Reduce Anxiety With These Common Yet Easy To Care For Household Plants

With the new year just beginning and the COVID pandemic still surrounding us, many of us are still looking for alternative ways of spending our free time. Stress and anxiety are still at an all-time high, and our lives don’t seem to be getting easier anytime soon. House plants can help create a sense of calm, reduce stress and provide you with a hobby that offers a sense of accomplishment and reward. Having greenery planted throughout your house allows you to bring nature inside while creating diversity in your home’s color palette. Not sure where to start? No worries. Your friends at TruGreen Midsouth have you covered. Here is a list of some of the most common yet easy to care for household plants you can start growing and nurturing inside your Baton Rouse area home or office today.

Jade Plant

This symbol of good luck is one of the easiest yet most attractive-looking houseplants. They grow well in containers, and like the warm, dry environment most homes in the Baton Rouge area provide. With their thick, woody stems and green, waxy, oval-shaped leaves, they mimic the appearance of a small tree. Like many succulents, the jade plant prefers full sun or bright filtered light.

When caring for a jade plant, the most important thing to remember is how to water them properly. Never allow a jade plant to dry out completely, but do not overwater it. Jade plants are susceptible to root rot. Instead of watering your jade plant on a schedule, water it when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. Follow this general rule and your jade plant can live for decades.

English Ivy

The English Ivy plant is a climbing plant that, while often considered invasive in many states when grown outdoors, indoors it makes a great house plant draped over a mantle, bookcase, or shelf. English Ivy grows best in partial to full shade and in well-drained soil. English Ivy is great at reducing airborne particles. Let the soil dry out before watering and place it where it can get plenty of bright sunlight. English Ivy is a known air purifier, filtering out airborne particles in the air and leaving the air in your home healthier. Do not water English Ivy too much. Only water when the top of the soil feels dry to the touch. Caring for ivy plants should also include regular fertilizing. 

Spider Plant

Called a spider plant due to the way its leaves spread out and its tips dangle, it appears to take on the shape of a spider web. The small plantlets produced on the ends of its stems even resemble a spider. It is a popular choice for beginners because it is easy to grow and tolerant of neglect. The spider plant can thrive almost anywhere in nearly any type of condition. Like English Ivy, studies have shown that the spider plant effectively cleans indoor air spaces by taking chemicals such as formaldehyde, xylene, and benzene out of your Baton Rouge home or office. When growing and caring for a spider plant, provide it with well-drained soil, bright, indirect sunlight, and allow it to dry out in between waterings. Spider plants benefit from the occasional pruning and grow best in households kept at lower temperatures in the mid-60s.

Snake Plant

Snake plants are the perfect house or office plant for anyone prone to killing plants. Snake plants are highly identifiable by their thick, stiff leaves that grow to be about six to eight inches tall. The most common variety known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue features a yellow border around the edges of the leaves. These long slender stems have the ability to store water for long periods of time, giving them the ability to go for weeks without water. Therefore, if you are the kind of person to forget your houseplants exist, this may be the right plant for you. When growing the snake plant, place it in a spot that receives indirect sunlight and allows it to dry out in between watering.

Heartleaf Philodendron

This bold vine with heart-shaped leaves will climb up anything you place near it. Like English Ivy, it is an excellent houseplant for bookcases, the fireplace mantle, or the staircase. Its glossy leaves start bronze and then quickly turn green. The Heartleaf philodendron prefers moderate to bright light, including fluorescent lights, and if it’s not receiving enough light, the leaves will stop growing or leave long spaces between growth. Keep this attractive plant lightly moist and allow it to dry out between watering. Occasional pruning will promote growth, but you can repot this tropical house warmer if it grows too large.

Protect Your Baton Rouge Outdoor Trees and Shrubs Now With Tree and Shrub Care by the Professionals at TruGreen MidSouth

Now that you have your house full of colorful greenery and vibrant house plants let’s focus on your outdoor trees and shrubs. At TruGreen MidSouth, we offer a customized tree and shrub care service to help care for the ornamental plantings on your Baton Rouge area lawn. Our 7-Step Tree and Shrub Care Program starts with a property evaluation in which our highly-qualified team of experts creates a customized plan to fortify and protect your plants. Each treatment includes dormant oil applications, spring and fall root zone fertilization, and insect and disease protection.

Schedule your evaluation now and learn more about our tree and shrub care program by visiting our website and receiving a free quote online. Or give us a call. We service both Louisiana and the area of Tupelo, Mississippi. If in Louisiana call, 1-225-465-0665. In Mississippi? Call 1-662-330-1330.

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