
  • 213
  • 1
  • 4