As the world heats up and the weather is more unpredictable, it’s time to really look at our living situation and bring the outside inside with sustainable houseplants. After all, when done sustainably, houseplants decorate your home, offer up an activity, stabilize humidity, and make you happy.
When it comes to sustainable house plants, there are several things to consider, plant choice, plant supplier, plant soil/bedding, plant container, water needs, and fertilizer. It is also important to note, that you need to take a hard look at where your plant will sit in your house and your ability to keep the plant alive.
Sustainable House Plants
Plant Choice
When it comes to sustainable houseplants, the type of plant is a big deal. You want to choose a plant that will survive and is not intended to die after a while (poinsettias). Think about where you want to keep the plant. In that spot, will the plat get a lot of light, or very little? Will the plant get watered once a week or once every few months? What is the temperature like in that area of the house? You need to consider drafts near the window. You also need to consider whether the plants are poisonous to any pets in your house.
5 Easy to Care for House Plants
Plant Supplier
When looking for a place to get sustainable houseplants, it is always more sustainable to get the plants from people you know. For example, your co-worker who has a forest in their office, or your mother-in-law who keeps propagating her spider plant. The next place is a local garden center, which grows its own plants. If the first two are not an option or you are looking for a specific plant, look at your no-buy groups or a plant exchange in your local area. I would also look at Reddit, take-a-plant, leave-a-plant. The last sustainable option, buy the plant from a box store or industrial greenhouse online with the intent of propagating it and sharing it with your friends. Sharing costs less money, less light, heat, peat, and electricity than a giant greenhouse.
Where to Find Plants
Reddit Take a Plant Leave a Plant
Low’s Clearance Section
Local Garden Center
Farmers Market
Plant Soil
The soil you use for sustainable houseplants makes a sustainable difference. You might think that any potting soil is sustainable except the bag, but you are wrong. You need to look at the soil composition. We are destroying peat bogs. During the COVID lockdown, everyone wanted houseplants but nurseries use peat to grow the plants and we are running out. Do not be fooled, peat is not a renewable resource it takes about 10 years to make 1 cubic foot of peat. When looking for plants or nurseries ask what type of soil the plants are in, recommend going peat-free.
Here is a recipe for peat-free sustainable houseplant soil. First, we must create a peat alternative. Use one part compost, one part coco coir, and one part perlight. Mix together and use as peat moss. Use that peat moss alternative to create your houseplant soil. For houseplant soil use 2 parts compost, 2 parts peat moss alternative, and 1 part additional perlite. If making soil is not in your wheelhouse, you can buy peat-free soil for your sustainable house plants.
Peat Free Sustianable Hosueplant Soil
Beyond Peat Professional Organics
Plant Container/ Pots
For sustainable houseplants, the pot can be important. I reuse pots and very seldom buy a new pot, but I only throw out a pot when it is broken. If I was more into fairy gardens I would use the broken pot. Now I just repotted all my plants to bring them inside for the winter, I used old glass yogurt containers, a wooden cheese box with a plastic bag, only spice containers, and whatever I had on hand to re-pot. Now I buy big terracotta pots for my big plants because I do not have a container big enough and my plastic buckets are used too often to justify them being used as a sustainable house plant container. Eventually, all of my plants will be in terracotta pots, but my gift plants and gifted plants will be in small, random containers. It should be noted to keep your plastic nursery containers because they come in handy for gifting plants and to re-pot gifted plants.
You can dress up your repurposed containers, using glue and Rope, Ribbon, Paint, or a Basket.
Repurposed Pot Ideas
Other Sustainable Houseplant Containers
Plant Water
All plants need water sustainable houseplants or not, but how often and how you water makes a difference. I personally use my fish tank water to water my houseplants. Some people use their water collection barrels to water and the fortunate few can use their grey water collection to water their plants. For the average person, this is any water that is not going down the drain, like the leftover pasta water, or fish tank water. This could be the leftover mop water if you use a biodegradable soap. 
Sustainable Houseplant Watering
Leftover Pasta Water
Fishtank water
Grey Water
Rainwater
Fertilizer
Sustainable Houseplant fertilizer can be achieved with compost tea. Compost drippings from my worm compost bin, fish tank water, or leftover pasta water. These are all things that fertilize your plants without fertilizer. You can use synthetic fertilizer or compost to fertilize your plants or better yet, not fertilize your plants until it is time, or until it is time to change the soil.
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Sustainable Houseplants are not the easiest thing to achieve, but once established it is second nature. I hope you enjoyed learning about sustainable houseplants.