The 5 Best Indoor Plants To Take To Your College Dorm

So you are off to college and ready to settle into a dorm! It is an exciting time in your life and one to look forward to. Yes, if it is your first time away from home it might be a bit scary, but that won’t last long. There are plenty of others on campus in the same boat and you will soon find out that they are all paddling in the same direction as you are. 

College is an exciting time, with lots of new experiences and new friends to make. If you ask some of the older folks in your life, you will find that the friendships they made during college were some of the strongest, with many still in touch years later. 

You’ll have papers and essays to do, and that can be made easier with help from the Essay Pro platform. Professional writers will be happy to help you boost your grades! 

When you were getting ready for dorm life, you probably made a list of items you would need. Bedding and linens, clothes, toiletries and a million other things you didn’t know were going to be essential. As you were crossing off items from your endless list, there is one thing that you might not have thought of that would be of benefit to you in your college dorm. How about some green? I don’t mean cash, although that is always of benefit, I am referring to a foliage friend.

The Pros of Having Plants in a College Dorm

You will be spending a good amount of time in your dorm room studying towards the perfect scores you will be getting. Seeing as how you will be spending that amount of time within four walls, adding a beautiful living thing to your room will have a positive impact on you. 

Plants help clear the air.

Not only do plants look good, they also filter out some of the harmful compounds in the air and actually make the air healthier to breathe. Plants can also filter out pollutants like formaldehyde and benzene. The folks doing the NASA Clean Air Study found that plants can make a difference. These clever plants help clear air by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. The microbes in potting soil break down toxins in the air, and plants look good while doing so!

Plants can reduce stress.

A lovely potted friend can lift your mood, which will reduce stress, so in a way, a plant is the perfect study buddy. I know from experience that your greenery will keep any secret you care to impart and is without judgment. It is the perfect buddy to vent to, as your plant already knows you are always right!

Plants help reduce noise levels.

This attribute of plants is a big bonus for a dorm room. College campuses in general and dorms in particular are noisy places; it is just the nature of the beast. In noisy environments sound waves reflect off surfaces and then back toward the source. Walls and hardwood or tiled floors bounce the sound back to you. 

When those sounds encounter flexible materials, like carpet, the waves are changed and the sound is absorbed. So too, the parts of a plant, the stems, leaves, branches and wood all absorb sound. Plants with rough bark and thick leaves are especially good at doing so. 

Plants act like a humidifier.

The water you give your plant to keep it alive and help it grow is essential to the plant, but your plant uses only a portion of that water for growth and metabolism. The rest is expelled by the leaves of the plant. 

This expelled water evaporates, making the transpiration process act like a humidifier. So if your dorm room has dry air, plants will make breathing easier, your eyes less dry and your throat less scratchy by adding moisture to the air. 

The 5 Best Plants For Your College Dorm.

There are a plethora of plants out there, but some will be better than others for your dorm room. While your plants will become your best buds, you don’t want to spend precious time taking care of their specific needs. You will be a busy person and won’t want to be slowed down by your potted buddy. 

There are some plants that are low-maintenance and do well when they are mainly left to their own devices. Some water and conversation every now and again is all they need.

Succulents

There are a wide variety of succulents that would do well in a dorm room. They come in all shapes, colors and sizes, so even if you have just a small space available, a succulent will be the ticket. Jade, crown of thorns, snake plant and echinocactus are just a few of the thousands of succulents out there. 

You will be able to find them in nurseries, big box and home improvement stores. Succulents require little care and not much water and are generally pest resistant. Altogether a perfect dorm room plant. And if you don’t want anyone touching your succulent, get a cactus!

Spider Plant

No, this plant does not come with, or even attract spiders. This plant gets its name because of its spider-like plants, or spiderettes, which dangle down from the mother plant like spiders on a web. Regardless of the name, these are beautiful plants. 

The spider plant can grow in a wide range of conditions and comes in both green or variegated varieties. These are great plants to hang from a ceiling, so it won’t take up space on a desk in your dorm. 

They are also easy to care for, which is what you are looking for. A spider plant is great if it is the first time you are responsible for caring for a plant on your own. If you don’t over water them, and put them by a window you will be golden. That is about all they need. 

Lucky Bamboo Plant

Another plant that asks little of its owner, but will add positively to the atmosphere of your dorm room, is a lucky bamboo plant. They like to be placed where there is light, so a window sill will be their favorite place. 

You can grow Lucky bamboo in water or in soil. The stalks resemble a true bamboo plant, and they will be a deep green and grow upright. Again, you won’t need much space for a bamboo plant so they are ideal for taking along to share your college days. 

Aloe Vera

Not only is an aloe vera plant easy to care for, its leaves house a gel that has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. So, if your fingers fly across the keyboard so fast you get a friction burn, this plant can come to the rescue!  Simply break off a piece of a leaf and rub the gel on the burn. Voila! 

An aloe can grow for years in the same pot before needing to be moved to a larger container. That means you can enter your dorm as a freshman with your aloe, and not need to repot it until after you are in your first apartment with a great paying job.  

Rubber Tree

If you are looking for something that might be a bit more substantial, consider getting a rubber tree plant for your dorm room. While they start out small, these trendy plants can get up to 8 feet tall. 

The advantage for a dorm room is that they do well in indirect light and are low-maintenance. Dark green with a shiny leaf, they make a great presentation if you have a free corner in your dorm room.

In Conclusion

Easy care plants can add color and a welcoming atmosphere to your dorm room. It is fun to watch them grow and with just a little bit of attention they will be a steadfast buddy throughout your college career.