If succulents are your favorite plants and you want to display them in your bathroom, it is definitely possible. But can succulents survive in a bathroom? In this post, you will learn if succulents can be kept in a bathroom with or without a window and find a list of the best succulents for a bathroom.
Can succulents survive in a bathroom?
Generally, most succulents, especially cacti, cannot survive in a bathroom for too long. That’s because succulents prefer lots of sunlight, dry conditions and low humidity levels. However, some succulents prefer partial to full shade and moderate humidity, so can do well in a bathroom with some indirect filtered light.
Having said that, there are some succulents that you can display in your bathroom despite humid conditions and low light. Which succulents you can display will also depend on if your bathroom has a window.
To make sure your succulents survive in a bathroom, make sure to follow below rules:
- Never spray any cleaning products on your plants, and make sure to wipe the plant if anything gets on its leaves.
- Don’t place succulents too close to radiators in a bathroom, because this will kill them.
- If your bathroom is very low-light, you can install some fluorescent lighting in your bathroom to provide your plants with growth spectrum light.
- Be careful with overwatering, considering higher humidity levels in most bathrooms.
- If your succulent need filtered light, place it around 30-50 cm (1-1.6 feet) away from the window to avoid leaf scorch.
- Succulents require well-draining soil, and pots that have drainage holes.
Best succulents for a bathroom
Sansevieria, or a Snake Plant
Sansevieria, or a Snake plant, is a great choice of succulent for a bathroom. Even though Snake plants prefer dry and bright spots indoors or outdoors, they can survive in a bathroom. It’s a big plus if your bathroom has a window.
Sansevieria is a great plant for a bathroom, especially a bathroom floor, because it adds lots of height to a room. Feng Shui followers believe that Snake plants bring positive energy to bathrooms. That’s because they have upright pointing leaves, and a bathroom has lots of downward water flushing motions.
Also, Sansevieria is great with absorbing toxins in a bathroom. A common bathroom has various medicines, chemicals and other cleaning products stored in it. Overall, Sansevieria have a reputation for being very hardy. That’s why they can survive in bathrooms very well. Plus, you can choose and purchase from many various Sansevieria species (around 70!), such as this Sansevieria Zeylanica one.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is one of the best plants for your bathroom, even if it has no windows. That’s because Aloe Vera does very well in humid conditions and can thrive in low light.
It’s very tolerant to unfavorable conditions and will take in moisture from its environment. Thanks to its hardiness, even beginners can have Aloe Vera in their bathrooms. However, Aloe Vera needs well-draining soil, so never allow roots to be waterlogged. Let the soil dry completely before watering, and discard any water left in a saucer straight away.
Dracaena, or a Dragon plant
Dragon plant is another great choice for your bathroom. Dracaena plants are hardy and great for beginners. Genus of Dracaena is closely related to Sansevieria, and belongs to the same family of Asparagaceae as succulents.
Dragon plants are hardy, and can survive bathroom conditions with low lighting and higher humidity. However, make sure to use well-draining soil, just like for other succulents. You can water the Dragon plant when the soil is mostly dry, to keep the soil slightly moist. However, avoid overwatering (yellowing leaves and a wilting plant are indicators you need to water less).
It is better if your bathroom has windows, as dragon plats require some filtered light. Not all Dracaena plants are great for low light conditions, but a couple that are include Dracaena fragrans (corn plant) and Janet Craig plant (Dracaena Deremensis).
Elephant Bush (Portulacaria afra)
Elephant Bush is a succulent plant that has brown woody stems (with red hues), and is very attractive to indoor spaces. This succulent doesn’t like full sun, because it might burn its leaves easily. However, it does need some sun and well-draining soil.
Elephant bush is great for big pots as it will grow 6-18 feet (2-5.5 m) high! It doesn’t like high humidity and too much water, so make sure you plant it in a pot with large drainage holes. Elephant bush succulent will look great on a bathroom floor.
Pilea peperomioides, or a Chinese Money Plant
Chinese Money plant is an interesting plant with round shaped leaves. What is more, this plant is easy to care for and is a powerful air purifier. Due to the low light in a bathroom, you might choose to take it out once in a while to receive some sunlight, if your bathroom has no windows. Chinese Money plant prefers some filtered light.
It also likes medium watering, but make sure to only water when soil is starting to dry out. Fertilize once a month or so during the growing season.
Kalanchoe tomentosa, or Panda plant
The Panda plant is quite popular because of its beautiful silvery leaves that are covered with fuzz. Those plants are small to medium-sized succulents, often reaching up to 18 inches (46 cm) in height.
While Panda plants prefer some sunlight, it might be good for bathrooms with windows. If your bathroom has no windows, your Panda plant might start stretching due to lack of light. However, you can prune your Panda plant by around 20-40%, 1-3 times a year. This will keep it neat and promote bushier growth.
Rhipsalis
Rhipsalis are beautiful cacti that you can have in your bathroom. These succulents look great in bigger pots or hanging baskets because most produce dangling or hanging stems. Rhipsalis are epiphytic jungle cacti (that naturally live on other plants, but are not parasites). They can add liveliness and color to bathrooms.
Also called mistletoe cacti, they are suitable for bathrooms because they often receive partial shade in their natural habitat. In your bathroom, place mistletoe cacti in a spot that preferably gets at least some full sun, and then partial sun during the day. What is more, they are fine with some moisture in the soil and humidity in the air, that people often get in their bathrooms. Water your mistletoe cactus once the soil is mostly dry.
Ox tongue (Gasteria)
Ox tongue, or Gasteria, is a simple, yet an interesting succulent for a bathroom. Gasteria have rough leaves, and some patterns on their upright leaves. Ox tongue also produce beautiful tubular flowers, so what’s not to love about this cute succulent? Gasteria is a suitable succulent for a bathroom because it grows slowly, and can tolerate partial shade and low-lit conditions.
However, make sure not to allow any water to fall and accumulate on its leaves, as they might start rotting. Ox tongue doesn’t need much water, so it’s better to place it on a windowsill that gets more light during the day. Lots of fresh air is also crucial to avoid rot. If your bathroom doesn’t have a window and is often full of steam, you might skip putting an Ox tongue in your bathroom. Only water this succulent when the soil is fully dry.
Epiphyllum (Epicacactus, or Orchid cactus)
Orchid cacti are epiphytic cacti, that live on other plants but are not parasitic. These beautiful cacti are native to Central America, and are also called climbing cacti because of their hanging stems. Orchid cacti are not hard to care for, and not only have attractive thick stems, but also produce big gorgeous flowers.
Epiphyllum look great in large hanging baskets, and need well-draining soil. What is more, they prefer shade, but also some filtered light during the day is needed. They prefer moderate humidity, so bathroom conditions will aid with that perfectly.
Lepismium
Lepismium is another genus of cacti, with most of them also being epiphytic (living on other plants, without being parasites). There are about 12 species of Lepismium cacti. Lepismium cacti have long fleshy stems, most being pendent and hanging. Some species have stems that are covered in white bumps (such as Lepismium cruciforme). Most popular Lepismium species are bolivianum, cruciforme, paradoxum and others.
Lepismium succulents are suitable for bathrooms because they like shaded conditions and can’t survive in full sun. Too much sun makes their stems droopy and dry-looking. However, some sunlight is important, if you don’t want your Lepismium cactus to stop growing and not bring any flowers.
If possible, place your plant a bit away from the window, to avoid scorching. It should get some morning sunlight, or some sun in the afternoon. Light must be filtered; otherwise, it will burn the leaves. Moderate humidity and good watering are preferred, and these succulents can tolerate it well.
Thank you for reading this post on top succulents for bathrooms! If you would like to find more plant lists, check out the ones below:
Best cacti for beginners – read here
Best low light cacti for indoors – read here
Cacti without spines/thorns – read here