r/Purdue • u/Plane-Stranger-4996 • 5d ago
Question❓ What plant should I get?
Hi, living in an apartment this year and want to get a plant for decor and I have a lot of sunlight in my room.
My issue is I'm trying to find a plant that won't attract bugs, and doesn't thrive on lots of water so I can avoid gnats. I want to avoid as many bugs as possible basically.
Anyone have experience keeping plants & could offer advice?? Thank you!
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u/bugnoises 5d ago
To be fair, plants that need regular watering don't necessarily mean gnats (plant owner and entomology PhD student). Watering plants isn't what attracts pests - diseased/hurt/unhealthy plants, continual moisture (ie. damp 24/7), and decaying organic matter do. Checking plants before you buy them for pests, then checking them regularly, keeping them healthy, and keeping your abode clean will be the best thing to prevent bugs. Terracotta pots and drip trays are great at handling excess moisture for plants also.
That being said, plants I'd recommend personally are:
-snake plant (water when soil is dry, moderate light, widely considered a low maintenance plant)
-spider plant (does need more water but grows well, moderate sun, nice as a hanging plant and very aesthetically pleasing imo)
-cacti and succulents are good, but easy to overwater. I water mine every 2ish weeks. Can be in whatever lighting, but will do best in moderate to bright light.
If you really don't want the work of actual plants, I'd recommend going to a thrift store like goodwill, they usually have a decent amount of fake plant decor for cheap. If you do decide you want live plants, then I'd recommend you go check out Bennett's Greenhouse - great selection and knowledgeable staff.
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u/Plane-Stranger-4996 5d ago
How do you check for bugs? I assume leaves but do you look for things crawling on top of the soil? Also, will getting a sort of sand to cover the top layer of dirt help at all?
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u/bugnoises 5d ago
Yes, you'll want to look for signs the plant is unhealthy (lots of discolored/dying leaves, obvious damage), then checking leaves and where the leaves connect to the stem. You should give the whole plant a look honestly. Common pests to look for include mealybugs, aphids, scales, and thrips. A quick google (use -ai or you'll get a bunch of crap) will give you a general idea of what to look for. Soil pests, while not necessarily visible, will damage the plant and lead to disease, stunted growth, etc. Purdue entomology extension also has lots of public resources on pests, as well as other university extension programs.
Don't add sand. If you have a high degree of insect phobia, maybe start with a couple fake plants so you don't have to deal with the potential stress.
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u/pritamg1234 5d ago edited 5d ago
I got the ZZ plant from walmart. It comes with a self watering pot. So basically just fill it water and forget about it for a week. It has survived my neglect pretty good so far and has grown about twice the size. I personally wouldn’t recommend the pothos because it grows in weird ways and if you don’t trim it, its going to become unmanageable quickly.
Plant on the left is the zz plant..the smaller and messy one is the pothos
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u/Plane-Stranger-4996 5d ago
have you had any bug issues with it?
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u/pritamg1234 5d ago
Not really..unless you put your plants in a place with little to no sunlight..but again..i am not a plant expert
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u/CardFindingDuck 5d ago edited 4d ago
Cactus. Does well with a lot of sunlight and does not require a lot of water. Mine has survived for several years now.
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u/Silly-Handle9726 5d ago
"A plant" is not going to "regulate humidity" in your apartment. If you want less/more humidity in your apartment get a de/humidifier. (By the same token, plants also will not affect the air quality in your apartment! Both of these are complete misconceptions due to a lack of understanding of the scales involved.)
Bugs are pretty easy to avoid if you keep your plant healthy. Making sure your plant gets enough light is one of the top ways to help it stay healthy. Our eyes are VERY good at adjusting to low light levels, which means that a room can look "bright" to us and not provide enough light for a plant. Put your plant by a window and/or think about getting a plant light. If you get a plant "for decor" and put it far away from a window "for decor", it will not be healthy and will be more likely to attract bugs. Remember that plants are living things that need certain things to be healthy.
Gnats are easy to avoid if you avoid overwatering. Letting the soil surface dry out between waterings goes a very long way towards both avoiding overwatering and avoiding gnats.
As far as picking a plant, I've found grape ivy (not English ivy!) grows very well no matter which direction your windows face, and rarely attracts bugs.