3 Hard to Kill Houseplants

If you are anything like me, you can kill an artificial plant. I have read articles on "easy to grow houseplants" on the same days I would be mourning the loss of one of the same plants mentioned in the article. I admit, I am partly to blame. Sometimes I over water and other times I underwater. I have yet to figure out when a plant needs water and when it doesn't. There are also other times when I swear the plants just flat out kills itself.

These are some of the plants that I have found to have a great will to live, even when they have live with me.

Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) - If you want to get technical Lucky Bamboo are not really bamboo, even though they are sold as that. They are also known as a Ribbon plant. No matter what they are called, they are great, very easy to care for plants.

I have found the best plants in the world, for brown thumbs, to be ones that live in water, not soil. I mean, you can't go wrong. You can't over water them and it is hard to underwater them, unless you have the bamboo in one of those shallow containers where you will be forced to water it almost everyday. But, still, you wont over water it.

My lucky bamboos have not required any maintenance, other then topping off the water and admiring their beauty. If you keep them out of direct sunlight you should be fine. I never replace the water in mine and they are still very happy. The stalks can grow up to about 3 feet. They grow more up than they do out, so they don't take up too much room.

Pineapple (Ananas comosus) - Another no soil necessary plant, pineapple is not exactly one you need to go buy at your local garden store. I got mine from a grocery store, as an actual pineapple. After I got done cutting up my pineapple to eat, I felt bad for the pretty little spiky top that gets thrown away. So, I decided to try and give it a new life. I put it in a small bowl of water, checked the water often and hoped for the best. It has been 3 years. It is still alive and it has grown like crazy. It can get quite large, if you want it to. It can also be easily tamed by keeping it in a smaller sized pot. Keep in mind though that even in a very small bowl the leaves will grow up and out and get quite long. So, ample space is necessary.

It can be grown or transplanted into soil. It also lives and grows very well if left in water and never transplanted to soil. It is possible to actually grow pineapple fruit from it too, but that takes a bit more work that doesn't come from just making sure the bowl has water in it. It also takes a bit of a commitment, as it will take about 2 years to get to that point, if you grow it from a pineapple top.

Money tree (Pachira aquatica) - This one is in soil. But, don't worry. It wants to live and it likes to live on the edge. The lack of water edge, that is. The Money tree is usually sold with its trunk braided. The braiding is not natural, but man made by its trunk being twisted around other trunks as it grows. Essentially, if you you buy one that has 5 trunks, it is really 5 separate plants that have been braided together as they were growing.

Even though it is called the money tree the only money involved with this plant, is probably the money exchanged when buying it. Although, It is believed to bring good fortune and luck, so it wont hurt to have one sitting around your house giving off that good energy.

Half the time I walk past my money tree, I wonder when the last time I watered it was. But, I keep walking, because I have found the 'so long I can't remember' length of time between waterings seems to keep it thriving. They are quite happy in a small pot. They are also happy in indirect sunlight and most low light conditions. It is best to make sure the soil dries out in between waterings. They seem to thrive best that way. So, if you walk past your money tree thinking you should water it, just pass it by until the next time the thought comes around or even the time after that. That tip has helped me keep mine alive.