Take care of them, and they’ll take care of you!
Living in a tiny college dorm or stuck with a small bedroom? Consider purchasing a small houseplant for your bedroom windowsill! Due to their ability to thrive in Florida’s humid weather, or their indifference to any humidity, several house plants are perfect for growing from your bedroom windowsill. Spruce up your room with vibrant foliage, perfume the air with pleasant smells, and allow nature’s air purifiers do their job! Many of these plants can filter out harmful chemicals from products we use daily such as cleaning products, paint, bacteria, mold, and pollutants from the outside. For your consideration, here are a couple of resilient indoor plants for your bedroom windowsill!
1. Snake Plant (Sansevieria Trifasciata)
In ancient times, the Snake Plant’s hardy fibers were used to make bowstrings thus giving it the name, “The Viper’s Bowstring.” Now, it functions as an ornamental plant with amazing benefits. A NASA Clean Air Study discovered the Snake Plant could remove 4 out of 5 toxins responsible for Sick Building Syndrome – a sickness causing nausea, dizziness, headaches, irritation, and fatigue the longer you stay inside a building with poor air quality. Due to its nature as a fast-growing and long-lived plant, you can eventually place more in your room for better air treatment.
The Snake Plant is incredibly hard to kill and great for beginners seeking to gain their green thumb. Plant it in a pot of dry soil that drains well and water when the soil is completely dry, but only once a month during the winter. Too much water will rot the roots, killing the plant. Place your Snake Plant on South or West-facing window, avoiding direct sunlight as direct exposure may burn the leaves. Important! Keep out of reach of pets – the plant is mildly toxic to cats and dogs.
2. Air Plant (Tillandsia)
Mother Nature, in her infinite creativity, sought to forge an organism as a living art exhibit, and so we have the Air Plant and its many varieties. The Funkiana Air Plant resembles large burs, Bulbosas features long, tendril-like leaves, the Guatemalan Air Plants have scarlet leaves exploding outwards from a green base, and the Techorum Air Plant with its numerous snowy-white, thin leaves reach out in almost every direction. While these are only some of the variations, all Air Plants have a common attribute – they require no soil to thrive and grow. In the wild, you can find them harmlessly attached to other plants.
Watering an Air Plant can be a bit tricky. To water the plant, every week or two submerge it in room temperature tap water and take it out, placing the plant upside-down on a towel for 3 hours. You must be sure there is no excess water hiding in its crevasses, or the plant will suffer root rot and perish. There is no way to save an overwatered Air Plant. The humidity of your room also affects its watering schedule. The dryer the air is, the more often you need to water it. Air Plants in dryer rooms need to be watered twice a week or more, while plants in humid rooms can go without water for a month. Regardless, it is always best to water them in the morning.
3. Golden Pothos Vine (Epipremnum Aureum)
Alternatively, known as the “Devil’s Ivy” because it’s highly unlikely for a beginner to kill it and it stays green even when kept in darkness – just like the Devil! This leafy evergreen vine comes in white, yellow, and green combinations. Regardless of color, if exposed to intense sunlight over a long period, the leaves will burn. As with any other plant, you probably want to keep the aesthetically pleasing foliage healthy. By maintaining a Golden Pothos, you will receive the benefit of having a living air purifier in your bedroom. They excel at removing formaldehyde, trichloroethene, toluene, xylene, and benzene from the air. Noticeable in a small bedroom, but effective regardless of bedroom space.
You can also remove the need to water your Golden Pothos, whenever the pot’s soil is bone-dry, by placing its roots into an aquarium. The plant will filter out nitrates – nourishing itself while keeping the water clean! Warning – while the plant is not toxic to aquarium fish, it is toxic to pets and mildly toxic to humans.
4. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum Comosum)
Known as the most popular houseplant, the Spider Plant will comfortably reside on your bedroom windowsill. The plant owes the “Spider” part of its name to its offspring which are affectionally called, “pups.” The tiny pups will begin to grow from a long stem until they naturally fall off, and thus the plant looks like small spiders surround its base. Rarely, a tiny white flower will accompany the pups on that long thin stem but may fall off long before you notice it.
The Spider Plant is popular for another reason. This plant’s long, yellow and white-striped green leaves can remove 90% of formaldehyde from the air. You may need more than one Spider Plant to maximize its air purifying ability. Not a problem for a hard to kill plant! To keep the plant healthy, use well-draining soil, and water until the soil is wet but not flooded. The last condition to ensure its health, the Spider Plant prefers moderate, indirect sunlight. As for toxicity, the plant does not pose a risk to any pet or human if consumed.
5. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)
In large bold green leaves, a bright-yellow spadix rests at the center of tall, spade-shaped white flower. Like a white flag sticking out of the war-torn ground, maybe this is a sign of surrender or peace? Well, unsurprisingly it’s in the name! Peace Lilies are shade-loving plants that only need to be watered once a week – you may even forget you own one since it’s so low maintenance. The plant also serves as a natural humidifier – when the flowers bloom, a room’s humidity rises, alleviating dry noses. If paired with humidity-loving plants, such as the ones on this list, you’ll have a flower helping you raise other potted plants!
However, if you keep the Peace Lily out of the sun too long, the dark green leaves will begin to become tinged with yellow – a sign it needs sunlight. I recommend keeping it in partial shade, out of direct exposure to sunlight and out of reach of animals. The Peace Lily, while not a highly toxic true lily, is mildly toxic to pets and humans if digested.
6. Boston Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata Bostoniensis)
The Boston Fern is considered the easiest indoor fern to grow but requires constant watering and misting. The soil can never dry out, and the leaves need regular moisture lest the plant’s green, upright fonds will crumble. Keeping the fern healthy is beneficial for you as well! The plant can grow up to 3 feet and efficiently filter formaldehyde and xylene from the air. Despite being named the ‘Boston’ Fern, these popular house plants are native to the often humid, Florida.
When purchasing, look for 2-inch or 4-inch pots for your windowsill with humus-rich soil. The fern can tolerate direct sunlight but only for about a month. Rather than giving the plant a predetermined expiration date, place in a shady spot with bright indirect sunlight – preferably in an eastern window. Fortunately, the Boston Fern is non-toxic to humans and pets.
