My thumb has gotten a lil greener (my plants don’t die anymore!) but I want them to grow and look healthier. The desert, dry weather we live in can be brutal. What are the best houseplants for easy maintenance and growth for us?
How do I care for desert plants indoors?
Caring and maintainance of desert plants; differs from one plant to another. For Aloe Vera for instance, exposure to bright but not hot sun is needed but for a Zebra plant it needs consistent access to bright sunlight throughout the day. However, as a rule of thumb all desert plants requires minimal watering, preferably wait until the soil or potting mix dries out completely before watering again. Despite being hardy and can withstand harsh conditions and treatment, the bear minimum for desert plants to thrive include; access to bright sunlight a few hours a day; infrequent watering and in general checking on when to repot based on their growth especially for Zebra and Snake Plants.
Can I grow desert plants indoors without a desert-like environment?
Yes Desert plants have impeccable adaptation capabilities, which makes them survive the arid climatic conditions. Through storage of water in its stems and thick and fleshy foliage to growing deepper rooting system, desert plants adopt these adaptation tehniques to survive in any enviroment, even in the extremely harsh conditions. However, when grown indoors strive to create desert-like enviroment but avoiding watering desert plants frequently and enhancing their access to sufficient bright sunlight during the day.
What are desert plants?
Desert plants are plants which grow and thrive in an arid enviroment; areas which is generally hot and dry for the better part of the year and receives minimal rainfall. These plants require minimal care and watering due to their hardy traits and adaptation techniques. Desert plants can easily store water in their leaves, stems and also grow deeper roots to tap into the deep water tables. Plants with such adaptation style are referred to as; desert plants.
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Being that I'm now homebound with work and state lockdown, I need more entertainment in my life. I keep creeping on this sub and decided it's time to take the plunge.
What houseplants with minimal shedding? Would y'all recommend for the southern 🏜️ of AZ?
So I do not have a natural green thumb, but I have been determined this year and managed to keep some plants alive and some are even growing! It is happening quite a bit this month, which leads me to my question because I am not sure if some of this is due to geography or simply getting better at understanding my plants' needs:
I live in a desert climate. So much advice is about what window plants should face and how watering schedules should change based on season. This puts me in a place of confusion and overthinking.
For example, "growing season" is often said to be spring/summer. Well, late spring and summer here is BLAZING.
So much advice about windows also contrasts my experience. South and west facing windows are so often suggested, but in the spring and summer, I can't even have those shades open in order to save on electric costs and they would probably scorch many plants. My north facing windows in the summer provide a lot of light, but I may have overcompensated for fear of cooking my plants by not given them enough sun in the summer.
Humidity is a whole other animal. It's rare to get humidity above the 50s and most of the year sits in the 20s.
I have found success so far with pothos (of course), Monstera, philodendron, dieffenbachia, and smooth agave. Ironically, I have killed many succulents. I dry them out and soak them but I seem to either dry them too much or drown them in the process. They seem to do better out in nature here than with me lol.
So...should I be treating my growing seasons in reverse for most advice? Right now we are approaching weather in the 80s and 70s and clear skies. The sun is not as brutal. Should I be treating Fall and winter as my Spring/Summer when it comes to all the advice I read about plants? Are there any fellow desert dwellers with experience growing houseplants and tips dealing with our extremes? Almost all of my plants right now are growing new leaves, so it feels like fall/winter is going to be growing season here.