Indoor Full Shade Plants With Shallow Roots

African Violets

• Though not a true violet, Saintpaulia "African Violet" originated in Africa and was introduced to the world in the 1890s. One of the few indoor, shade-loving flowering plants, African violets continue blooming in the right growing conditions. African violets do not like direct sunlight and grow better away from windows with some varieties preferring less light than others. The general test ensuring your African violet receives adequate light to bloom is placing a white sheet of paper next to the plant, and then hold your hand 4 inches above the paper to cast a shadow. If the shadow is blurred, the light is ideal for your African violet to produce flowers. African violets have shallow roots that easily rot if overwatered. Test the soil with your finger before watering and always place the water in the catch pan beneath the pot to wick up to the roots.

Gasteria

• Succulents are considered sun loving, drought-tolerant plants with deep roots for capturing water far underground. The succulent Gasteria is the opposite, thriving in shade with shallow roots, making it an suitable indoor plant. A slow-growing plant with distinctively textured, mottled, tapering green leaves, gasteria is also called ox tongue or cow tongue because of the leaf shape. Though the plant does have shallow roots, it is drought tolerant and should be watered sparingly throughout the year.

Prayer Plant

• Prayer plants, Maranta, is a tropical plant commonly grown indoors for its colorful foliage of green leaves with deep-red markings, and the leaves' ability to fold upward at night, as if praying. Prayer plants thrive in moist soil. Soggy soil rots the roots and crown. Because of the plants shallow roots and need for consistently moist soil, grow the plant in a shallow container. Direct sunlight damages and burns prayer plant's leaves, so place it in shade or partial shade.

Chinese Evergreen

• Native to the dense forest floor of Southeastern Asia, Chinese evergreens, Aglaonemas, adapted to low-light levels of indoor growing. Lower lighting keeps the colorful leaves open and flat instead of rising upward when the plant is exposed to sunlight. As with prayer plants, the shallow-rooted Chinese evergreen thrives in moist soil. Grow it in shallow containers maintaining the moist soil. In extreme low light, allowing the soil to slightly dry between watering avoids the potential of root rot.