Edited by: Aneesha Chandra
In my first year of college, I planted a small aloe vera in a pot during a community well-being event that was held on campus and got to take the plant back to my dorm. I loved looking after it, and somewhere along the way, I ended up adding more plants to my room. That leads us to today, where my roommate and I have about 10 plants in total in our dorm room. While this might not be everyone’s ideal dorm room setup, I highly recommend adopting at least one photosynthesizing friend as soon as you can.
A plant kept almost anywhere (especially windowsills) is enough to spruce up a room!
Your plants can also be great companions and secret keepers —it’s totally cool if you talk and sing to your plants too, we’ve all been there. It’s also really satisfying to see the plant grow, the moment of joy you feel when you see a new leaf or a new bud is a great feeling, especially in a fast-paced college environment.
Don’t worry if you find it hard to keep plants alive or are new to gardening — you don’t need much experience or a lot of time to look after your plants and keep them healthy. Plants such as succulents, aloe vera, pothos, and ferns are usually a good place to start. Additionally, there are many, many lists on the internet that suggest plants you could invest in, and useful guides to caring for them — especially in a dorm room.
A small note though: even though a lot of dorm friendly indoor plants are easy to take care of, and hard to kill, it doesn’t make them at all invincible. To begin with, caring for your plant, on most days, takes about two minutes. At the very least, you have to water them at regular intervals. If you’re forgetful, try setting up reminders on your phone or ask a friend or roommate to remind you. Plus, there are specific apps (like Happy Plant) that help you keep track of your plant. Another tip is to keep your plant in an area that is visible, so that you’re more likely to remember to water it. It doesn’t have to be a chore. For me, on particularly bad days, watering my plants always makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something and that, for the most part, gives me the motivation to proceed to other tasks.
That being said, be careful of overwatering! Sometimes overwatering can be just as bad as not watering it at all. While most indoor plants don’t need to be watered every day, it’s always best to check, either at a nursery or online, just to be sure.
Make sure you do your research before you invest in a plant! Grow plants that thrive in your climate and, additionally, keep the logistics of your dorm or apartment in mind. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense for someone living somewhere cold and rainy to grow a plant that requires a lot of sunlight. For people living in places where the air quality isn’t great, I especially recommend plants like Aloe Vera and Snake Plants. These plants, besides being rather easy to take care of, will make a difference to the air quality in the room.
What’s not to like about plants? They literally keep us alive. Aside from that, simply speaking from an aesthetic point of view, they look great in almost any setting. You don’t have to have a green thumb to keep a plant in your dorm room. Honestly, I think anyone who can afford to spend the time to take care of a plant, should definitely consider getting one or two or, in my case, ten. Visit your local nursery today, you might just find The One.