10 Non-Toxic Houseplants For Your Home

Animals love to run wild in nature, so giving yourself the assurance of a safe oasis for your pets to run wild shouldn’t be a hard egg to crack. Out of curiosity, most cats and dog tend to chew on plants which probably co.ntain poisonous sap or acidic leaves. while most indoor plants are toxic to pets, you shouldn’t deny your home the liberty of purifying the air and touches of greenery. Plants and pets can absolutely co-exist!!! For more information, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a good resource for learning about plant toxicity for cats, dogs, and other pets you might have in your home.

Here are 10 beautiful and lush indoor plants that are safe around cats and dogs.

• Money Tree

• Calathea

• Spider Plant

• Pilea Peperomiodes

• Orchids

• Bromelia

• Peperomia

• Haworthia

• Hoya

• Fern

Money Tree

According to Chinese Geomancy practices, money tree has a reputation of bringing good luck and great energy into any enviroment. Its deep green leaves and intertwined stem gives it a unique braided shape. The money tree plant belongs to the Malvaceae family, which also includes, hibiscus and okra. This luck bringing plant is low maintainance which makes it perfect for new plant parent or people with busy schedule. It is the perfect gift plant for a friend with pets.

LIGHT - This plant requires a bright indirect light as direct sunlight scorches its leaves.

WATER - Only water your money tree plantwhen the top 2-4 inches of soil are completely dry.

SOIL - The money tree plant doesn’t require frequent repotting, and if you don’t want it to grow large, keep it in a smaller pot. Repot mostly in spring due to it being their best growing season. Repot in a pot 2in bigger than the previous one and add perlite to enhance drainage. Always repot in a pot with drainage hole.

Calathea

One of the plants with the best foliage are Calatheas. Also known as Prayer plant, their leave pattern makes them unique and stands out in a group of plants. Calatheas can be picky or as like to describe them, ‘Drama Queens’ because they can require more than the usual for houseplants. They open and close their leaves in response to brightness and darkness. One of the secrets to keeping calatheas alive is by spraying its leaves weekly to keep moisture around.

LIGHT - Calatheas grow best in a bright spot, out of direct sunlight. In summer, a position near a north- or east-facing window is ideal. In winter, when light levels are lower, a south-facing windowsill is better. It can tolerate direct sunlight for 2-3 hours a day.

WATER - The plant's watering requirements can be hard to gauge. As a rule of thumb, yellow leaves indicate over watering while leaves curling in on themselves indicates under watering. It can be sensitive to fluoride, so filtered water may be best.

Spider Plant

It gets its common name from the small plantlets produced on long trailing stems that vaguely resemble spiders. They’re great air purifying plants and tolerate almost any condition which makes them one of the most popular houseplants to grow. The leaves can be green or striped green and white. In spring, mature plant flowers and when flowers fall off, a little plantlet shoots up in their place.

LIGHT - Partial shade

WATER - water when top 2in of soil is dry

SOIL - loamy, well draining pot.

PILEA PEPEROMIODES

Also known as the Chinese money plant, is just a more beautiful money tree plant, with its coin-like leaves and tiny stems. it also sends out shooter plantlets like the spider plant. It can survive in moderate to low-light condition.

LIGHT - partial and indirect sunlight

WATER - allow soil to dry out between watering

SOIL - well draining neutral soil. fertilize in spring and summer

ORCHIDS

Orchids are great flowering plants with meaning. Most flowers of an orchid signifies love, charm, refinement and thoughtfulness.

LIGHT - They thrive when they recieve up to 4hrs of direct sunlight a day. Many will grow with artificial light placed up to 2 feet above them.

WATER - orchids like to go dry in between waterings but like to be immediately watered when their media hits dryness.  

SOIL - orchids do best potted in a fine bark mix. It is ideal, when repotting most orchids, to pot them leaning forward at about 45 degrees or more.  This will prevent the roots from “searching upwards”. 

BROMELIA

This plant also known as the living fiesta is a great addition to indoor plant collection. They are very easy to care for, just place them by the window with the curtains closed or by your bedside table.

LIGHT - partial sun

WATER - drought tolerant but prefers moist soil. water directly in the plant calyx

SOIL - keep soil moist

PEPEROMIA

Other than being safe around furry friends, they are semi-succulent, adaptable, and visual-appealing, all characteristics that make for suitable houseplants. they can be easily propagated from any par of the plant. Stem, or even leaf, cuttings can root if given proper conditions, which makes it quite valuable in the horticultural industry.

LIGHT - not suited for bright direct light

WATER - Expect to water more often when your cactus is in brighter light and less often in lower light.

SOIL - well draining

HAWORTHIA

Haworthias are succulent that takes their time to grow and require little to no care.

LIGHT - They tend to love a lot of sunlight

WATER - haworthias are water saving plants so they don’t mind being neglected

SOIL - sandy well-draining soil

HOYA

Commonly known as the wax plant, Hoya are known for their star shaped flowers. they’re best placed by the windowsill or shelf due to their nature of trailing vines. they tend to live. along life span. There is different species of Hoya with different foliage and flowers. Hoya Carnosa is the most common of the specie. They are relatively easy to grow from cuttings. Most just need a node or two and a leaf to take root.

LIGHT - Hoya tends to love full sun

WATER - they’re the succulent of tropical plants and can tolerate not being watered for a while. Water sparingly.

SOIL - Hoyas prefer well-draining, airy soil. A mix of potting soil, orchid bark, and perlite creates the ideal "chunky" texture is lightweight and full of organic matter. Good drainage is essential to prevent root rot.

FERN

One of the go-to plants for every gardner of the outdoors. They’re major outdoor plants but also thrive indoors. Its leaves are small, delicate and never flowers.

LIGHT - Partial sun. Delicate leaves scorch when exposed to full sun

WATER - Keep lightly moist with weekly waterings in summer

SOIL - Fluffy soil mix that contains plenty of organic matter, but not enough to make the soil so heavy and dense that it does not drain well.