6 Low Maintenance Houseplants for Frequent Travelers
Don’t worry if you travel frequently or want to go on an extended vacation—these low-maintenance houseplants will thrive while you’re out of town!
Houseplants soften our home environments and bring a bit of the outdoors in. If you travel a lot but still want greenery, it’s possible to have plants even though you may only be home a week out of every month.
If you’re gone for long periods of time, it’s hard to have your plants on any kind of watering schedule. The houseplants listed below can be watered once every 3-4 weeks and will actually be much happier if you do.
Make certain that the water goes all the way through to the bottom of the soil so the roots are thoroughly moistened. Frequent, shallow watering will cause the lower roots of your plants to dry out. Be sure to avoid water accumulating in the saucer as that’ll eventually lead to root rot.
Most houseplants require and appreciate higher levels of humidity than our homes have. Dry air and lack of circulation can be the enemy of indoor plants.
The 6 plants listed below all tolerate lower humidity levels. I know this because I grow these plants in my home in the Arizona desert and all are doing fine.
Some Of Our General Houseplant Guides For Your Reference:
- Guide To Watering Indoor Plants
- Beginner’s Guide To Repotting Plants
- 3 Ways To Successfully Fertilize Indoor Plants
- How to Clean Houseplants
- Winter Houseplant Care Guide
- Plant Humidity: How I Increase Humidity For Houseplants
- Buying Houseplants: 14 Tips For Indoor Gardening Newbies
- 11 Pet-Friendly Houseplants
Easy Care Houseplants for Frequent Travelers
These are six houseplants that are very easy to maintain, especially when it comes to the frequency of watering.
Not only are these six plants easy to maintain, but they thrive in drier air situations too.
1) Snake Plant (Sanseveria sp)
These edgy, spiky plants come in a variety of leaf patterns, shapes, and sizes. They’re known as diehard houseplants for a good reason.
Snake Plants, aka Mother In Law Tongues, range in height from 10” to 5’ although most on the market run about 1-2’ tall.
This is one plant that can tolerate low light levels as well as high. The species and varieties with darker foliage require less light. I have 7 of them because they’re so easy to maintain (or ignore!).
Related: Snake Plant Care
Snake Plant Care: A Round Up Of Our Guides
2) Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
This is a popular succulent that loves medium to high light situations. The glossy, plump oval leaves cover the plant and with age, it develops a trunk.
Pictured below is my Variegated Jade, and the most commonly sold Jade has solid green leaves.
They need moderate to high light for optimum growth. If you’re into bonsai, Jades are great houseplants for this.
Related: Jade Plant Care
3) Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)
This plant is not a palm but a succulent just like the Jade Plant. The long, narrow grasslike foliage sprays out of the bulbous base making it unusual and interesting.
They grow very slowly and develop a trunk as they age although this takes many years. This one needs high light to grow and do its best so don’t even think about growing it in low light.
Related: Ponytail Palm Care
4) Aloe Vera (Aloe barbedensis)
This fleshy succulent is a plant with purpose! Aloe vera, sometimes called just Aloe or First Aid Plant, is often seen on kitchen counters where a leaf can easily be broken off and the gel can be rubbed on a burn or cut.
This plant does best in moderate to high light. Just like the other high-light plants in this post, be sure to keep it out of the direct hot sun or it’ll burn.
This plant looks great in terra cotta, but it’ll grow just fine in a plastic grow pot as well.
Related: Aloe Vera Care
Growing Aloe Vera Indoors: 5 Reasons You May Be Having Problems
5) Spineless Yucca (Yucca elephantipes)
No need to shy away from this yucca as the leaves are not at all sharp. This one is a floor plant that comes in various heights and cane (stem or trunk) numbers.
A Spineless Yucca needs high light to grow and stay looking its best.
If you’d like a houseplant with a modern vibe, this is the one for you.
Related: Yucca Care
6) ZZ Plant
The last in this list of low-maintenance houseplants is the ZZ plant. They’re known for their very shiny leaves that go on for days!
I have 2 of them which are quite large now. As they age, they develop a beautiful arching form and their stems get quite long.
They’re billed as a low-light plant. I’ve found that they grow much faster and look better in moderate light. Mine puts out new growth on a regular basis and that fresh growth is lighter green and shiny as can be,
Related: ZZ Plant Care
Now you can travel for weeks at a time and know that your plants will be just fine while you’re gone.
Simply water these low-maintenance houseplants (be careful to not let water sit in the saucers to avoid root rot) before you head off on your adventure. Bon voyage!
Happy gardening,
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- About the Author
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
