Plants that Can survive in a ski condo

[WaterGirl]

I love plants that can purify the air in your home.

Anyone have luck with plants that can tolerate the fluctuating temperatures of a ski condo?
(40 degrees when not in use and up to 75+ when the fires going strong and lower humidity)

I'm pretty sure mother-in-law’s tongue / snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentiis') would work -

Would like to use from the plants that are known to improve the air quality.....

• Spider Plant
• Dracaena.
• Peace Lily
• Boston Fern
• Snake Plant/Mother-in-Law's Tongue
• Bamboo Palm
• Aloe (Aloe vera)
• Golden pothos (Scindapsus aures)
• Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata) Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii')
• Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema Crispum ‘Deborah')
• Heart leaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium)

Any suggestions / success with plants -

 

[bounceswoosh]

Jade? It's a succulent, so it should survive infrequent watering, and is supposedly good for air as well.

 

[WaterGirl]

Yes, forgot to add Jade, thank you.
Thinking anything that can grow in So Cal non coastal / desert would be able to handle the temperature change and low humidity?

 

[Jilly]

My spider plants don't seem to have a problem with me not watering them too often. But my temperature fluctuations are not a severe as yours.

 

[Ringrat]

I haven't killed my spider plant or aloe plant yet. I live in low humidity and fluctuating temperatures and neglect them horribly. Though, even when I'm away with the heat off it doesn't get down to quite that low in my place. Around 50, maybe. On the other hand, my spider plant is next to the window, so at least one side of it might down to the lower 40s.

 

[snow addict]

Many plants will deal much better with less frequent watering than with too frequent. A dry plant will recover in most cases but if the root stated to rot it's game over. Why do you want to purify air in your ski condo though? I would have thought that if there is a place not to worry much about air quality it's a ski condo.... Anyway, most plants you listed will tolerate a good deal of neglect and will thrive as long as you don't smother them with care. You can also try to plant them into hydroponics pellets, in which case you will only have to water them once every 2-3 weeks as shown by an indicator.

 

[WaterGirl]

@snow addict I've always wanted real plants rather than the fake you find in most rentals. Although I am extremely picky about low VOC and materials used, a recent renovation and some new furniture got me thinking about adding some air cleaning plants to the condo. I will look into the hydroponic pellets. Thanks.

@Jilly @Ringrat 40 would be the lowest - if I'm not there heat set for 50 but if cold snap (or power outage) never know how low it can really get.

 

[bounceswoosh]

This is making me wonder if I'd like to put a plant in our condo. Thing is, there isn't a good spot with access to light, and there are times no one is there for a solid 3-4 weeks.

I did just plant two cuttings from a neighbor's jade , so maybe I'll take the smaller one to see how it does .

 

[2ski2moro]

The trick to survival is to keep the plants warm and watered. They make little indoor greenhouses for plants that are nothing more than plastic sheeting over metal shelving. The plastic is transparent, so the plants get light, and the enclosure acts as a big terrarium, keeping the water from evaporating so quickly. If you are handy, I'm sure you could DIY something like that. Or here's one on Amazon that is inexpensive. https://amzn.to/2fhLJj1 FYI don't know anything about this one, but I put it in for reference.

For warmth, you will need a bare light bulb of between 60 and 100 watts. You will be surprised how much warmth a single incandescent light bulb can emit. I would put the light bulb at the bottom of the greenhouse because heat rises.

I like your idea of live plants. I hope this works for you.

 

[2ski2moro]

I also remember putting my plants in the bathtub filled with 2 inches of water when I went on vacation. The bathroom window provided indirect light, the water kept the room humidified, and the plants were ok when I returned. I don't think the temperature was below 50 at any time, though.

 

[bounceswoosh]

For warmth, you will need a bare light bulb of between 60 and 100 watts. You will be surprised how much warmth a single incandescent light bulb can emit. I would put the light bulb at the bottom of the greenhouse because heat rises.

I like your idea of live plants. I hope this works for you.

Oh, thanks for the reminder - I actually have a grow lamp (full spectrum light) from my old office. Solves all the problems. Except really space. The condo is *so* tiny. Unfortunately, they are really expensive.

 

[2ski2moro]

If you are using the light for a heat source in an enclosed greenhouse, you don't need a grow bulb. Just a regular incandescent light bulb in a lamp base (no shade necessary) inside the enclosure will produce enough heat even if the house goes to 45*F.

 

[Powgirl]

Be careful using regular light bulbs...they generate quite a lot of heat, enough to be a fire danger...and they dont provide the same blue/red rays as a grow bulb.

If your condo is sunny, succulents can survive a good watering every couple of weeks...the snake plant is also an excellent selection.

 

[bounceswoosh]

If you are using the light for a heat source in an enclosed greenhouse, you don't need a grow bulb. Just a regular incandescent light bulb in a lamp base (no shade necessary) inside the enclosure will produce enough heat even if the house goes to 45*F.

Yes, I was thinking no enclosure, and little natural light.

 

[2ski2moro]

Be careful using regular light bulbs...they generate quite a lot of heat, enough to be a fire danger.

Powgirl makes a good point. Keep all combustibles, including falling leaves, away from the light bulb. My suggestion to have the light below the plants is not safe. Better to hang the light above the plants where falling debris cannot become an issue.

 

[Gloria]

Spider, aloe and philodendrun will all do well. Left these plenty of times for Christmas breaks in old cheap rentals, with no thought about their survival what so ever. A couple years ago we lost power over night and through a good portion of the day during a cold snap, I think it was 22 below. The lowest our thermostat dropped to was 36 inside after the large hatch on the crawlspace was opened for awhile against 20-30 mph winds while they were working on the issue. The thermostat sits in close relation to that part of the house too. So in a condo with shared wall space it shouldn't likely drop under 40 so I think would be a very safe low guess. Ferns probably not, too fussy. Dracaena is a popular outside plant here due to its low water needs and it survives low spring temps and generally a few hard frosts into the fall as well.

 

[sibhusky]

My Christmas cactus used to live exclusively at our condo in the Poconos. Once ski season was over, we could be gone for months. It got pretty warm on occasion over a sixteen year period and a couple times it got shriveled between visits. But it is the sole plant that survived the move to Montana years ago. Still have it today, it's blooming away, having decided to become a Halloween cactus after moving here. It's descendants now live with my daughter in Missoula as well. They are all hydroponic.