Tech: 5 health-promoting plants that will clean the air in your home — and are very hard to kill

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to learn how to take care of a plant. Here are an expert's top picks for novice plant owners.

It can be tough keeping plants alive indoors, especially during the dark, dry, winter months.

But if they can thrive, indoor plants have all sorts of benefits. Plants can regulate indoor humidity, and they've been shown to make people feel content and peaceful around the world. In Norway, office workers report that having plants at work helps them stay productive and healthy. In Japan, plants literally fight crime — a Tokyo neighborhood dealing with a spate of break-ins planted flowers and saw its burglary rates fall 80%.

Even rocket scientists agree: when NASA studied houseplants in the 1980s, the space agency found that they can remove dangerous organic chemicals from indoor air, like formaldehyde, benzene, and the industrial solvent trichloroethylene.

Business Insider spoke to New York City plant expert Matthew Schechter, who's worked in a family plant business his whole life.

Here are his top five "idiot-proof" plants that are perfect for anyone who lacks a green thumb. None of these need to be watered unless the dirt they're in feels dry to the touch. They are built to survive for up to a month without watering.

The low-lying Cast Iron Plant has evolved to adapt to "basically any kind of climate," Schechter said.

The bush plant is native to Taiwan and Japan, but was brought to Victorian England in the 1800s, where it became a status symbol plant for the rich.

The glossy leaves on this Janet Craig plant are super-hardy. Schechter said a tough Janet Craig plant once lived in a dark closet for two months and survived to see the light of day.

Schechter says this one is known as a "workhorse plant" because "not all plants have that big, bushy look, but can tolerate low levels of light."

The Mexican Ponytail Palm is pet-friendly and used to dry, arid conditions. It can live for two to three weeks without water.

It's ASPCA approved as non-toxic for dogs, cats, and horses.

The Ponytail Palm's massive trunk stores water, and it can do well in low and indirect lighting conditions.

"They evolved to be able to withstand periods of dryness" in arid eastern Mexico, Schechter said.

The Snake Plant is sometimes called "viper's bowstring hemp." The leaves are so strong that the plant fibers were once used to make bow strings.

The Snake Plant has "got good juju going for it," Schechter said.

In Nigeria and Brazil, it's considered sacred. Brazilians call it "espada de São Jorge" (St. George's Sword) and often plant it outside their homes because it's believed to have protective qualities.

The plant is desert-ready and stores water in its leaves, so "if the soil's wet, don't add water," Schechter said. That rule of thumb applies to all the plants on this list.

The cactus is the only plant on our list that needs a sunny spot to thrive. Cacti are best in homes or yards with southern exposure, and at least two hours of morning or afternoon sunlight.

"You only need to water cactus once a month," Schechter said. "And that's being generous."

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to learn how to take care of a plant. Here are an expert's top picks for novice plant owners. Read Full Story