Do you want a unique indoor tree? Are you also incredibly impatient? Don’t fret! We’ve got just the list for you.
Some of the fastest-growing indoor trees include the fiddle leaf fig, rubber tree, yucca tree, money tree, and bird of paradise. Some of these trees require a daily misting to increase humidity, while others love for their soil to dry out completely. Any of these trees would be a great choice!
Keep reading to explore the world of fast-growing indoor trees!
What Are The Most Common Indoor Tree Varieties?
The most common fast-growing indoor tree varieties include:
- Fiddle leaf fig
- Rubber tree
- Yucca tree
- Majesty palm
- Kumquat
- Umbrella tree
- Money tree
- Bamboo
- Bird of paradise
Fiddle Leaf Fig
Surprisingly, the fiddle leaf fig is in the mulberry family. It comes from west Africa and, in the wild, grows in tropical rainforests. In their native habitat, fiddle leaf figs can reach 50 feet tall!
They get their name because their leaves look like fiddles. They have a thick texture with prominent veins.
Fiddle leaf figs are used ornamentally in tropical and subtropical gardens, but can also be grown indoors in more temperate climates.
Fiddle leaf figs are, well, finicky! If you’re working on your green thumb, this is a tree that requires a lot of careful attention and intuition.
What Does A Fiddle Leaf Fig Need To Thrive?
Fiddle leaf figs need well-lit locations. Under the right conditions, they can grow to be incredibly large, up to 10 feet indoors!
But if they’re grown incorrectly they’ll become leggy, have a dull color, and just generally look unhappy. If you don’t have a bright room where they can thrive, you may want to rethink this particular tree.
Likewise, fiddle leaf figs aren’t fans of drafts. So even if you place them by a sunny window- old, poorly-insulated windows can ruin the plan.
Be sure to use porous soil with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. This range promotes the best nutrient uptake and availability for the fiddle leaf fig.
You can propagate fiddle leaf figs via division, air layering, or stem cuttings.
Rubber Tree
The rubber tree originates from the Amazon basin, although now lives in the wild pantropically. Rubber trees are vital to the economy because their leaves’ extract produces natural rubber.
Rubber trees can reach up to 140 feet in the wild, but are of course much smaller in indoor cultivation.
Rubber plants are known for their beautiful, multicolor leaves that almost appear to be painted. Colors vary from dark green to deep purple to cream. Rubber trees are great plants for beginners and thrive in many conditions.
What Will Help A Rubber Tree Grow Best?
They can grow up to over 10 feet tall indoors, but you can also prune them if you want a smaller tree.
Rubber plants do best with bright light, but will tolerate low light as well.
Water thoroughly, but let the soil dry out between waterings. The pot must have good drainage. Empty extra water out of the saucer after watering.
Fertilize often with a houseplant fertilizer in the spring and summer- as often as every two weeks! If your plant is receiving less light, don’t fertilize quite as often.
It’s not a bad idea to support your rubber tree with a stake.
Yucca Tree
Yucca is actually a genus of plants with almost 50 species and (to be exact) 24 subspecies!
They cover a very large portion of the Americas, from Mexico to Guatemala to California and the southwest. You can even find yuccas as far north as southern Canada!
Not only that, but they’re also native to the coastlands of the southeast.
Yucca trees are impossible to mistake due to their leaves that readily resemble swords. While some yucca have leaves reaching up to 2 feet long, larger yucca can have 4-foot-long leaves!
What Conditions Does A Yucca Tree Need?
Yuccas do okay with low humidity and temperatures, but they need a lot of light when grown indoors.
Potting mix needs to be strong enough to support their canes but light enough to be full of aeration. An example is a 3:1 mixture of peat:sand. Yucca trees do best with pH levels between 5.5 and 6.5.
Yucca Moths
According to a study found in Ecological Entomology of the Royal Entomological Society, yuccas have a very interesting relationship with their pollinators. They are specifically pollinated by “yucca moths”.
Yucca moths bring pollen from the stamen of one yucca to the stigma of another yucca. Meanwhile, they lay an egg in the flower.
Next, the moth eats some of the seeds but leaves enough for the yucca to continue its lifecycle.
Interestingly, some yucca moths have turned the tables and evolved to continue to use the yucca’s flowers as protection…without pollinating in return!
Majesty Palm
The majesty palm is native to Madagascar and can grow to be almost 100 feet in the wild. (Are you sensing a theme here? Even though these plants grow enormous outdoors, they can be kept in a smaller size in your home!)
Although the majesty palm is becoming harder and harder to come by in its natural habitat, it is widely grown as an indoor tree where it can reach just a tenth of its potential size.
The majesty palm is one of the harder palms to grow indoors, as it requires humidity, lots of light, and regular moisture. This plant is not exactly beginner-friendly, to say the least!
What Does A Majesty Palm Need?
To successfully grow a majesty palm indoors you need a bright corner, lots of water, and minimal fertilizer.
Majesty palms like soils as acidic as 5.0. According to the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, majesty palms do best in typical potting mixes combined with peat. Good drainage is mandatory!
The lower leaves of your palm will drop if the soil dries out too much between waterings.
If you live somewhere where the humidity drops in the winter, consider getting a humidifier and misting your plant every day.
Funnily enough, cacti fertilizer mixes work well for majesty palms. We’ve had a lot of luck with the Espoma Organic Cactus! Plant Food.
Kumquat
Kumquats are native to tropical regions where they’re used to heat, high humidity, and slightly acidic soil.
Because of this, they need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight, although they do best with up to 10 hours.
Put your kumquat tree by the brightest window in your home and rotate it every week so all the leaves get the same amount of sunlight. Don’t be afraid to bring your plant outdoors during the summer so it gets all the sun it needs!
To get your kumquat tree to branch, prune above leaf nodes. This is a general rule of thumb for most plants!
Be ready to hand-pollinate your trees in lieu of bees and butterflies. Be very careful and gentle, using a paintbrush, makeup brush, or q-tip.
What Does A Kumquat Need To Succeed?
If you don’t have enough natural light through a window, supplemental artificial light may be required. Your grow light should be about a foot above your tree and left on for 12 hours each day.
The Yadoker LED Growing Light for Indoor Plants is a good grow light that lots of people use for citrus trees!
Surprisingly, kumquats have a wide range of temperature tolerance, with anything from 55 to 85 degrees F being sufficient. Avoid having air conditioners or heaters blow directly onto your tree to avoid temperature fluctuation. Likewise, be wary of drafty windows.
Kumquats like moist (but not wet or soggy) soil. When your soil has dried out two inches below the surface, that’s a good indicator that your tree needs to be watered again. A citrus-specific fertilizer is your best bet.
Umbrella Tree
The umbrella tree is native to Taiwanese forests and can reach up to 30 feet in height outdoors. It usually maxes out at around 10 feet indoors.
You can also get dwarf umbrella trees that are well-loved among bonsai enthusiasts.
Umbrella plants enjoy bright and indirect light, although in medium/low light they just tend to grow more slowly and can get to be quite leggy.
What Does My Umbrella Tree Need To Thrive?
While humidity doesn’t affect their growth much, dry air makes umbrella plants more susceptible to spider mites and scale.
Umbrella trees do best growing in a mix of potting soil and a lot of peat moss. They need good drainage and should be repotted every couple of years during the springtime months.
Water deeply when the soil dries out, and then let it dry out again before another watering. They can withstand dry spells more than they can withstand wet soil. Be sure to empty the saucer after you water!
Depending on how large your umbrella tree grows, it may benefit from being staked.
Money Tree
The money tree got its name from an interesting tale. A poor man prayed to have more money. He found an interesting-looking plant, took it home, and eventually became rich by selling the plants that he grew from its seeds!
The money tree can grow up to 60 feet in the wild. It’s native to Central and South America where it traditionally can be found in swamps.
Its species name, P. aquatica, means “aquatic” in Latin.
Money trees grow well as ornamental plants in tropical regions. They need bright light but suffer in direct sunlight, as the leaves burn quite easily. Rotate your money tree on occasion so that all leaves are provided equal amounts of light.
You can often find money trees for sale that have braided trunks, a tradition that can be traced back to the mid-1980s in Taiwan.
Although we’re talking about the fastest-growing indoor trees, it’s worth noting that, according to Penn State’s Urbane Jungle blog, the money tree can be as small as 20 cm tall when trained as a bonsai.
What Does A Money Tree Need In Order To Grow Best?
Money trees actually thrive in dry soil, although they don’t like dry air and should be misted every day. Potting mix designed for succulents and cacti will suffice, made of peat moss, river sand, and vermiculite.
These porous, aerating materials let water pass quickly and easily through the growing medium and also prevent root rot.
Large money trees require repotting every couple of years to avoid becoming rootbound as their roots grow in size to support the quickly-growing tree.
Feel free to prune your money tree with sharp shears in order to shape it to your liking, and you can keep braiding the stems of your tree until they eventually become too stiff to do so.
Who knows, maybe growing a money tree will bring some good fortune your way!
Bamboo
There are 7,000-year-old scriptures recounting the usage of bamboo in books, construction, and more. This is an important plant! Sometimes it is even used to make paper!
While technically not a tree, we’re including it on this list because it’s commonly grown and used in the same ways that trees are. It’s also one of the most rapidly growing plants in the entire world!
Some species in the wild can grow as quickly as 1 ½ inches every hour, according to Guinness World Records!
Bamboo is believed to have originated in China and, through evolution, transformed from prehistoric grasses into the bamboo we know and love today.
Bamboo needs the greenest of thumbs to thrive indoors, but it’s certainly possible with enough know-how, patience, and attention to detail.
How Can I Keep Bamboo Alive Indoors?
Bamboo needs a lot of moisture, so misting daily is a must. This is extra important when winter heat units dry the air out further. Humidifiers aren’t a bad idea either!
Ideally, bamboo would get indirect, bright natural light all day long. A couple of hours of direct sun will do wonders. More sun equals faster growth!
Bamboo needs impeccable drainage so that the soil dries out quickly and has good aeration. You should also place gravel at the bottom of the pot as a precautionary measure to fully avoid the soil from coming into contact with potential water that pools up in the saucer.
Your bamboo soil should never be soggy after watering. Let the top couple of inches dry out before you water it again. But the soil a few inches down should be slightly moist all the time.
Open windows are good for bamboo to increase airflow.
A 14-14-14 slow-release fertilizer is perfect for growing bamboo indoors.
Bird of Paradise
Can you guess how the bird of paradise got its name? It has stunning flowers that look so similar to birds that you have to do a double-take!
According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the bird of paradise is a vital source of nectar for birds in the wild. The bird of paradise is native to South Africa, although it has been naturalized in tropical areas around the world such as Florida and Hawaii.
A fun fact is that the bird of paradise is the official flower of Los Angeles!
Upon first glance, the bird of paradise tree resembles a banana tree when not in bloom. But a trained eye can tell the difference. Even when not in bloom, these trees provide a tropical atmosphere that is perfect for certain interior designs.
An important thing to keep in mind is that bird of paradise seedlings and pups will take multiple years before flowering, and even then, they need the perfect conditions to produce blooms. So don’t be afraid to buy a full-sized bird of paradise that’s already in bloom!
How Do I Take Care Of A Bird Of Paradise?
The bird of paradise does best with well-draining soil that’s rich in humus (organic matter). Be sure to maintain its root ball at the top of your soil because planting too deeply can prevent future blooms.
Interestingly enough, the bird of paradise is actually more inclined to bloom when it’s potbound because it hates when its roots are disturbed.
Fastest Growing Indoor Trees Ranked: Complete Growth Chart
| Tree | Annual Growth | Lifespan | Full Height | Best Place To Grow |
| Fiddle leaf fig | 2′ | 25-50 years | 10′ | Well-lit, away from drafty windows |
| Rubber tree | 2′ | 100 years | 6-10′ | Bright or low light |
| Yucca tree | 2′ | 20 years | 1-30′ | Wide area for large leaves, well-lit |
| Majesty palm | 1′ | 10 years | 3-5′ | Well-lit, humid |
| Kumquat | 2′ | 50 years | 10′ | Bright window or under artificial lights, away from air conditioners or heaters |
| Umbrella tree | 1′ | 25 years | 8-10′ | Bright, indirect light with some humidity |
| Money tree | 2′ | 10-15 years | 8′ | Bright, indirect light, humid |
| Bamboo | 3′ | 10 years | 5-8′ | Bright, indirect light, humid |
| Bird of paradise | 2′ | 50-150 years | 6′ | Bright, indirect light |
Which Indoor Tree Should I Grow In My Home?
Let’s talk about different reasons you may want an indoor tree, and which tree best fits the occasion!
To Be A Statement Piece
The bird of paradise is easily the best statement piece out of all the trees discussed.
The bright-colored petals truly look like tropical birds, bringing a piece of paradise into your living room.
You’ll feel like you’re in the middle of a tropical rainforest with its large, banana-shaped leaves and exotic flowers!
For A Lazy Gardener
Rubber trees are great for lazy gardeners or for people whose thumbs are…well…not so green.
They’re tolerant of a wide variety of conditions such as high or low light levels, and can even grow up to 10 feet tall with little upkeep!
Although this isn’t completely a plant-it-and-forget-about-it tree, as you should fertilize it every 2 weeks during the growing season for best results, it doesn’t have intensive water needs and is hard to mess up.
As A Challenge
Kumquats require a little more upkeep than some of the other trees we’ve discussed, but the challenge is well worth it.
They need up to 10 hours of bright light (or supplemental lighting), need to be rotated frequently, can’t be by air conditioners or heaters, and even need to be hand pollinated!
That being said, growing your own kumquats indoors is an incredibly rewarding journey that you won’t regret!
Giving As A Gift
The money tree is easily the best tree to give as a gift.
Along with a little note about the tale behind the money tree’s reputation, this thoughtful gift is great for anyone in your life who’s a little superstitious.
If the person you’re gifting to is incredibly logical, however, they may enjoy bamboo more. The fact that bamboo is essentially prehistoric grass is sure to grab any intellectual’s attention, so be sure to let them know!
To Feel Tropical
A lot of the trees we’ve talked about will provide a tropical atmosphere to any room. Majesty palms, kumquats, and birds of paradise are all great options if you’re looking to bring some of the tropics indoors.
Truth be told, none of these trees are great for beginners (unless they’re very stubborn, determined, and educated).
A good workaround solution to this dilemma is buying a tree that’s already very established so that you’re off to a good start before you even begin!
Common Indoor Tree Pests
Let’s take a look at some common indoor tree pests.
Aphids
One common indoor tree pest is aphids. Aphids may be reaching your plants by:
- Catching a ride on other plants
- A preexisting infestation
- Excessive nitrogen
- Clinging to your clothing
- Entering through a window
- It’s their favorite time of year
Some ways to get rid of aphids include:
- Removing aphids from leaves
- Treating your tree with extracts or chemicals
- Using sticky traps
- Checking your trees frequently
- Isolating infested plants
- Spray with oils as a preventative measure
- Use low-nitrogen fertilizers
- Only opening windows that have screens
- Changing your clothes after working outdoors
Pill Bugs
What we call “pill bugs” are what you likely called “roly-polies” as a kid playing outdoors. They’re nocturnal isopods that originate from Europe and have become invasive worldwide.
To remove pill bugs from your potted plants:
- Wait them out
- Dry them out
- Change the soil
- Use a potato trap
- Increase the heat near your tree
- Use a dehumidifier
- Use a fan
Scale
Scale is common on leafy trees, unfortunate for us indoor tree lovers.
Here are some things that we can learn about scale:
- It loves to spread to other plants
- Scale infestations spread when they’ve finished with one plant
- They spread by crawling or attaching to old pots that you might use again
To avoid the spread of scale, you can:
- Isolate infested plants
- Treat and prune infected plants
- Wash old pots before use
- Inspect old soil before you use it again
- Avoid insecticides
Leaf Beetle
The Lily Leaf Beetle is an invasive insect originating from Europe that can devastate gardens and houseplants.
To get rid of leaf beetle larvae:
- Remove eggs by hand
- Spray them off in the shower or with a hose
- Use castile soap
- Use dish soap
- Use neem oil
- Use a sticky trap in your potting soil
That’s A Wrap!
The fastest-growing indoor trees are:
- Fiddle leaf fig
- Rubber tree
- Yucca tree
- Majesty palm
- Kumquat
- Umbrella tree
- Money tree
- Bamboo
- Bird of paradise
Many, but not all, of these trees grow in tropical environments.
Nearly all of them enjoy bright, indirect light.
If you would rather grow a tree that produces fruit, make sure to try one of the easiest fruit trees that grow indoors (and where to put them!)
References
Lesniewicz, P. (2021). Indoor Bonsai. Cassell.
Gawrońska, H., & Bakera, B. (2015). Phytoremediation of particulate matter from indoor air by Chlorophytum comosum L. plants. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 8(3), 265-272.
