Why The Bathroom Is The Perfect Place To Grow A Cast Iron Plant

The cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) is easy to grow even if you don't have a particularly green thumb. It doesn't require a lot of care and can tolerate a range of temperatures — as well as many different locations. One place in the home where this plant can thrive is the bathroom for a few reasons. Although the cast iron plant doesn't necessarily require a high level of humidity, it will benefit from the extra moisture in the air to keep it nicely hydrated. The plant also doesn't need a lot of sunlight and is perfectly suited to low-light conditions, which are common in many bathrooms. It's one of a number of different moisture-loving houseplants that are perfect for your bathroom, so consider placing yours in this space.

Aspidistra elatior is known as the cast iron plant because it is hardy and can withstand a fair amount of neglect, meaning that it can be grown by anyone. The cast iron plant originates from Japan and Taiwan, where it can be found growing naturally in forested areas as an understory plant. It has lovely dark green glossy leaves that are somewhat leathery. If grown in a large enough pot, it can reach a height and width of around 3 feet. If you're looking for a houseplant that you can't kill, you should definitely grow a cast iron plant in your bathroom.

When life gets busy, keeping your houseplants watered might not be high on your list of priorities. This means you'll need to grow plants that can stay hydrated because they're growing in a humid environment. While the cast iron plant doesn't need a high level of humidity, it does enjoy a more humid environment with around 40% to 50% humidity to keep it hydrated. This is why the bathroom is the perfect place to keep this plant thanks to the steam that's created every time you take a hot shower.

Even though the cast iron plant absorbs water much better via the roots in the soil, it can also absorb some water through its large leaves. An added bonus is that the extra humidity in the air will reduce the amount of transpiration that happens naturally. Transpiration is when the leaves of your plant release water through the small pores known as stomata. The more humid the air is around the plant, the less water will be lost through its leaves. This reduced transpiration means that your cast iron plant will retain more of the moisture derived from the soil without losing all of it through the leaves. In other words, cast iron plants grown in humid environments reach a state of equilibrium which means that they can absorb an equal amount of moisture from the air as they lose through transpiration.

Another reason why the bathroom is the perfect place for your cast iron plant is because it will absolutely thrive in low light conditions. While some bathrooms might be light and airy, others will often be much darker because they will have fewer or smaller windows for privacy reasons. This provides the ideal environment for a cast iron plant. These plants are shade lovers and will not tolerate exposure to direct sunlight. So, if your bathroom is very bright during the day, place your cast iron plant well away from the windows in a darker spot in the room.

You can tell that the cast iron plant loves shady conditions by looking at its large dark green leaves. Dark green glossy leaves usually contain more chlorophyll which means that they don't need to absorb as much energy from the sun to grow. It's also important to consider that this plant grows naturally as an understory plant in forested areas, meaning that it's well adapted to growing in low light conditions. Furthermore, there are plenty of other low light plants that you can grow indoors. Many of these will also thrive beside your cast iron plant in the bathroom to create a space that's filled with vibrant greenery.