Planthood 101: Before you buy
As we enter day 673 of quarantine (I kid, I kid, no really what day is IT?), I am seeing more and more people embrace DIY’s, crafts and even Planthood. I love to see it! I myself have dabbled a little here and there on the crafts + DIY front. And honestly Ive failed miserably at a few DIYs but that is a post for a different day. Ive been a proud member of the Planthood tribe for a while now and I am so very happy to see so many people use this “down” time to embrace their green thumb.
Now while you may be thinking of taking the jump into Planthood, I wanted to give a few newbie tips that can be helpful as you start this new area of your life. Because sis, I want you to stay in this Planthood club and set you up for success. Since plants are my jam, I will continue to add more post about plants as I learn more through my own Plantmom journey.
Starting off is a piece of cake with Indoor Plants that are low maintenance. Set yourself up for success, dont go for the complicated! A low maintenance plant would be one that doesn’t require watering as often, does well in indirect light and doesn’t need much effort. Low maintenance indoor plants will help you ease into planthood. As you gain confidence in your green thumb, you can begin adding plants that may require a little more effort. Perfect indoor plants that are low maintenance that I actually own: Ponytail Palm, ZZ Plant, Snake Plant or Succulents.
Once you have decided on your plant baby or even before your purchase, google her. Yep google. You need all the deets, the who, the what and the where. Knowing different things such as the type of soil your plant needs, temperature preferences, lighting and how often she or he needs to be watered or fertilized is key. This is pretty much the secret sauce of how you will keep your plants alive + thriving. Now granted, most plants come with a little detail card with some care details on them, however that info is typically generic. So as with anything else, google.
While you are googling, look up a few different places you can purchase your baby. All locations are NOT created equal in pricing or quality. I have found that purchasing from nurseries are a tad more pricey, however the plant quality is sometimes better. I’ve also sometime seen some really great plants in places like TraderJoes and WholeFoods. Definitely take the time to shop around.
With plants, the rule “you get what you pay for”, doesnt exactly apply. Dont feel like you have to go get the most expensive plant you can find. The cost of the plant doesnt determine the health of the plant. Nor does that guarantee the plant will live and thrive.
In the same breath really look at the plant, look at its leaves. Look at its stems. The same way you can tell if a human isnt feeling well, you can tell if a plant isnt healthy.
Dont buy sick plants. This is not to say that you cant “nurture” a plant back to health because you can. There are a couple reasons you wouldnt want to take that step as a newbie. The main one, is you want to continue being a Plantparent. If for whatever reason your plant didnt make it, that could make you discouraged. Also sometimes a sick plant can get the plants around it sick. If the plant doesnt look healthy just leave it there friend.
Dont buy sick plants. This is not to say that you cant “nurture” a plant back to health because you can. There are a couple reasons you wouldnt want to take that step as a newbie. The main one, is you want to continue being a Plantparent. If for whatever reason your plant didnt make it, that could make you discouraged. Also sometimes a sick plant can get the plants around it sick. If the plant doesnt look healthy just leave it there friend.
Bringing home baby
When you do purchase and bring your baby home fight the urge to repot. Let me repeat that, FIGHT the URGE to repot. Trust me I get it, the pots that most plants are purchased in are fugly, not even ugly, just fugly. But there is a extremely good reason as to why you should not repot right away. Plants are living things (duh) and just like us, they can experience trauma + stress.
Re-potting is a shock and can cause major stress( I mean you are massaging the root ball etc). Allowing your plant to stay in the pot that they were already in allows you to move your plant around to find the spot that you will place them in your home. It also gives them a breather to recoup from any stress they may have been under on their journey to you.
Now while that should be enough of a reason not to repot right away, another good reason is some plants have very specific characteristics that they show when they are ready to move to a new home. Repotting too soon can cause stress, lack of growth and potentially the plant dying. A good rule of thumb is to wait a few days and allow the plant to adjust then you can safely repot. Unless the soil is completely dry, you shouldnt water right away either (remember we are letting the plant “settle”).
Re-potting Tips (basic)
Pro Tip 1: You can always purchase a potter much larger than the one that the plant is in and just sit the plant + potter inside. Gives the look of a “New” pot without adding extra stress.
Pro Tip 2: Repotting should only occur during growing season (Spring) and never in the colder months. When you are ready to repot, research how to repot for YOUR specific plant.
Indoor Plant Benefits
The indoor plants lifestyle has tons of amazing benefits! Im just happy so many people are embracing this lifestyle. Studies have shown that plants, have the ability to be mood boosting while reducing stress. Those who spend significant time with their plants each day have said to notice a difference in their overall happiness, myself included. I will be sharing more tips on Planthood in the future.
The indoor plants lifestyle has tons of amazing benefits! Im just happy so many people are embracing this lifestyle. Studies have shown that plants, have the ability to be mood boosting while reducing stress. Those who spend significant time with their plants each day have said to notice a difference in their overall happiness, myself included. I will be sharing more tips on Planthood in the future.
Now while there are TONS of tips and info that a plantparent should know, these were onese that I thought would be most helpful to a person who was just starting out. I will be showing more tips in the future. If there was a particular area of plants you would like to see content on definatly leave a comment below.
If you are already a plantparent what plants do you have?
