shape
carat
color
clarity

Good office plants?

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.

luvthemstrawberries

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
2,107
Just wondering if you guys have any good advice for types of plants to have in an office. I''d like something that''s good at cleaning the air - more oxygen, etc. It will get little to no direct sunlight - all fluorescent. I''d also like it to possibly brighten up my "cube" (more like a partitioned office, but might as well call it what it is)... but at this point any plant will do that. I just don''t yet have a good green thumb (you call that a brown thumb, right?
3.gif
), so I don''t need anything delicate or that will require a lot of intuition or hard work. I''m capable of watering regularly and getting rid of the dead stuff when necessary.
5.gif
And I''m willing to learn too.
 

crown1

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Messages
1,682
golden pathos is easy to care for and should survive and thrive if watered and defoliated. when i first started having plants, i though ivy was supposed to be easy to grow everywhere. i found that it does require more light. remember, that too much water is as bad as not enough. i generally water once a week. i have read that it is a bad practice and one should just check the plant but i have too many to be continually doing that.

i think that plants can brighten up a place and be healthful as well as pleasing to the eye.

i find that placing a nice full plant on something up high and letting it''s leaves cascade down is visually pleasing. i mean on top of a filing cabinet or something similar. while the tops of tables, stands and the like are nice i always try to have something upon the top of my armoire, bookshelf or mantle to draw the eye in other directions.

i usually just buy those hanging baskets of the pathos and remove the hangers. i then place the container in a nice copper, brass or ceramic vessel and set them where i like.

ps: i also like lucky bamboo but have never tried it in only florescent lighting. it would be worth a shot to check it out.
 

Italiahaircolor

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
5,184
Okay, I hate hate hate office plants, they all make me think of those hanging spider plants that multiply at a disarming rate and I think they are a hop skip and a jump from crocheted 80''s things that make me feel very uncomfortable, you know, the ones with the big wood beads.... ((squirming in my chair just thinking about them)

In my office, I have a lovely white orchid in a beautiful blue pot. It''s a little tempermental, but it''s lovely and modern and fresh, I enjoy it very much.
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
I have a red prayer plant, re-potted into a nice red planter in my office. I gave this plant as a gift to a co-worker once, also in a red container (love that), and it thrived under her fluorescent lights! Mine have done okay over the years. The one I have now has traveled with me through 3 offices now.

Prayer Plant

Oh, and they often sell these in supermarkets, so should be an easy one to pick up and go.
 

diamondsrock

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
May 5, 2005
Messages
981
pothos is the best I''ve seen as far as low maintenance goes. We''ve had one at work for years and it''s still going strong! I water it probably once a week and trim it now and then.
 

luvthemstrawberries

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
2,107
Hey guys thanks so much for the advice so far.
1.gif


Italia, haha I''m not sure I know what things you''re talking about that make you squirm, unless you just mean the typical office plant with a bunch of hanging vines and stuff.
3.gif
Anyway, does your orchid require a lot of upkeep? I''d love one of those.
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,364
If you like orchids, I suggest getting a Phalenopsis because they don''t require a lot of light. Not much water either, but it needs a good bit of humidity which a humidity tray should take care of.
 

BeachRunner

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
Messages
1,493
I have a pathos plant in my office and it grows like crazy! It brightens up my corner in the office, and I get a lot of compliments on it. I water it on Fridays.
 

tlh

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Messages
4,508
Bamboo works great! I have one and it is really thriving!

ETA: I water it every day.
 

BlueSki231

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 21, 2008
Messages
855
Date: 2/5/2009 1:00:09 PM
Author: tlh
Bamboo works great! I have one and it is really thriving!


ETA: I water it every day.

When I worked in an office several years ago a lot of people had those bamboo plants. they seemed to do really well - even in the fluorescent lighting.
 

CDNinNYC

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Oct 21, 2007
Messages
2,216
Date: 2/5/2009 1:00:09 PM
Author: tlh
Bamboo works great! I have one and it is really thriving!

ETA: I water it every day.
23.gif
I water mine once a week! Seems to be ok, though.
 

MichelleCarmen

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2003
Messages
15,880
Date: 2/5/2009 10:30:19 AM
Author: Loves Vintage
I have a red prayer plant, re-potted into a nice red planter in my office. I gave this plant as a gift to a co-worker once, also in a red container (love that), and it thrived under her fluorescent lights! Mine have done okay over the years. The one I have now has traveled with me through 3 offices now.

Prayer Plant
Prayer plants can actually be a bit tricky for some people. Even though they do not require much light, they thrive in humidity, so if you can put the plant on a pebble tray, it''ll be happy.

House plants are one of my hobbies and I have a wide assortment, but most of mine do live next to windows. Ferns seem to do okay with less light.

Crown mentioned watering and the way I check to see if my plants need to be watered is I just lift the pots up. If one of them feels light, I water the plant. One of the biggest mistakes a person can make is designated a specific watering day because then some plants are overwatered and others underwatered.

Oh, on the radio a plant guy came on and said the plant that holds up best to neglect is a Christmas Cactus. Apparently if you ignore it and forgot to water it, it blooms all the time! lol I''ve been meaning to get one.
 

luvthemstrawberries

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
2,107
Hey guys thanks so much for all the replies so far!

What do you guys know about the bamboo or cactus as far as air quality - do they do much as far as replacing with more oxygen? I know I read that things with more foliage will put out more oxygen than one with just blooms. I''m just interested in the air quality b/c I''ve read some plants are really good at sucking up lots of those typical office chemicals in the air, such as from printers and copiers and stale air.
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,364
My secretary has the Xmas cactus and my colleague, the bamboo. Both thrived under the office lighting and the cactus kept blooming.
 

crown1

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Messages
1,682
Date: 2/6/2009 2:10:26 PM
Author: luvthemstrawberries
Hey guys thanks so much for all the replies so far!


What do you guys know about the bamboo or cactus as far as air quality - do they do much as far as replacing with more oxygen? I know I read that things with more foliage will put out more oxygen than one with just blooms. I''m just interested in the air quality b/c I''ve read some plants are really good at sucking up lots of those typical office chemicals in the air, such as from printers and copiers and stale air.


lucky bamboo is actually a dracaena. part of the lily family. i have read that dracaena, thus lucky bamboo, is good for air quality in the home or office. try googling it for better info. hth.
 

misskitty

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
1,691
In my last office, I had a gorgeous purple orchid that lasted about 5 months longer than I expected (I thought it would die within the week) and it was super low-maintenance. I don't know anything about orchid care, but I would just put a handful of ice cubes on the soil every morning, and it seemed to get just enough h2o (I have no idea if this is a normal or acceptable plant watering technique, but the pot the orchid was in was leaky so I couldn't pour much water on top). This was in all-fluorescent light, too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top