Always wanted to grow some indoor plants in your house but afraid of killing them?
Maybe you’d tried gardening before but it just doesn’t work out. Your plants just wouldn’t stay healthy as you expect them to be. Your plants ended up dying and now you’re left frustrated, with a few empty pots lying around at home.
Guess what?
Now, you can go for indoor plants which are meant to be low-commitment and easy to take care of.
Indoor plants have become popular in Malaysia recently. Part of that is because we are spending more time at home than ever, with the pandemic and lockdown order.
If you’re a houseplant lover, you must have seen these minimalistic, eye-catching plants on social media.
Image credits: Allure
If not, maybe it’s time to give indoor plants a try, putting a fresh look and feel into your home.
In this post, we’ll share all things indoor plants. Why is it becoming popular, what are their benefits, where to buy them, and also recommend the best indoor plants for you in Malaysia.
Why are indoor plants becoming popular in Malaysia?
Well firstly, with the extended lockdown, more Malaysians are looking to make their house more homely, with some plants.
Secondly, indoor plants are very easy to care for. Anyone with zero to little gardening experience can easily care for them.
And besides the aesthetic value, indoor plants also help purify the air at home, making it more pleasant to work from home. Let’s look at the benefits in more detail.
Health benefits
Indoor plants have the ability to filter harmful toxins and pollutants from the air. With indoor plants in the house, you’ll have cleaner and more breathable air.
Easy to maintain
Low-maintenance indoor plants are super easy to care for. You only need to water them once a week. And even if you overwater them (a common beginner’s mistake), they don’t die or rot.
Also, you don’t need direct sunlight for indoor plants, making it easy to put them anywhere around your home. Simply put them in a spot with some indirect sunlight and they will thrive.
Environmental-friendly
On top of that, indoor plants are also helpful towards the environment. Besides absorbing carbon dioxide and churning out breathable air, certain indoor plants help remove toxins like formaldehyde & benzene form the air, providing you with healthier air at home.
Cure to boredom
Lastly, growing and nurturing indoor plants have been such a joy for many people as a healthy hobby and a way to past time.
If you have been stuck at home since last year, you can definitely relate to this. Plus, what’s not to be proud of after having successfully decorating your home with plants?
8 Best Low-Maintenance Indoor Plants For Your Home
Ready to get some indoor plants for your home? Here are our top indoor plant recommendations for beginners.
1- Epipremnum Aureum (Money Plant)
Epipremnum Aureum, sometimes known as the money plant, is popular for its air-purifying features. It’s also easy to take care of, where you simply need to water it once a week.
If the trailing stems grow too long, you can simply cut them. Or if you like the plant to crawl and grow, just re-pot the plant in a bigger pot. Or, you can also reuse the stems to grow them into another plant. Just chuck the stem into an empty pot filled with water and watch them grow!
The Epipremnum Aureum plant can be placed anywhere at home, with indirect sunlight and moderate humidity.
2 – Pachira Aquatic
Pachira Aquatic, another recommended indoor plant for beginners.
Pachira Aquatic loves moist soil and you only need to water it 1 to 2 times a week. It also loves indirect lighting and is recommended to position it in a fairly sunny spot.
Protip: For optimal longevity, you can fertilize Pachira with any water-soluble fertilizer 3 to 4 times a year.
3 – Peperomia Tetragonia
Peperomia Tetragona belongs to the Piperaceae family. It is famous for its seriously long lifespan and can thrive for decades with very little care.
Peperomia Tetragona prefers indirect sunlight and loves moderate humidity. The optimal temperature for Peperomia is between 18 to 24 degrees Celsius. So, it’s best to place it in an air-conditioned room, perhaps your home office.
Take careful attention if you’re switching it from one room to another as Peperomia is can be sensitive to its surrounding temperature. A drastic change in the temperature may affect its growth.
4 – Ficus Elastica
Ficus Elastica, also known as the rubber plant can grow up to 30 meters tall if grown in its natural habitat.
If you’re looking to grow tall indoor plants, then Ficus Elastica is the best choice. Fiscus can grow as tall as 2 meters high inside your home. And it is recommended to position it in a brightly lit spot where there isn’t too much direct sunlight.
Fiscus also requires little watering. To know how much, simply stick your finger to the top layer of the soil. If the soil is dry, then it’s your queue to water it.
Remember, for indoor plants, too little water is always safer than too much water!
5- Aglaonema Pink
Aglaonemas are often vibrant and colorful, with their strikingly eye-catching leaves.
Aglaonemas are very tolerable to both moist and dry conditions. They are able to thrive in a low-light environment as well. So, you can basically place them anywhere in your home without much consideration for the lighting and moisture conditions.
Though, do take note that Pink Aglaonema is slightly toxic in nature. While it probably won’t kill you, it might have certain reactions (like rashes or skin irritation) with your skin.
If you have kids or pets at home, then it’s probably best for you to decorate your home with the other indoor plants listed here that are more family and pet-friendly.
6 – Dieffenbachia Green Angel
Another indoor plant that’s suited to decorate your home or office. Dieffenbachia is very adaptable to different kinds of lightings and you can place it anywhere you like at home.
It requires a high amount of humidity and the right watering schedule. While there are no fixed rules as to how many times you should water it weekly, you should always make sure the top layer of the soil is fully dried out before you start watering.
Also, remember to have proper drainage for Dieffenbachia. Make sure there are holes underneath the pots so that excess water can flow out whenever you overwater it.
7- Philodendron Imperial Green
Philodendron, another popular indoor plant for your home.
Its features are pretty much the same as the other low-maintenance indoor plants we discussed earlier. It loves humidity and bright, indirect sunlight. However, the leaves will turn yellow if exposed to too much direct sunlight.
As for how many times you should water it weekly, again, you can always check the moisture of the soil by sticking your finger at the topsoil layer.
8 – Ficus Lyrata Bambino
Last recommendation off our list – Ficus Lyrata Bambino. Bambino has distinctively larger and darker leaves. It’s a great indoor plant that can effectively blend into your home design if you’re looking for a darker tone indoor plant.
Bambino loves humidity and lots of indirect sunlight. However, make sure to never expose it to too much direct sunlight as this will burn its leaves.
Lastly, only water it when the soil is starting to dry out. And remove any excess water that’s coming out of the drainage.
Protip: With Malaysia’s weather that’s usually hot and humid, it’s always best to monitor closely the moisture of the soil. Only from there, you’ll get a sense of how much you should water your indoor plants.
Where can I buy indoor plants in Malaysia?
Before indoor plants became a popular, most people would pay a visit to a nearby nursery to browse for plants.
However since most physical stores are still generally closed in Malaysia, luckily you can also buy plants online!
Click this link to see our top-selling indoor plants at HOMA. We deliver to anywhere in Malaysia within 3 working days.
Lastly, how much do indoor plants typically cost?
Depending on what you buy and what type of species, the price can range between RM10 to RM200.
The price of a plant is usually influenced by the type of soil used, plant species and pot.
If you’re feeling a little adventurous, check out the Yellow Pot at HOMA.
What makes them special is that they are made out of recycled plastic, fished out from the rivers and sea shore in Malaysia. Everytime you buy a yellow pot to go with your plant, you make a small step towards making our earth a greener, cleaner place.
Conclusion
Indoor plants makes your home better, by freshening up your home and being great decorative items.
The best part about them is that they are also beginner-friendly. They don’t need constant care and maintenance to thrive.
Which are your favourite indoor plants? If you’ve decorated your home with some plants, take a photo, upload it to your page on Facebook or Instagram and tag us at @homa2u for a nice surprise.
