The best plants for a college dorm room

Question: Dear Master Gardeners, my daughter is leaving for college soon; she does not have a green thumb but would like to have plants in her dorm room to make it more like home. Can you suggest any plants that would work for her?

Answer: First, congratulations on her starting college, what an exciting time! And yes, we can suggest some plants that can survive in a dorm room. Plants can help the environment of the room by purifying the air. Most of these rooms on average do not have a lot of natural light, small windows and indirect sunlight, and climate control, too hot or too cold can be found in these rooms as well, not to mention a busy studying student who may forget to water regularly!

We have a few of our favorites. Snake plant (Sansevieria), Pothos (Epipremnum spp), ZZ plant (Zamnioculcas Zamiifolia), Philodendron (Philodendron spp), Bromeliad (Bromeliaceae) and the Aloe Vera plant (Aloe arborescens). When choosing one of these plants, pot them up in fresh potting mix for indoor plants in planters with at least one drainage hole. To help the plant(s) thrive, fertilizing spikes, such as miracle grow can deliver nutrients for up to two months and don’t require mixing which is easier to manage in a dorm room setting. Thank you for your question and we wish her the best of luck!

Send questions to rheacomg@gmail.com, or write to us at Rhea County Extension Office, c/o Master Gardeners, 125 Court Street, Suite 3, Dayton, TN, 37281.