Rs 299 is what a cup of coffee costs at most Indian cafes.
It is also what you pay for a Lucky Jade Plant at IndoorPlant.in. Eight months after buying one, that plant is sitting on a windowsill in a Chennai flat looking exactly as it did when it arrived - except slightly bigger and considerably more confident in its spot.
That is the thing about cheap indoor plants in India that most plant sites will not tell you. The Rs 299 price has nothing to do with the plant's quality, species, or lifespan. It reflects one thing: the size of the plant at the time of sale.
The same species sold by a garden centre in a large terracotta pot costs Rs 1,200. Same plant. Bigger pot. Three more years of growing time in a nursery.
When you buy a Rs 299 plant online, you are buying that plant at an earlier stage of its life. You are not buying an inferior version of it.
This article covers three plants available at Rs 299 on IndoorPlant.in right now - what you actually get at that price, how each one looks at 6 months and at 1 year, which one is hardest to kill, and how to choose between them without getting it wrong.
No upselling. No "for just Rs 200 more, consider..." Three plants. Rs 299 each. Honest.
💡 What Rs 299 Actually Gets You
(Before we talk about which plant - this matters)
A plant in a nursery pot, typically 8-12cm diameter.
Not a seedling, not a cutting - a genuine plant with an established root system that has been growing for 3-6 months before dispatch. It is not large. It is not the plant in the lifestyle photo on the product page, which has been growing in ideal conditions for 2 years. It is a healthy young plant.
A pot that is functional, not decorative.
Standard black or dark green nursery plastic. It does the job. It is not what you display the plant in. Budget another Rs 150-250 for a small ceramic or terracotta pot if aesthetics matter to you. The plant is the value. The pot is a vessel.
Soil that may arrive slightly dry.
Not a problem. Plants are sometimes dispatched with drier soil to reduce weight and lower the risk of fungal growth in sealed packaging during transit. Water it moderately on arrival and it is fine.
A plant that will look small for the first 4-8 weeks.
This is the part that surprises people. A Rs 299 plant arrives looking modest. The same plant at 6 months - if it is in the right light and watered correctly - is often the thing in the room that people ask about.
The gap between what arrives and what the plant becomes is not a deception. It is time. Give it time.
THE THREE Rs 299 PLANTS AT INDOORPLANT.IN
Real notes. No padding.
N'Joy Money Plant
What it is: A compact variety of Epipremnum aureum with leaves that are crisply divided between pure white and deep green. Not the classic trailing money plant most people grew up seeing on Indian balconies - this one looks like it was designed, not just planted. The white variegation is clean and deliberate.
What you actually receive at Rs 299: A small potted plant, typically 4-6 leaves, in a nursery pot. The leaves on arrival may be slightly smaller than in the product photo. The white variegation is real from day one - it does not develop over time, which means what you receive is what you chose.
What it looks like at 6 months: If you have given it a spot within a metre of a window with reasonable indirect light - it trails. The vines grow downward from a shelf edge or outward across a desk surface. By 6 months, a well-placed N'Joy Money Plant is producing new leaves that are larger than the ones that arrived, and the white-and-green pattern has more contrast because the leaves are better developed. It looks like something from a plant shop that charges Rs 800 for it.
What it looks like at 1 year: Significantly different from what arrived. Long trailing vines, multiple growth points, fuller canopy. It is the same plant but it has become a presence rather than just a pot on a shelf.
Light requirement: Bright indirect light. Within a metre of a window. In very dim rooms the white variegation reduces over time - the plant becomes more green and less interesting. This is the one honest limitation at Rs 299. It is not a plant for a north-facing room with no real light.
Watering: Once a week. Check the soil first - stick a finger 2cm in. Water when dry. Do not water when still moist.
Who this plant is for: Someone who wants a Rs 299 plant that looks like a styling decision rather than a plant they picked up because it was affordable. It works on desks, shelves, kitchen windowsills, and any surface near a reasonable light source. Against a white wall it looks like an interior design choice.
Who this plant is not for: Dim rooms. North-facing rooms. Pet owners - not pet safe.
Money Plant Variegated
What it is: The variegated version of India's most common indoor plant - Epipremnum aureum. Heart-shaped leaves in a mix of creamy white, pale yellow, and deep green. The colours vary per leaf. Some leaves are mostly white. Some are mostly green. Some are split down the middle. No two leaves are identical.
That second part is worth slowing down on. This is one of the few plants you can remove from its nursery pot, place the roots in a clean glass of water, put it on a kitchen counter, and it will continue to grow. No soil. No pot. Just water, changed every 10-14 days.
What you actually receive at Rs 299: A young plant with 5-8 leaves in a nursery pot. The variegation is visible from the first leaf. If you receive one that is mostly green, put it in more light - variegation develops better in brighter conditions.
What it looks like at 6 months: If kept in soil: trailing vines, 12-18 leaves typically, spreading across a shelf or cascading from a high surface. If kept in water: slower growth but visible roots developing in the jar, which is its own kind of attractive - the root system is visible and the plant looks entirely different from a soil-potted plant. At 6 months in a bright kitchen, the Money Plant Variegated in a glass jar is the thing every visitor asks about. Not because it is expensive-looking. Because it is unexpected.
What it looks like at 1 year: Long trailing vines in soil. Or a dense root system visible in water. Both are good. In soil with good light it needs trimming by month 8-9, which is a good problem - it means the plant is thriving.
Light requirement: Low to medium indirect light. More tolerant of dim conditions than the N'Joy Money Plant because the green portions of the leaf can photosynthesise with less light. In very dim rooms the white and yellow fade and it becomes greener - still a healthy plant, just a less colourful one.
Watering: Once a week in soil. In water: change the water every 10-14 days and clean the jar once a month.
Who this plant is for: Anyone who wants something unusual at Rs 299. The water-growing option makes it genuinely unlike anything else at this price point. Kitchen windowsill, bathroom counter, desk with a glass jar - this plant looks different from every other plant in those spots because you do not see roots and water-growing plants in most Indian homes.
Who this plant is not for: Pet owners - not pet safe. Anyone who wants guaranteed bold colour in a dim room - the variegation fades in low light.
Lucky Jade Plant
What it is: Crassula ovata. A succulent. One of the longest-lived indoor plants available in India. Known as the Lucky Plant, Money Tree, or Friendship Plant. Common Vastu plant in Indian homes. Grows slowly into a small tree shape over years - not a vine, not a trailing plant, not a spreading ground cover. A tree. That is genuinely what it becomes with time. At Rs 299 you are buying the first few chapters of that tree.
What you actually receive at Rs 299: A small, compact succulent typically 10-15cm tall with a visible trunk beginning to form and 15-25 leaves in the characteristic oval shape. It looks like a miniature tree from the first day. The trunk is the feature - even at this early stage it has more structure than a money plant or an aglaonema.
What it looks like at 6 months: Marginally larger. The Jade Plant grows slowly - that is not a flaw, it is the species. At 6 months it may have added 3-5cm of height and a few new leaf clusters. The trunk will be slightly thicker. It is not dramatic growth. What it does at 6 months is simply look good - the same way it looked on arrival, except more settled and more confident in its pot.
What it looks like at 1 year: More defined trunk structure. New branches beginning to form at 12 months if the light has been good. The plant looks like it has been there for years even though it has only been there for one. This is the Jade Plant's particular quality - it looks established long before it actually is. At 3 years, a Lucky Jade Plant bought at Rs 299 looks like something from a specialty plant nursery charging Rs 1,800 for it.
Light requirement: This is the one critical condition. The Lucky Jade Plant needs a sunny spot. A south or west-facing windowsill with a few hours of direct or strong indirect light. In good light it grows slowly and looks exactly like the plant you chose. In a dim corner it stretches - the stems elongate as the plant reaches toward whatever light it can find and the compact tree shape collapses. It stays alive but stops looking good. One bright windowsill. That is the whole requirement.
Watering: Every 2-3 weeks. In winter or an AC room, once a month. This is not a plant that needs attention. It is a plant that needs to be left alone in a good light spot. More plants in India are killed by overwatering than by any other cause. The Jade Plant, being a succulent, makes overwatering almost impossible - it stores water internally and shows obvious signs of stress if given too much before showing signs of too little.
Who this plant is for: The person who has killed every plant they have ever owned. The person who travels for work and cannot commit to weekly watering. The person who wants a plant that looks intentional on a sunny windowsill without thinking about it. The person who wants something pet safe at Rs 299. This is the plant you buy when you want a plant that will still be there in three years.
Who this plant is not for: Anyone with no direct light or no strong indirect light. The Jade Plant in a dim room is a plant that gradually stops looking like itself.
Which One Should You Buy - The Honest Answer
Most articles end with "all three are great, pick what suits your style." That is not useful. Here is the actual decision:
You have a sunny windowsill and any of the following are true: you have a cat or dog at home, you forget to water plants, you travel regularly, you want something that will still be there and still look good in three years, you have killed other plants before and do not know why. At Rs 299 with 62 reviews at 4.5 stars - the highest-rated plant on the site - this is the safest purchase of the three. The sunlight requirement is real and non-negotiable. Everything else is forgiving.
You have a good indirect light spot - a shelf or desk within a metre of a window - and you want something that looks like a styling decision rather than just a plant. No pets. Comfortable with once-a-week watering. Want something that changes and grows visibly over 6 months.
You want to try the water-growing option. A glass jar on a kitchen counter or bathroom shelf with this plant in it is one of the most low-effort and genuinely interesting plant displays possible in an Indian home. No soil, no pot, no watering schedule. Change the water every two weeks. Not pet safe. Handles dim light better than the N'Joy.
You have different spots in your home with different light conditions and you want to start building a collection without spending significant money to test what works. At Rs 299 each, buying all three and seeing which ones settle best is less than the cost of one mid-range restaurant meal.
What to Do When Any of These Arrive
-
📦
Open the box on the day it arrives.
Plants shipped online need light. Every day in a sealed box is a day without photosynthesis. Open it, check the soil, and place the plant in its spot on day one. -
💧
Do not water immediately unless the soil is bone dry.
Press a finger 2cm into the soil. If it is moist - leave it. If it is dry - moderate watering only, not a full soak. -
🪴
Do not repot immediately.
The plant has already been through transit stress. Repotting adds another layer of stress. Wait 4-6 weeks before moving it to a decorative pot. -
💡
Do not put it in a dark spot to "let it adjust."
Plants adjust to a new environment through light, not through darkness. Put it in the spot you intend to keep it from day one. -
⏳
Give it two weeks before making any judgement.
A plant that looks slightly wilted or pale on arrival will look like a different plant by day 10 if the light is right. The adjustment period is real. Two weeks is the minimum. -
📸
If the plant arrives with visible physical damage...
Broken stems, root ball collapsed, leaves crushed - photograph it and email support@indoorplant.in within 12 hours of delivery with your order number. That is IndoorPlant.in's damage return window for damaged arrivals.
The Honest Thing About Budget Plant Buying in India
The cheapest plant you will ever buy is the one you do not have to replace.
A Rs 299 Lucky Jade Plant bought once, placed in the right spot, watered correctly - that is a one-time Rs 299 expenditure.
A Rs 299 plant bought from a poorly run site, packed badly, arriving damaged, dying within six weeks, being replaced, dying again - that is Rs 899 and you still do not have a plant.
The budget decision is not just which plant to buy. It is which site to trust with a living thing.
IndoorPlant.in ships in breathable cardboard. Plants are watered before dispatch. Damage reports are accepted within 12 hours of delivery for visibly damaged plants. These are specific commitments, not vague reassurances. See what is currently available at indoorplant.in/shop.
FAQ
A: The Lucky Jade Plant at Rs 299 from IndoorPlant.in is the strongest recommendation at this price. It is a succulent with 62 verified reviews at 4.5 stars - the highest-rated plant on the site. It needs watering only every 2-3 weeks, is pet safe, and survives near-total neglect as long as it has a sunny windowsill. At Rs 299 it is the most forgiving plant available at any price point in the Indian online plant market.
A: Yes, from a proper nursery. At Rs 299 you are buying a real, established plant in a small nursery pot. The size is modest on arrival - typically 10-20cm - but the plant is healthy and will grow. Price at point of sale in the Indian plant market reflects size, not quality. The same species in a larger pot at a garden centre costs Rs 800-1,500. You are buying time, not a different plant.
A: Usually pot size and plant maturity, not species quality. A Rs 500 plant has typically been growing in the nursery for longer and arrives in a slightly larger pot. Both plants of the same species will reach the same eventual size. The Rs 299 plant gets there more slowly because it started smaller. There are exceptions - rare varieties command higher prices at any size - but for the common Indian indoor plants, price difference at the lower end reflects size only.
A: Yes. A single node cutting from an existing money plant in water will grow roots in 2-3 weeks. If you know someone with a money plant, ask for a cutting. The Rs 299 option at IndoorPlant.in is worthwhile if you do not have access to a cutting source - it arrives as an established plant rather than a cutting that needs 6-8 weeks to establish roots and begin visible growth.
A: The Lucky Jade Plant by a large margin. Water every 2-3 weeks in summer. Once a month in winter or an AC room. The N'Joy Money Plant and Money Plant Variegated both need once-a-week watering in soil. The Variegated in water needs a water change every 10-14 days but no actual watering schedule in the traditional sense.
A: Yes. Product photos are taken with plants that have been growing in optimal nursery conditions for 1-3 years. What arrives at Rs 299 is the same species at an earlier stage of life - typically 3-6 months old. The plant you received is healthy and will grow toward what the photo shows. The gap is time, not quality.
