7 Best Low Humidity Indoor Plants for Dry Homes
Low humidity indoor plants that thrive in dry air, are the most adaptable plants.
In-fact, these plants can be quite successful in environments with high humidity levels as well, if watering is significantly scaled back.
The opposite is not true for plants that thrive in high humidity; they do not do well in dry environments. Think about all the efforts people put in to increase humidity levels around their Calatheas and Marantas.
It’s safe to say that low humidity indoor plants are low maintenance plants that can adapt to many different environments; from high to low humidity, from high to low light conditions.
It’s no surprise you’ll find many of these plants in my “10 Best Humidity Plants For Your Bathroom” or in my “Top 5 Impossible to Kill Houseplants” blog articles.
So, let’s dig in, and find out which are the 7 best low humidity indoor plants for dry homes!
All different varieties of Snake Plants are great options for dry and hot homes.
These plants require little water and moderate light to thrive and they come in all sort of sizes and shapes to suit your home!
1. Jade Plant, (crassula Ovata)
The Jade Plant is native to South Africa and is now wide spread all over the world as indoor decorative plant.
It sure is an easy indoor succulent and one of the best low humidity indoor plants!
It became a popular houseplant not only for its ease of maintenance, but because it is believed to bring good luck to the person who owns it, (that’s why it’s also called Money Plant and Prosperity Plant).
Like many other succulents, the Jade Plant needs a lot of bright light, even direct sunlight to thrive. Low light conditions will induce the Jade Plant to grow leggy.
This plant should not be watered on schedule.
The best way to determine when water is needed is to touch the plant’s top soil. If the soil feels dry, it’s time to water! Do not allow the soil to dry out completely!
The Jade Plant is extremely easy to propagate. Simply pinch the stems off when the plant is growing leggy or too big and plant those stems directly into a pot of soil.
This plant can grow quite old and big if cared for properly and in the right environmental conditions.
Click here to learn more about the Prosperity Plant.
This Jade Plant is the result of several stems pinched off from a bigger plant and rooted directly in this pot of soil.
2. Snake Plant, (Dracaena Trifasciata)
The Snake Plant is not only one of the best low humidity indoor plants, it’s one of the “best everything” houseplants!
This is because it’s one of the lowest maintenance plants to have in the house!
Native to tropical West Africa, the Snake Plant comes in many different varieties and sizes to suit your needs, taste and home.
They are all extremely easy to care for!
They can tolerate low light conditions but thrive in medium to bright, indirect light.
Do not expose them to direct sunlight.
The require little watering, making them ideal plants for busy people or people that are away from their homes for longer periods of time.
I water mine every two to three weeks.
Having said that, it is important to regulate the amount of water based on the amount of light they are exposed to. The more light they get, the more water they should receive.
I fertilize all my Snake Plants once a month from Spring to Fall with a liquid plant food.
Snake plants are quite slow in their growth so they do not need to be repotted very often for the purpose of upsizing their container.
It is always a good idea to replace any plant’s potting mix once a year though. After a year the soil becomes nutrients depleted.
Click here to read my article on the 7 Benefits of Snake Plants for more on Snake Plants
Silver Queen Snake Plant.
3. Aloe Vera
This succulent has become really popular as a houseplant due to its health benefits, with skin care being its most renowned.
The Aloe Vera thrives in bright, indirect light. It does need a lot of bright light to grow.
I used to keep my Aloe Vera in a bright spot and I was probably watering it too often. I noticed my plant was struggling and some of its fleshy leaves were rotting.
I moved it closer to the window in an even brighter spot where it could be exposed to a few hours of direct sunlight to dry out its damp soil. I reduced the amount of water I was giving to it as well. Within a few weeks the plant improved significantly, and started growing in size.
This plant requires little watering as it is drought tolerant.
Make sure the soil dries out between waterings.
Only fertilize your Aloe Vera once a year in Spring using a liquid plant food.
Repot when the plant becomes too heavy for its container and it starts to tip over, (don’t wait until the pot falls on floor like I did!!).
Use a Cacti/Succulent mix with some perlite to add drainage, with a 4 part soil to 1 part perlite ratio.
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4. String of Pearls, (senecio rowleyanus)
The Strings of Pearls is definitely an intriguing indoor trailing plant.
Its long and thin stems with juicy beads make it a very fascinating plant, that appeal to all ages. In-fact, our two Strings of Pearls both belong to my daughter, (this explains the pot).
It is important you know this plant is a succulent and you should treat it as such; place it an a spot with lots of light, even direct sun light, and don’t overwater it!
Proper soil drainage is critical for the health of this plant’s roots! With proper care, the stems grow fast, forming new beads.
I water mine every two weeks, sometime three, depending on the season.
5. Heartleaf Philodendron, (Philodendron Hederaceum)
The Heartleaf Philodendron is a favourite of mine.
It’s another easy low humidity indoor plant to care for that is also lush and beautiful!
Native to Central America and the Caribbean, this fast growing plant can adapt to different levels of light; from moderate to bright, indirect. Avoid direct light exposure.
Water your Philodendron once 50% of the soil feels dry to the touch.
Depending on how much light it receives, its watering needs may change. This plant is quite forgiving if you forget to water it once or twice…
Fertilize it monthly between Spring and Fall with a liquid plant food.
The interesting aspect of this plant is that it will grow its stems much faster than its roots, so you don’t need to repot it yearly.
When you do that, I recommend using a tropical plants mix with some perlite to add drainage, using 4 parts soil to 1 part perlite ratio.
When its stems grow too long and leggy, you need to prune them. It will benefit the plant and it will allow you to root those cuttings into new plants!
Click here to learn more about the Heartleaf Philodendron.
This Heartleaf Philodendron has been growing steadily with a moderate light exposure. It sits in a South facing room but it is quite far from the window.
6. Devil's Ivy, (epipremnum aureum)
The Devil’s Ivy, also known as Golden Pothos, (Marble Queen Pothos in the picture), is another favorite of mine.
(Notice how all of my favourite plants are low maintenance trailing plants???)
It is extremely easy to care for and to propagate.
It’s also a beautiful low humidity indoor plant that can create stunning trailing effects. It grows fast with little effort.
Native to the Society Islands of French Polynesia, the Devil’s Ivy thrives in bright, indirect light. The brighter the light, the more vibrant is the variegation. It can do well in low and moderate light conditions as well, but its leaves coloration will tend to be more monochromatic.
On the other hand, direct sunlight can actually be damaging to its leaves.
It is best to under-water this plant rather than over-watering it. It’s best practice to let the soil dry out between waterings.
However, the frequency of watering depends on light exposure. The more light it gets, the more water it will need.
I water mine once a week since it sits right by a North facing window. (This plant is extremely forgiving when I skip a week though).
I recommend fertilizing it once a month from Spring to Fall with a liquid plant food.
The Devil’s Ivy is definitely a fast growing plant that will need yearly repotting.
Its stems grow quite long as well, so pruning is recommended for the health of the plant.
Pruning Devil’s Ivy can lead to propagating its cuttings into new plants.
You can read more about pruning and propagating Pothos here.
Marble Queen Pothos variety.
7. Ponytail Palm, (beaucarnea recurvata)
Technically, the Ponytail Palm is not a palm tree, but it does share a similar structure with the palm.
Not only it’s a beautiful plant that can dress up any space with no effort; it’s also one of the lowest maintenance plants I’ve ever had.
In-fact, I have two of these beautiful succulents!
That’s right, this plant is actually a succulent!
One is 17 years old, and one is 10 years old! Not bad uh?
I devoted an entire article to this plant if you want to dig deeper into the Ponytail Palm care.
This plant is native to eastern Mexico, where it still grows wild, and some species have even reached 350 years of age! Click here to see how big it can grow in nature!
Another added bonus in favour of this plant, is that it’s a non-toxic plant, safe for children and pets!
Oh, and one more thing! It’s a very slow growing plant! So you really don’t have to worry about its size and having to repot it often, (other than to replace its potting mix with some fresh one!)
This succulent thrives in bright, indirect light, but it can do relatively well in medium light conditions.
Like other succulents, this plant does really well in dry environments.
Average homes, with forced air central heating system and air conditioning, (hence low humidity levels), are perfect for this type of palm.
The Ponytail Palm needs to dry out between waterings, so it is safe to recommend watering it every 2 weeks. However, if you happen to forget one week, it’s not the end of the world, as this plant is drought tolerant.
Take it easy with fertilizers!
Twice a year is plenty enough for this plant; once in the Spring and once in the Summer.
My 10 years old Ponytail Palm.
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