The Unexpected Houseplant Trend Taking Over 2022

Owning and caring for houseplants is a very popular and rewarding personal hobby, with Garden Pals reporting that 70% of surveyed millennials identify as plant parents. Furthermore, 66% of households in the United States own at least one houseplant. Houseplants also increase productivity, reduce levels of stress, and can remove as much as 87% of toxins in the air within only a day.

Whether you're a dedicated indoor gardener or just getting started with your houseplant collection, owning the trendiest plant at the moment is always incredibly satisfactory. While houseplant trends in the past have tended to focus on large and lush plants like monsteras or fiddle leaf fig trees, there is one unique plant that has taken over in terms of popularity — and it isn't even technically a houseplant. According to The Guardian, mushrooms are all the rage amongst home gardeners, the edible fungi becoming increasingly popular recently.

One reason mushrooms have become so popular is due to the trendiness of DIYs, The Guardian states. Mushroom spores can be purchased in easy-to-grow kits, with one company based in Maine seeing 400% growth. The popularity of mushroom growing and other similar DIYs also largely correlates with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mushrooms are a great addition to your houseplant collection, offering a unique texture and color. It also adds a biological variety, with fungi being an entirely different classification than other plants (via Undark). Mushrooms purchased from spore kits are also usually edible and make a delicious addition to any meal. Growing mushrooms in a terrarium can also help enhance more earthy, rustic, and cottagecore-inspired aesthetics. Be aware that mushroom spores spread quite quickly and may grow on your other plants. They're largely harmless but difficult to get rid of (per Two Peas in a Condo).

There are a few options for growing mushrooms indoors. You can grow them for aesthetics or food. That's not to say the two can't overlap, but the method for growing mushrooms for food may not be as effective for aesthetic reasons and vice versa.

If you want to grow your mushrooms for aesthetics, one of the best ways to do so is in a terrarium. Mushrooms are totally safe to grow in animal terrariums alongside frogs or snakes, but they can also be grown in individual plant terrariums. Once you get your terrarium assembled with moss, dirt, and other moist natural materials, either use a mushroom growing kit and add a few pieces to the terrarium per package instructions or grab a stick with live mushrooms on it from your local wooded area — just be careful not to eat unidentified wild mushrooms.

If you want to grow your mushrooms for food, the safest and most reliable method is to purchase a grow kit from a trusted online retailer. Usually, the kit consists of a block with pre-colonized mushroom spores. The block, called a fruiting block, is kept in the fridge or someplace cold and dry, which keeps the spores from fruiting. Once you're ready to grow the mushrooms, you provide it with moist and mild temperature conditions and wait for the mushrooms to sprout (via FreshCap).