Growing Plants In A Dark Bathroom – The Best Advice

Living plants make a bathroom more pleasing and aesthetically appealing. A good plant kept in a bathroom makes it great, as it not only improves the decor but also improves the air quality. Bathrooms can be good environment for plants too.

So, this symbiotic relationship between plants and a properly ventilated bathroom can be used to install some amazing plants. But these amazing plants should be selected prior to installing them. This is so because the bathroom may not provide the proper conditions for growth of the plants.

But a typical warm and humid bathroom can cater to the environment needs of most of the plants. When it comes to dark bathroom, the choices are still many.

Different factors such as temperature fluctuations, humidity, and the amount of light in the bathroom, play a significant role in deciding the type of plants that should be installed in a dark bathroom .

All these conditions play a major role in plant growth. Let us have a look at some of the best plants that you can grow in a dark bathroom.

Bromeliads – (Bromeliceae)

The bromeliad plant can give your house a tropical feel. It is a plant with high aesthetic value. Although earlier this plant was considered to be unsuitable for growing in home conditions, nowadays people have started growing it in their homes. Bromeliads are available in a wide array of colour and texture.

• Light-  These plants need indirect light to grow well. About 250- 750 foot candles light is best for them.
• Soil- Damp soil and a little humid air is needed to help it grow.
• Water- Water them frequently enough to avoid the soil from getting dry
• Humidity- 30-40% humidity is perfect for their growth.
• Flowers-  These beautiful foliage plants come in different colour combinations. Their flowers and leaves can be green, yellow, orange, purple and so on.

Draceana Janet Craig – (Draceana fragrans)    

This tropical plant does so well in home conditions, that you do not need to fuss over it at all.

• Light- It can grow well in indirect light. 250-500 foot candles of light helps them grow.
• Humidity – Warm humid conditions with 40-50% relative humidity help them in growing.
• Water- Thorough watering allowing the top inch of the soil to dry is also needed.
• Soil-  A good quality pot mix soil works well.
• Flowers – White coloured flowers blossom on this plant.

The beautiful dark green leaves of this plants also work as dust catchers because of their upright form. Wiping them off with a damp cloth is the right way to get rid of the dust. This amazing plant requires very little care and enhances the home decor multi fold.

Peace Lily – (Spathiphyllum)   

This easy care plant has dark green glossy leaves and grows 1 to 4 feet tall. An amazing quality of this plant is that it removes pollutants from your home air. Since it thrives in conditions with low light, it is a great plant to grow in a dark bathroom.

• Light- It grows in partial shade and can tolerate fluorescent light. 750- 1000 foot candles light is optimum.
• Water- The plant sags slightly when it needs water.
• Humidity- You should water it only then. 65-85° F temperature and around 60% humidity is beneficial for its growth.
• Soil- As long as the soil holds moisture, any soil can work.
• Flowers-  Beautiful green-white flowers grow on this plant.

This is one of the most popular plants used to enhance home decor. Benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia and xylene are some of the toxins that get filtered out by this plant. It is a great home decor plant that provides great decor for you dark bathroom while filtering out the air at the same time.

Boston Fern – (Nephrolepis exaltata)

Ferns have always been one of the most popular choices when it comes to choosing plant for a for home decor. Boston fern needs a cool place to grown and minimum light to thrive. It may need additional humidity especially in winters. It is also important that you keep the soli of the pot, in which the plant is growing, wet.

• Light- The plant benefits from indirect light during fall and winter. 300-500 foot candles of light is perfect for their growth.
• Soil-  A mixture of peat moss, sand and garden soil is needed for this plant.
• Humidity- They thrive well in conditions of low humidity. 30%-40% humidity works well for them.
• Water-  Water the plant when the soil becomes damp. Do not allow the soil to dry in any case.

Dry soil is the number 1 reason a Boston Fern dies. The plant’s leaves turn yellow in less humidity. With minimum care, you will be able to ensure that your plant lives for many years.

Spider Plant – (Chlorophytum comosum)

The creepy crawling name of this plant is a hint to the immense popularity that this hanging plant enjoy. These amazing plants can survive in less than ideal condition, but give them the right care and they are stunning.

• Light- They can grow in semi-shady to partial direct sunlight. Though indirect light works well too. 500- 750 foot candles of light is perfect for their growth.
• Water- Water them liberally in the summer and mist them in the winters.
• Humidity- 60-85° F in the day and above 55°F in the night is right temperature for their growth. They thrive well in low humidity of 20%- 30%.
• Soil-  Use a general purpose potting soil or soilless medium for repotting these plants.
• Flowers-  Small white flowers grow on spider plants.

 You should feed them weekly using fertilizer. These amazing hanging plants will add a great amount of aesthetic value to your bathroom. They can easily be taken care of, and are a delight to have in your home.

English Ivy – (Hedera helix) 

This is another amazing plant that can be grown in a dark bathroom. The English Ivy is considered the best plant for air purification. It is a great plant for growing indoors and requires moderate care.

• Light-  This plant grows well in light intensities of 1500-2500 foot candles.
• Water-  Wait to water this plant till the top inch of the potting mixture dries out. These plants do not need much water.
• Soil- Fertile, moist and well-drained soil is prefect for their growth.
• Humidity-   They thrive on low levels of humidity. Around 25%- 40%.humidity works perfectly well.
• Flowers- Greenish yellow, umbrella shaped flowers bloom on these plants.

 This marvellous plant can even remove moulds from the bathroom. It requires moderate amount of humidity, which it is able to get from a bathroom environment.

Fertile , moist and well drained soil is required for optimum growth of this plant. This plant goes perfectly well in cooler conditions and should not be subjected to warm environment. Given proper care, this amazing plant can grace your home for many years.

Fiddle Leaf Fig – (Ficus lyrata) 

This is another exotic plant that can grace a dark bathroom and make it aesthetically appealing. These amazing plants do well in bathroom since it provides them the appropriate warm and humid environment they need to thrive.

• Light- 500- 1000 foot candles a day for optimum growth.
• Water- Let the soil dry out between two watering sessions
• Humidity- 30 to 65 % humidity is ideal for their growth.
• Soil- Fast draining and well aerated soils are the best for them.

Once installed, they should be given the right kind of environment to grow. They can easily handle some temperature fluctuations but you should ensure that they are kept in an environment with little to no variation. As such, installing them in a dark bathroom works pretty well.

Moss – (Bryophyta)  

Moss is one of the most interesting plants that one can grow indoors. It is a great plant that can be grown with ease. Once grown, it requires minimal care and can thrive perfectly in the conditions provided by a dark bathroom.

Moss gives a great rustic appearance, gives a sense of age, and beautifies the whole place. As such, it is one of the most popular plants that is grown indoors.

• Light- They need 250- 500 foot candles of light to grow well.
• Water- Mist the plant regularly and give it good watering twice a week.
• Humidity-  40 to 60% humidity is required for optimum growth of mosses.
• Soil-  Compacted soil with acidic pH of 5.5- 6.5 is best suited for its growth.
• Flowers- White, orange, yellow colour flowers bloom on the various moss species.

 Unlike other plants in the list, moss requires no fertilizer to grow. All it needs is the right amount od water, and it can bloom beautifully. Moss comes in various types and you should select the one which suits you the most.

Snake Plant – ( Draceana trifasciata)

The snake plant can be a wonderful addition to your bathroom. It is a great low light plant that can grow perfectly well in a dark bathroom. This plant does well in sandier soils. It requires mild to moderate amounts of water.

• Light- This plant grows well in light intensity above 750 foot candles.
• Water-  Water your snake plant every 2-8 weeks.
• Soil- A free draining soil mix is best for enhancing their growth
• Humidity-  A relative humidity of 25%-40% works well for the plant.
• Flower-  Although it is pretty rare for this plant to bloom, you may someday find a long flower stalk covered in buds.

It uses cactus fertiliser to enhance its growth. This plant should not be fertilised in winters. There are many varieties of this amazing plant and available. And all plant lovers should have atleast one variety installed in a dark bathroom.

ZZ Plant – (Zamioculas zamiifolia)

Before you get all confused about the name of this plant, it is also known as Zanzibar Gem. If there was an award for the most indestructible plant ever, it would go to the ZZ plant.

• Light-  300- 600 foot candles of light is needed.
• Water-  Water it once a week. Let the top inch of the soil dry before watering the next time.
• Soil-  As is the case with many other plants in the list, it doesn’t need any special type of soil. Any well drained soil would do.
• Humidity-  Relatively low humidity of 20% to 30% works well for them.
• Flowers-  The flowers of this plant can be of any colour from yellow to bronze and brown.

It is an amazing low light plant that will take months of low light and neglect to show some signs of deterioration. And even then, it would look amazing. Not a long time ago, these plants were found only in malls and offices. But in the recent past, they have paved their way into many hardware stores and subsequently, in the hearts of plant lovers

These are some of the best plants that can be grown in the conditions that are present in a dark bathroom. These amazing plants need little care and in return, they offer you not only visual appeal but plenty of other benefits as well.

Some of them act as air filters. Some help in reducing the toxin levels too. If you are on the lookout for some plants to install in a dark bathroom, try one of these.