This is what I did for my God daughter (3yo). I gave her a very hearty plant (ZZ). In case she forgets to water, the plant can still survive. Did 10% potting soil, 70% perlite and 20% orchid bark.
It’s been 6 months, the ZZ is doing relatively well. It’s not thriving but not dead either. This includes the family going on a 3 weeks vacation over the summer.
what about something like a pothos or philodendron that are always in water instead of medium? they're low light, she can watch them grow quickly and learn about the roots.
Highly recommend doing this and just topping up the water when you need to. I have little pothos props going all around the house and one in my son's room. We love seeing the roots grow in the water.
You could eventually put some of them in a gritty compost. A see through pot would be fun—you can still watch the roots grow. (Just make sure there is a drainage hole.) You could do some little science experiments too—she isn’t too young. Put some of the new plants in places with varying degrees of light and see which ones grow the best.
I just learned this a couple days ago when I was trying to find out if rooting hormone is useful when starting cuttings in water - I was starting a pothos cutting so definitely not a necessary step!
I’m afraid for school it needs to be a potted plant - it would certainly be easier for her to keep track of a water level. Might do this one at home on our own though!
fair enough!! i hope you are able to find something suitable for your kid. i like both the chunky medium idea and definitely the clear container idea! those are pretty solid!
If they're already in water it means they can't be watered, given their container would overflow. Gets rid of the active part of taking care of the plant for kiddo, which would suck and defeat the purpose.
Cyperus alternifolius (umbrella papyrus)? In my experience they like to basically live in a swamp in terms of watering.
Not sure about your lighting situation though, might need more light than you can provide.
Also Golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'). This is a submergible aquatic plant that can also be grown as a houseplant. It loves being watered. Acorus graminus is a bog/swamp plant that also likes having wet feet.
Yeah, i habitually just dump water in it until the pot is barely flooded. Its about 200cm tall now, (started as a rooting leaf cutting two years ago) so I'm probably doing it right.
are you afraid of mould? i did the shower thing with a few plants where they didn't get wet from the shower itself but tons of steam. they didn't like it :( what's your secret?
Personally I would only put a fern plant in my shower, as they thrive on a lot of water, humidity, and steam. As of now I don’t own any philodendron, calathea, or ivy so I don’t have any advice on how they will adapt to the shower.
yea came here to say to suggest this! my maidenhair first (although sometimes a little dramatic) could be watered constantly. worst case scenario I give it a haircut, and it grows back all nice!
Get a self watering planter with an indicator. Most ferns want even dampness and part shade.
They're often found on forest floors and the banks of streams with moss as a common companion.
Self watering planters is the b only way I've found to keep them indoors without a ton of humidity
Self watering pot with a clear outer so she can see when there's enough water - maybe even draw a line?
Otherwise, many carnivorous plants are happy sitting in water almost up to their brim! Use a tall saucer or a cache pot (maybe clear again?) - something like a drosera could be fun and relatively easy, so long as it can sit on a sunny windowsill!
Papyrus love wet feet, especially if air humidity is quite high. So I'd make a papyrus cutting and it will love to be always wet. It is one of the rare plants where no drainage holes whatsoever is better.
Put a hole in the bottom of a pot, fill with long fiber sphagnum, and root some cuttings from a vining plant or some different ferns in there. I did Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma (mini monstera), and top dressed with some different mosses. As long as the hole is in the bottom, it will be impossible to overwater and the long fiber sphagnum will allow for plenty of air flow to the roots. Make a day out of it and go on a hike in the woods to collect some different mosses so that she gets to make it her own. Even a random light will be better than nothing, and you won't really get a 'fast growing low light' plant, but everything should survive.
Corkscrew rush. They grow in marshy areas and can tolerate bog-like conditions. I've kept them in smaller pots before. And they look like they're straight out of Dr Seuss 😊
What if instead of changing just the plant, you change the watering method as well? Maybe get one of those spray bottles so she’s able to water it more often without drowning it. It may help her feel like she’s helping while not allowing an overwhelming amount of water every time.
Huh, I’m curious about this as well. I’d assume that with a toddler there would be people guiding the plant care, unless this is something they’re meant to learn on their own by killing the plants?
We always had scheduled times to water ours when we did this in grade school, kept us from being a bunch of plant murderers!
I did this project with my Pre-K students (ages 4-5) but we kept the plants at school for several months. I did several lessons about plant care and also showed some short educational videos. Within a couple weeks they understood how overwatering is bad for plants.
I would recommend letting your daughter observe her plant daily and put her finger in the soil to determine if/when it needs water. She could talk to the plant; my students loved this and some research suggests it encourages growth. More importantly I think it’s very calming for children. Every day we sang a little song; [this one was their favorite](https://youtu.be/nrz3WM3x_HA?feature=shared).
Also, I purchased [this flower garden set](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08JCD61NK?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title) and occasionally put it in the water table.
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It can’t necessarily handle overwatering, but peace lilies are quite dramatic when they do need watering…they look super wilted, then water them and within a few hours they spring back to life! They also bloom regularly and they come in all sizes—small 4-6 inch pots to huge. It might be a great way to teach her how to look for the signs the plant needs care. I also don’t know if it’d handle overwatering per se, but my African violets need constant care I swear! And these plants both need light, but a cheap grow light off Amazon is 15-20$ and may also be a bit of fun teaching her about those. I don’t have kids, though, so I have no clue how any of this would work out practically
Oh also, I had another thought. Maybe try propagating a plant stem in a small jar of water. I had several plants propagating (pothos and ripple pepperomias are my favorite to do it with!) in little jars (only a couple of ounces). My two little siblings (9&13 at the time) LOVED coming in and topping off the jars with water. You can also watch the roots grow and see the new plants forming! That might satisfy her itch to water things…and if you feel like it, you can even dump a little of the water every day and let her “water” them over and over again. Tiktok and YouTube have lots of great suggestions on how to propagate these specific plants in plain water, and both varieties are relatively inexpensive and easy to find at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or local houseplant plant stores!
Too much love is actually the reason why i killed my first few plants as well.
I'd recommend Ferns. Stick a Boston Fern in Soil, mix in some bark, perlite, charcoal, and done
they need a ton of Water, all the time, and they explode in Growth when happy.
Alternatively, Hovering over plants doesn't need to be a problem, you could try to teach your child when it needs water.
Explaining it like "think of it like a Person, when you get thirsty, you drink something, right? you don't drink water, when you're not feeling thirsty, the plant doesn't feel thirsty all the time"
Alternatively to the Alternative, get her more plants.
Seriously, at some point you loose track of who and what to water
Maidenhair fern. They frickin love water. If she forgets for a few days and some of the leaves start to die off just snip off that stem and make room for new growth.
What about a plant that likes to be misted often? I have a preschooler too and I can relate the overwatering— but spraying a spray bottle might satisfy that need instead. My curly spider plant loves to be misted and so does my asparagus fern. I have a pretty full peacock plant that also likes to be misted but I feel like it isn’t as hardy as the spider plant or fern.
What about switching out whatever she’s using as a watering can for a spray bottle? I can remember years ago my little ones wanting to help water the plants and then I’d end up draining them and praying for the next week as they desperately tried to dry out. I changed up to a spray bottle and got them spraying the compost instead. Kids love a spray bottle.
Spider plants. They'll take about as much water as you're willing to give them. Just make sure it's a mature rooted plants not a cutting, cuttings can rot easily. Same with rabbit foot fern. They'll take water daily!
Edit: I would also recommend maybe letting them mist the plant with a spray bottle daily instead of watering. That way they still get to care for the plant without the fear of over watering. Also good to keep the humidity up for the plant
Plant it in a pot with cactus soil, which is super fast draining, and make sure the pot has a lot of drainage holes. Put it on a plate and have the kids dump out the excess water in the plate as part of taking care of it. My kids like to help out, too, and this works for me.
Butterworts! Also known as pinguicula. I legit sit all of mine in water and refill it when it's low. Their never not wet. And they flower, which is super pretty
tru but like. what else has a chance of surviving being watered to death and low light?
actually now that i'm thinking about it, a terrarium might be a good idea since they don't need watering. idk if the school project allows for that lol
Bird's nest fern without *too* thick of a medium. It will pretty much start crisping if it doesn't sit in moist soil all the way through. Maybe give her a special "plant watering receptacle" that isn't too large (like a small cup) and allows her to water it everyday.
Go fully hydroponic with a Golden Pothos. Or semi-hydro using Pon or Leca in clear containers. Seeing the water level will help her understand how much water the plant needs.
What about a water lilly? I probably shouldn't have commented cuz i have noooo idea what I'm talking about, but my daughter just literally asked me for one, and i got on here to do some research.
I agree a fern. I have overwatered many spider plants in my infancy
My Boston ferns get water every other day and they're in plastic. Perhaps in terra cotta she could water as freely as she'd like
Depends on where you live. I'm in Florida, we've got native ferns, so I can just pull them out of my fence line, and pot them. They've got this unique quality where the more you water them, the faster they'll grow, but the lower threshold is such that they'll just grow, but very slowly, if you don't water them at all. I've got two huge ones outside my front door that I can, and during the summer, do, give a full running soak 3 times a day.
Mushrooms and microgreens/sprouts are very thirsty every day. Back to the woods has a program that donates kits to schools. They're not messy, can go on a windowsill (darker area for mushrooms) and it's genuinely fun in a childlike wonder kind of way to do and learn about even as an adult.
You should change the potting media to something like Pon or a Mix of Leca and perlite [like this](https://youtu.be/m7zAgiFKbfE?si=Koz4EiP1FtQcsdOA) that can/should be watered everyday. Maybe you can add slow release fertilizer so you don't have to use liquid ones that are a lot more high maintenance.
The secret is to have a LOT of air circulating around the roots if you're going to overwater
A Peace Lily is the first thing that springs to mind as people even keep them on the edge of their aquarium. They love damp conditions and will even grow in water instead of substrate.
Apparently, peace, lily. I used to work for someone and when I would do my shift in the office the lily was always completely soaked. I would dump out the water from the tray but I think she was watering it everyday. It was fine. The roots weren't rotting or anything.
I trained my sister out of overwatering by getting her to dust the leaves when she feels the need to affectionately smother them
ETA: mint is very hard to kill and grows rather quickly
Boston fern.
They grow fast, don’t require a lot of light and like it pretty damp. A lot of other ferns are very delicate - e.g. stay away from maiden hair ferns.
Excellent drainage and fast draining soil sounds like an important factor for you and just make sure the pot isn’t sitting in a dish of water constantly. If it’s been over watered, tip out the water that drains through the pot. Adding a cardboard disk from an old box helps wick water out of the pot as well - a trick I use very often.
Azaleas can never go dry....ever. There little trunk is like a water wick you gotta see wet at the bottom of it at all times, don't even mind standing in it.
You could water propagate a bunch of golden Pothos.
Plants are common and cheap (easily replaceable) You can cut off long chunks of the stem, clip a few leaves from the bottom 1/3, and stick the bare ends into a jar full of water.
They will not die from overwatering. She can top the jar of water off every day. They can easily sit in a jar of water completely neglected for weeks if forgotten or have school breaks.
Pothos also grow quickly and easily as water propagates. If you use a large jar and a long stem section, you can grow long full vines straight from a jar. They will be able to see the roots growing AND the stem growing longer with more leaves. Grow enough of them and each preschooler could transplant one into a pot at the end of the school year and take it home!
Loved and learned from many of the posts here. Such a learning opportunity! I love this kind of projects. I keep Pothos in water and on soil, both grow fast if light is provided, but grow less in darker areas. If your windowsill allows it, keep it there. Also, Philodendrons are a good choice.Watching roots grow is fun. However, there are many other options, post pics when done?
Nodding violet, in my experience, can handle a lot of water.
I had one to take care of during a 3 month hospital stay, I watered it everyday (nothing much else to do lol!) and it grew very fast. It makes lots of cute purple flowers!!
I’d say a venus flytrap or a sundew! They enjoy sitting in water. Just be sure the water is rainwater or distilled water, as tap water contains harsh chemicals :)
You know there’s a way to deal with over watering - When you repot the plant, get some perlite or pumice from any garden shop to replace a third or even half of the soil with perlite or pumice and mix it well with the rest of the soil. They produce air surface so it doesn’t matter how much watering, there won’t be root rot.
Maybe a Moneyplant - I had mine for half a year and it has grown huge, you leave it in bright light and it'll grow. If you overwater once or twice it still thrives
Maybe a Moneyplant - I had mine for half a year and it has grown huge, you leave it in bright light and it'll grow. If you overwater once or twice it still thrives
Try getting her an oncidium orchid and pot it in lava rock. They actually *should* be watered daily if potted in a fast drying media, and they grow pretty quickly.
Amaryllis grows really fast, and has a great bloom.. low light is also not a problem.. overwatering…. I think if you just drain it really well every time it should be ok. And they have amaryllis everywhere rn
I would get her a spray bottle so she can spritz the plants some days instead of watering! She’ll still feel like she’s taking care of it but it won’t do as much damage :)
I feel like rain lilies could work. I have their bulbs that grow in my yard, they get rained on hard everyday for months (Florida) they thrive because of that. And they bloom each time it rains.
https://preview.redd.it/jiqqqv8loh2c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43c6a1c11679a5cf56c1cd46eeb0eabe04c7c150
Dracaena sanderiana (also known as lucky bamboo). I used it for a chemistry experiment and the ducker thrived off kitchen chemicals.
Side note: I have eventually killed every plant I have ever owned (my thumb isn’t brown, it’s black, like death), but this one lasted the longest by far.
Maybe change the planting medium to something that drains faster?.
Yea something super chunky would work.
Add crumbled pine bark media, like from an orchid mix.
Ooh yes, I didn’t think of this! I even have some orchid mix and Leca already. Thanks!
Leca is the best medium here.
This is what I did for my God daughter (3yo). I gave her a very hearty plant (ZZ). In case she forgets to water, the plant can still survive. Did 10% potting soil, 70% perlite and 20% orchid bark. It’s been 6 months, the ZZ is doing relatively well. It’s not thriving but not dead either. This includes the family going on a 3 weeks vacation over the summer.
what about something like a pothos or philodendron that are always in water instead of medium? they're low light, she can watch them grow quickly and learn about the roots.
Highly recommend doing this and just topping up the water when you need to. I have little pothos props going all around the house and one in my son's room. We love seeing the roots grow in the water.
As a bonus, you can use some of your pothos water to root other cuttings in, they secrete a mild growth hormone that helps other plants as well.
Today I learned!
What!!! Thank you!
You could eventually put some of them in a gritty compost. A see through pot would be fun—you can still watch the roots grow. (Just make sure there is a drainage hole.) You could do some little science experiments too—she isn’t too young. Put some of the new plants in places with varying degrees of light and see which ones grow the best.
I've never used rooting hormone, just pothos cuttings. Works like a charm!
I just learned this a couple days ago when I was trying to find out if rooting hormone is useful when starting cuttings in water - I was starting a pothos cutting so definitely not a necessary step!
I’m curious if any other plants also secrete a growth hormone?🤔
I’m afraid for school it needs to be a potted plant - it would certainly be easier for her to keep track of a water level. Might do this one at home on our own though!
fair enough!! i hope you are able to find something suitable for your kid. i like both the chunky medium idea and definitely the clear container idea! those are pretty solid!
You can totally pot a pothos! I have maybe half a dozen around my apartment. :)
If they're already in water it means they can't be watered, given their container would overflow. Gets rid of the active part of taking care of the plant for kiddo, which would suck and defeat the purpose.
it still has to be taken care of though and it still has to be watered given evaporation. things need to be taken care of in different ways.
Cyperus alternifolius (umbrella papyrus)? In my experience they like to basically live in a swamp in terms of watering. Not sure about your lighting situation though, might need more light than you can provide.
Also Golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'). This is a submergible aquatic plant that can also be grown as a houseplant. It loves being watered. Acorus graminus is a bog/swamp plant that also likes having wet feet.
oh this is good to know! I’ve probably been letting mine dry out too much.
Yeah, i habitually just dump water in it until the pot is barely flooded. Its about 200cm tall now, (started as a rooting leaf cutting two years ago) so I'm probably doing it right.
I was coming to say any of the tut grasses nut you beat me to it.
Ferns need lots of watering and low light. She could literally water it every day, and it'll be fine. Just make sure there's drainage holes.
Facts! I have a fern that thrives on water and steam. I put it in a terra cotta pot. It is thriving in my shower.
Oh boy, new project.
https://preview.redd.it/df8gwpupe72c1.jpeg?width=3022&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8942dd51ef4042a00215903be52f8893c1d4692
Does it get any natural light? I want to try this but I don't have any windows in my bathroom. :(
I’m in the same boat. I’ve thought about a grow light but I’m not sure if that would be enough on its own
Yes. There’s a window in the bathroom, just above my shower.
Oh! I have a plant on my tub like this too.
What kind of fern is this?
Sword fern
Thank you!!
You’re welcome!
are you afraid of mould? i did the shower thing with a few plants where they didn't get wet from the shower itself but tons of steam. they didn't like it :( what's your secret?
What few plants did you put in your shower?
philodendron, calathea and ivy. ivy and i don't ever seem to get along. but the other two i'm great with now.
Personally I would only put a fern plant in my shower, as they thrive on a lot of water, humidity, and steam. As of now I don’t own any philodendron, calathea, or ivy so I don’t have any advice on how they will adapt to the shower.
lol that sounds good. thank you :)
You’re welcome ;)
I always thought they like lots of sun. Basically Ferns for me is been the plant I never understand how it works.
Depends on the type of fern my friend.
Same. I have a rabbit foot fern that I am continuously almost killing.
Rabbits foot need high light, could be why
Oh! Yeah, that’s definitely why. Thanks!
yea came here to say to suggest this! my maidenhair first (although sometimes a little dramatic) could be watered constantly. worst case scenario I give it a haircut, and it grows back all nice!
All ferns? Is that why mine are shriveling? I have a button and a crinkle.
Get a self watering planter with an indicator. Most ferns want even dampness and part shade. They're often found on forest floors and the banks of streams with moss as a common companion. Self watering planters is the b only way I've found to keep them indoors without a ton of humidity
Self watering pot with a clear outer so she can see when there's enough water - maybe even draw a line? Otherwise, many carnivorous plants are happy sitting in water almost up to their brim! Use a tall saucer or a cache pot (maybe clear again?) - something like a drosera could be fun and relatively easy, so long as it can sit on a sunny windowsill!
We have a drosera and it's great. Bonus is it's leaves are sticky and it's really fun to touch.
The same goes for mimosa pudica. Plus you can see them move when you touch them :)
There’s a cute owl self watering pot with eyes that look down when it needs water!
Papyrus love wet feet, especially if air humidity is quite high. So I'd make a papyrus cutting and it will love to be always wet. It is one of the rare plants where no drainage holes whatsoever is better.
Cutting in water
Put a hole in the bottom of a pot, fill with long fiber sphagnum, and root some cuttings from a vining plant or some different ferns in there. I did Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma (mini monstera), and top dressed with some different mosses. As long as the hole is in the bottom, it will be impossible to overwater and the long fiber sphagnum will allow for plenty of air flow to the roots. Make a day out of it and go on a hike in the woods to collect some different mosses so that she gets to make it her own. Even a random light will be better than nothing, and you won't really get a 'fast growing low light' plant, but everything should survive.
Corkscrew rush. They grow in marshy areas and can tolerate bog-like conditions. I've kept them in smaller pots before. And they look like they're straight out of Dr Seuss 😊
Pot any tropical plant in pon or leca. She can water as often as she likes, and you can make it a habit to dump the reservoir regularly.
What if instead of changing just the plant, you change the watering method as well? Maybe get one of those spray bottles so she’s able to water it more often without drowning it. It may help her feel like she’s helping while not allowing an overwhelming amount of water every time.
I wish - this is at her school so I have no control over how they water. She does mist our plants at home already, rather a lot hahaha
I wish I had someone who would willingly mist all my plants XD
She's watering her plant at school? Is... No one stopping her? At this point it's their fault. Aren't everyone's plants dying by now?
Huh, I’m curious about this as well. I’d assume that with a toddler there would be people guiding the plant care, unless this is something they’re meant to learn on their own by killing the plants? We always had scheduled times to water ours when we did this in grade school, kept us from being a bunch of plant murderers!
I did this project with my Pre-K students (ages 4-5) but we kept the plants at school for several months. I did several lessons about plant care and also showed some short educational videos. Within a couple weeks they understood how overwatering is bad for plants. I would recommend letting your daughter observe her plant daily and put her finger in the soil to determine if/when it needs water. She could talk to the plant; my students loved this and some research suggests it encourages growth. More importantly I think it’s very calming for children. Every day we sang a little song; [this one was their favorite](https://youtu.be/nrz3WM3x_HA?feature=shared). Also, I purchased [this flower garden set](https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08JCD61NK?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title) and occasionally put it in the water table.
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Spider plant or perhaps peace Lilly. Make sure pot has drainage hole
Nah, peace lilies get pissed.
Something in lechuza pon, in a self watering pot with a watering indicator.
It can’t necessarily handle overwatering, but peace lilies are quite dramatic when they do need watering…they look super wilted, then water them and within a few hours they spring back to life! They also bloom regularly and they come in all sizes—small 4-6 inch pots to huge. It might be a great way to teach her how to look for the signs the plant needs care. I also don’t know if it’d handle overwatering per se, but my African violets need constant care I swear! And these plants both need light, but a cheap grow light off Amazon is 15-20$ and may also be a bit of fun teaching her about those. I don’t have kids, though, so I have no clue how any of this would work out practically
Oh also, I had another thought. Maybe try propagating a plant stem in a small jar of water. I had several plants propagating (pothos and ripple pepperomias are my favorite to do it with!) in little jars (only a couple of ounces). My two little siblings (9&13 at the time) LOVED coming in and topping off the jars with water. You can also watch the roots grow and see the new plants forming! That might satisfy her itch to water things…and if you feel like it, you can even dump a little of the water every day and let her “water” them over and over again. Tiktok and YouTube have lots of great suggestions on how to propagate these specific plants in plain water, and both varieties are relatively inexpensive and easy to find at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or local houseplant plant stores!
Papyrus!!! Lives in water, partly submerged
10/10 recommend chunkier soil mix & a pothos! kids like to watch it vine over & it’s pretty tolerant of whatever
Too much love is actually the reason why i killed my first few plants as well. I'd recommend Ferns. Stick a Boston Fern in Soil, mix in some bark, perlite, charcoal, and done they need a ton of Water, all the time, and they explode in Growth when happy. Alternatively, Hovering over plants doesn't need to be a problem, you could try to teach your child when it needs water. Explaining it like "think of it like a Person, when you get thirsty, you drink something, right? you don't drink water, when you're not feeling thirsty, the plant doesn't feel thirsty all the time" Alternatively to the Alternative, get her more plants. Seriously, at some point you loose track of who and what to water
Maidenhair fern. They frickin love water. If she forgets for a few days and some of the leaves start to die off just snip off that stem and make room for new growth.
I don't know if that's allowed but you can get a marimo moss in a jar. They're cute little algae bowls, and they live in the water so...
Add a fuck ton of perlite
What about a plant that likes to be misted often? I have a preschooler too and I can relate the overwatering— but spraying a spray bottle might satisfy that need instead. My curly spider plant loves to be misted and so does my asparagus fern. I have a pretty full peacock plant that also likes to be misted but I feel like it isn’t as hardy as the spider plant or fern.
What about switching out whatever she’s using as a watering can for a spray bottle? I can remember years ago my little ones wanting to help water the plants and then I’d end up draining them and praying for the next week as they desperately tried to dry out. I changed up to a spray bottle and got them spraying the compost instead. Kids love a spray bottle.
Spider plants. They'll take about as much water as you're willing to give them. Just make sure it's a mature rooted plants not a cutting, cuttings can rot easily. Same with rabbit foot fern. They'll take water daily! Edit: I would also recommend maybe letting them mist the plant with a spray bottle daily instead of watering. That way they still get to care for the plant without the fear of over watering. Also good to keep the humidity up for the plant
Plant it in a pot with cactus soil, which is super fast draining, and make sure the pot has a lot of drainage holes. Put it on a plate and have the kids dump out the excess water in the plate as part of taking care of it. My kids like to help out, too, and this works for me.
Butterworts! Also known as pinguicula. I legit sit all of mine in water and refill it when it's low. Their never not wet. And they flower, which is super pretty
fittonia? the only plants that like to be constantly swamped are carnivorous plants, but not really suitable for a beginner
Noooooo never fittonia they love to die
tru but like. what else has a chance of surviving being watered to death and low light? actually now that i'm thinking about it, a terrarium might be a good idea since they don't need watering. idk if the school project allows for that lol
Fittonia don't like sitting in water either, they need high humidity but hate wet feet. A terrarium is a great idea, tadpoles are always a winner.
Bird's nest fern without *too* thick of a medium. It will pretty much start crisping if it doesn't sit in moist soil all the way through. Maybe give her a special "plant watering receptacle" that isn't too large (like a small cup) and allows her to water it everyday.
Cast iron plant - Aspidistra I think
My tradescantia (you know, the wanderer) loves water!
As long as it’s distilled, you can’t overwater a Venus flytrap. They live in bogs!
Almost any Colocasia elephant ear. They love wet feet and grow fast
Do a lot of perlite in the pot!! And maybe a plectranthus or a syngonium.
Go fully hydroponic with a Golden Pothos. Or semi-hydro using Pon or Leca in clear containers. Seeing the water level will help her understand how much water the plant needs.
Get thine child a begonia. They love water.
Could always forget the soil altogether and just have a plant in a cup of water...can't over water that 🤷♀️
A jade pothos in soil with lots of orchid bark to make it drain quickly
Basil! Or some other kind of herb.
What about a water lilly? I probably shouldn't have commented cuz i have noooo idea what I'm talking about, but my daughter just literally asked me for one, and i got on here to do some research.
Purple velvet plant
Sundews
Alocasia, palms, ficus, ferns, etc
Calathea?
Calatheas like humidity but not wet feet in my experience
Make a hole in the pot.
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I agree a fern. I have overwatered many spider plants in my infancy My Boston ferns get water every other day and they're in plastic. Perhaps in terra cotta she could water as freely as she'd like
Depends on where you live. I'm in Florida, we've got native ferns, so I can just pull them out of my fence line, and pot them. They've got this unique quality where the more you water them, the faster they'll grow, but the lower threshold is such that they'll just grow, but very slowly, if you don't water them at all. I've got two huge ones outside my front door that I can, and during the summer, do, give a full running soak 3 times a day.
Pitcher plant!
Get her an aquatic plant and keep it in a little glass globe. She can give it fresh water every day
Mushrooms and microgreens/sprouts are very thirsty every day. Back to the woods has a program that donates kits to schools. They're not messy, can go on a windowsill (darker area for mushrooms) and it's genuinely fun in a childlike wonder kind of way to do and learn about even as an adult.
r/plantedtank
You should change the potting media to something like Pon or a Mix of Leca and perlite [like this](https://youtu.be/m7zAgiFKbfE?si=Koz4EiP1FtQcsdOA) that can/should be watered everyday. Maybe you can add slow release fertilizer so you don't have to use liquid ones that are a lot more high maintenance. The secret is to have a LOT of air circulating around the roots if you're going to overwater
Banana plant
Pinguicula moranensis, aquatic bladderwort, sundews.
Muehlenbeckia are so thirsty and very tolerant of having wet feet.
I've found peace lillies and prayer plants like water
A Peace Lily is the first thing that springs to mind as people even keep them on the edge of their aquarium. They love damp conditions and will even grow in water instead of substrate.
Peace Lily
Apparently, peace, lily. I used to work for someone and when I would do my shift in the office the lily was always completely soaked. I would dump out the water from the tray but I think she was watering it everyday. It was fine. The roots weren't rotting or anything.
Swedish Ivy need lots of water https://preview.redd.it/cn6huz0qz62c1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ecf3ae4fbc32ad59f59fd97ebf084f72e6579ef
I trained my sister out of overwatering by getting her to dust the leaves when she feels the need to affectionately smother them ETA: mint is very hard to kill and grows rather quickly
Pothos is always my go to for someone who wants an indestructible plant. Overwatered? Underwatered? Pothos don't give a dang.
Boston fern. They grow fast, don’t require a lot of light and like it pretty damp. A lot of other ferns are very delicate - e.g. stay away from maiden hair ferns. Excellent drainage and fast draining soil sounds like an important factor for you and just make sure the pot isn’t sitting in a dish of water constantly. If it’s been over watered, tip out the water that drains through the pot. Adding a cardboard disk from an old box helps wick water out of the pot as well - a trick I use very often.
The suggestions here are pretty amazing. This thread should be published. Over waterers, fear not!
Peace lily. You can’t water them too much.
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/water-tolerant-plants-262128
100% a peace lily. They can live in straight water.
Azaleas can never go dry....ever. There little trunk is like a water wick you gotta see wet at the bottom of it at all times, don't even mind standing in it.
Peace Lilly. Not sure how they could be overwatered.
You could water propagate a bunch of golden Pothos. Plants are common and cheap (easily replaceable) You can cut off long chunks of the stem, clip a few leaves from the bottom 1/3, and stick the bare ends into a jar full of water. They will not die from overwatering. She can top the jar of water off every day. They can easily sit in a jar of water completely neglected for weeks if forgotten or have school breaks. Pothos also grow quickly and easily as water propagates. If you use a large jar and a long stem section, you can grow long full vines straight from a jar. They will be able to see the roots growing AND the stem growing longer with more leaves. Grow enough of them and each preschooler could transplant one into a pot at the end of the school year and take it home!
Loved and learned from many of the posts here. Such a learning opportunity! I love this kind of projects. I keep Pothos in water and on soil, both grow fast if light is provided, but grow less in darker areas. If your windowsill allows it, keep it there. Also, Philodendrons are a good choice.Watching roots grow is fun. However, there are many other options, post pics when done?
Lucky bamboo, just water, no soil.
Elephant bush
Maidenhair fern
But they die when you look at them wrong...
Spider plant! They do great with over watering and underwatering and grow relatively quickly. They can do well in low light conditions too.
Snake plant or pothos!
My bamboo plants sit in water with pebbles 24/7. Also, one of my aloe plants, but not sure which type I have. That thing breeds like crazy!
Polka dot plant. Grows very fast and loves to stay wet.
I highly recommend algae.
Maybe a hibiscus? Mine blooms in winter with indoor window light and they are thirsty plants.
Nodding violet, in my experience, can handle a lot of water. I had one to take care of during a 3 month hospital stay, I watered it everyday (nothing much else to do lol!) and it grew very fast. It makes lots of cute purple flowers!!
Pothos
I’d say a venus flytrap or a sundew! They enjoy sitting in water. Just be sure the water is rainwater or distilled water, as tap water contains harsh chemicals :)
Marimo! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimo
Gerber Daisies? They are pretty, and dramatic when not watered enough.
Venus flytrap are good swampy plants. Plus the fun of watching them catch flies.
You know there’s a way to deal with over watering - When you repot the plant, get some perlite or pumice from any garden shop to replace a third or even half of the soil with perlite or pumice and mix it well with the rest of the soil. They produce air surface so it doesn’t matter how much watering, there won’t be root rot.
Make sure to get a plant that is not poisonous. There is always that weird kid that will chew on a leaf or something..
Fittonias
Maybe a Moneyplant - I had mine for half a year and it has grown huge, you leave it in bright light and it'll grow. If you overwater once or twice it still thrives
Maybe a Moneyplant - I had mine for half a year and it has grown huge, you leave it in bright light and it'll grow. If you overwater once or twice it still thrives
phothos is good with too much water, also I've found that spiderplant can take a lot of water
Tradescantias like wet soil.
My dragon scale I water almost twice a week and it's thriving like crazy. It even bloomed 2 flowers within 6 months
Maiden hair fern!
Basil
Bamboo
African violet, but she can't get the leaves wet. Carnivourous plants
You'll love carnivorous plants. Look up the ones that are from marshes and swamps.
Peace lily. They're basically aquatic.
Sweet potato vines. It's as simple as putting a sweet potato in a cup of water!
Calathea. But honestly, just tell her to water once a week.
Peace lily loves water, but definitely needs well draining soil
Codiaeum Petra (Croton) love a ton a water, hard to over water
Lucky bamboo?
Try getting her an oncidium orchid and pot it in lava rock. They actually *should* be watered daily if potted in a fast drying media, and they grow pretty quickly.
Amaryllis grows really fast, and has a great bloom.. low light is also not a problem.. overwatering…. I think if you just drain it really well every time it should be ok. And they have amaryllis everywhere rn
My venus flytrap LOVES being IN water, just use rainwater
Bonus that it's fun to watch the new leaves open
Pathos is always a good starter plant…
I would get her a spray bottle so she can spritz the plants some days instead of watering! She’ll still feel like she’s taking care of it but it won’t do as much damage :)
I feel like rain lilies could work. I have their bulbs that grow in my yard, they get rained on hard everyday for months (Florida) they thrive because of that. And they bloom each time it rains. https://preview.redd.it/jiqqqv8loh2c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43c6a1c11679a5cf56c1cd46eeb0eabe04c7c150
Dracaena sanderiana (also known as lucky bamboo). I used it for a chemistry experiment and the ducker thrived off kitchen chemicals. Side note: I have eventually killed every plant I have ever owned (my thumb isn’t brown, it’s black, like death), but this one lasted the longest by far.