Decorative Office Plant Tips for New Plant Moms and Dads

Last week, I shared a few ideas for greening up your office space for Earth Month. Today, I’m digging deeper into one of those: adding office plants! It turns out indoor plants (and even just photos of plants) can help boost your team’s health. Studies show they may be able to do some amazing things, like lower blood pressure, increase focus, and speed up healing.

I don’t have the best green thumb, but we do have some real plant lovers here at The FruitGuys. So I asked them to share their suggestions for adding plants to your office. If you’re a new plant mom or dad worried about keeping plants alive, this advice should help.

What Are the Best Decorative Office Plants for Beginners?

• Pothos: Three of our experts—Leticia from operations, Jessica from IT, and Lex from marketing—agreed that pothos are an easy plant to keep in the office. Lex told me, “Pothos thrive on indirect light and weekly watering.” Jessica shared that they come in a lot of different colors and patterns. They’re also fast-growing, so you’ll see the impact of your care more quickly than with other plants.

• Philodendrons: Lex also loves her Heartleaf philodendrons, which are another low-maintenance indoor plant. She treats them just like her pothos plants with indirect light and weekly watering. Plant lover Steffy from customer service is also a philodendron fan. She loves that they can handle high temperatures and high humidity.

• Snake Plants: Steffy told me, “If you’re looking for plants that are going to bring fresh air, the snake plant is a great one!” Leticia also recommended snake plants and said they’re really easy for beginners because they can go up to a month without watering. They grow well in indirect light or in shady spots.

• Spider Plants: These plants also do well with indirect light, and you can water them once every week or two. They’re fun because they grow little spider plants or “plantlets” from their stems that can easily be replanted or gifted to your coworkers.

How Do You Keep Your Decorative Office Plants Healthy and Happy?

• Prevent Fungus Gnats with Rocks: Cover the surface of the dirt in your pot with a thin layer of pebbles (this is called “rocking in” your plant). It’s so easy, but a real game-changer because it keeps gnats from accessing the soil to lay their eggs.

• Fertilize with Banana Peels and Coffee: Use banana peel water for fertilizer. This tip came from Leticia, who recommended soaking banana peels in water overnight and using the result to water your plants. The peels release potassium and other nutrients. I also use leftover black coffee to water plants, which helps with healthy foliage and root growth.

• Let the Plants Tell You When to Water: All of our plant pros agreed: Don’t overwater! It’s a common way to kill a plant. Instead, wait for the plant to tell you it needs water. Every plant shows this differently. It’s easy to tell with pothos plants, because the leaves start to droop and curl in on themselves. You can usually see whether your plants need water by poking your finger a few inches into the soil to check its moisture level. Steffy said, “If it’s dry three inches below the surface, you can likely water.” Succulents and cacti can go over a month without watering.

• Know the Signs of Overwatering: Leaves that are limp and yellow can mean you’ve used too much water, and stems that are soft and leaning are also an overwatering sign. To prevent the worst results of overwatering, make sure there are drainage holes in your pots!

If you want to add plants to your office but can’t take care of them yourself, there are professional services that can help you. However, considering the benefits of taking breaks and tending to plants, you could also try setting up a calendar and asking employees to volunteer as “gardeners” for a week or two at a time. It’s a great way to spread the plant love.