PLANT CARE TIPS
Keeping houseplants alive can be hard, especially if you’re on the go traveling to who-knows-where for who knows how long. Here are some plants that can survive a traveler’s lifestyle and tips so that you never come to wilted leaves.
Pick plants that prefer less water and will be more tolerant of infrequent watering while you’re away.
Keep your home at 60-75 degrees. Do not turn off the air conditioner during the summer unless you can move the plants to a cooler, shadier area of the home, such as the basement.
Move plants out of direct sunlight. Place them in an area that is brightly lit but does not have sharp shadows, since sunlight dries the soil quickly. A shaded area sheltered from winds or indoor air vents is best.
Because plants release moisture through the process of transpiration, group your plants together to help keep the air around them humid. In the winter months, you might want to further increase the humidity by placing your plants’ pots on trays filled with pebbles and water.
Deadhead and trim the plant before you leave. Pinch off withered blooms and snip of any dead stems or leaves with small shears. Remove fallen plant matter from the soil in the pot and dispose of it. Dead or dying vegetation on the plants is more likely to harbor disease that can afflict the plants while you are on away.
Before you leave, give your plants enough water so that it drains out the bottom of their pots.
Plant Suggestions for Frequent Travelers
Anthurium plowmanii
Bird’s Nest Anthurium.
Grows in extremely dry conditions. Often the only evergreen plant in some areas during the dry season. Found in Brazil in the Amazonas region and in Peru at elevations ranging from 165 to almost 3,000 feet
Scindapsus pictus 'Argyraeus'
Silver Satin Pothos
Native to Southeast Asia, this ivy is versatile in the home. You can grow it in hanging baskets to trail down, let it climb a totem or trellis, or grow horizontally along a tabletop or mantle.
Beaucarnea recurvata
Ponytail Palm
The Ponytail Palm has a unique feature in the swollen base of the trunk, which is where it stores a reserve of water making it highly tolerant to drought. The texture of the trunk looks and feels like an elephant’s foot from which clusters of long strap-like leaves arch and droop gracefully from the trunk giving the impression of a tropical palm.
Sansevieria trifasciata
Snake Plant
Snake plants could be the most tolerant houseplant available. They can survive weeks of neglect while still looking fresh. They require very little light and water and rarely have insect problems. A NASA study concluded that snake plants increase indoor air quality by removing toxins like formaldehyde and benzene.
Succulents
This huge family of plants come in an almost unlimited selection of shapes, sizes, and colors and can survive on just a few drops of water to keep them in top form.
Cycas revoluta
Sago Palm
The Sago Palm, though it resembles a palm, is not a palm at all. A member of the cycad genus, these ancient plants dominated the terrain during the Mesozoic era over 150 million years ago. The durability of the Sago Palm is legendary. Not only did they outlive the dinosaurs, but they can often survive severely adverse forces of nature and oversights of mankind.