10 Pet-Safe Houseplants and How To Care for Them
Eleanor King
Want a gorgeous indoor green–space but don’t want to accidentally poison your pets? We’ve compiled a list of pet-safe houseplants that are safe for both cats and dogs and included how you can care for them.
Mom Pro-Tip: Underwatering is better than overwatering. It’s easier to bring your plant back from the brink of too dry than trying to dry it out after overwatering.
Spider Plant
Make sure they have well-drained soil and bright, indirect light. When you water them, make sure to water enough to wet the soil but do not allow the soil to become soaking wet for more than a few hours, which can lead to root rot. Let the plants dry out some between waterings.
Boston Fern
Ferns benefit from bright, indirect sunlight during fall and winter. Place your fern where it gets at least two hours of indirect sunlight per day, preferably in the morning or late afternoon. Make sure to water your Boston Fern regularly. A good way to judge whether ferns need water is to pick up the container to see if it’s light or heavy. If it’s light, it needs to be watered but if it’s heavier, it’s fine.
Succulents
Make sure they have well-drained soil and allow it to dry out between waterings. Most succulents prefer at least six hours of sun a day, so try to place them near a sunny window. Keep your succulents clean or dust and dirt and make sure to rotate them frequently so each side gets time facing the sun.
African Violet
Make sure they have loose and well-drained soil with a high organic matter content. Keep the soil lightly moist at all times and use room-temperature water. African violets need bright light to bloom, but cannot tolerate direct sun, so placing them in a location where they get early morning sun is best.
Bromeliads
Plant in loose and well-drained soil to prevent root rot. It is sufficient to water your bromeliad once a week. Bromeliads have a wide range of light tolerances. For the most part, bromeliads thrive in bright, sunny spaces. In the winter, a south facing window is ideal. Indoor bromeliads prefer high humidity, which can be very difficult to maintain in a home that is being heated by a furnace in the winter season. Run a humidifier or mist the plant regularly.
Polka Dot Plant
Plant in rich, well-drained soil with a high organic matter content. Keep the soil lightly moist at all times and use room-temperature water. Place your polka dot plant where it can get bright, indirect sunlight is ideal and higher humidity.
Parlor Palm
Parlor palms can grow in most soils, as long as the soil is kept evenly moist during the summer growing season, but not soggy. During the colder months, water when the soil is completely dry. If your parlor palm is in bright indirect light, it will require more frequent watering. Parlor palms do their best in bright, filtered sunlight.
Prayer Plant or Calathea
Prayer plants can grow in most soils, as long as the soil is kept consistently moist when it’s actively growing in spring and summer. You can reduce waterings during the fall and winter. When watering, use lukewarm water and make sure to water the soil, not the leaves. Place your prayer plant in bright, indoor light and make sure to avoid putting it in direct sun.
Baby Tears or Pilea Glauca
Baby’s tears, or Pilea Glauca, likes moist, but never soggy, soil. If the soil stays too wet, the roots and stems die. They grow best in bright, filtered light but not direct sun. Make sure to feed your baby tears plant every two weeks in the spring and summer when it’s actively growing.
Watermelon or Aluminum Plant
Make sure they have loose and well-drained soil with a high organic matter content. The soil of your watermelon plant should be slightly moist, but not soggy, at all times. In the cooler months, allow the top 2–3 inches of soil to dry out before watering. Your aluminum plant needs at least four hours of direct sunlight per day, preferably morning or late afternoon sun.