Spring is finally here, so let’s carry the good vibes indoors with some greenery! These little green friends are perfect for dorm rooms as well as bedrooms. There are benefits to having plants, aside from them just being aesthetically pleasing. From one plant mom to another plant mom to be, here is my guide to avoid beginner mistakes with houseplants.
Not only are these little-potted pretties able to brighten up your room, they clean the air. They absorb pollutants that can come from common household products like various detergents, plastic and even some fabrics. Improving my mood and the air I breathe every day? Sign me up!
To start your journey into plant motherhood, you need to do research on the plant you have so that you know the exact care it needs. Plants require certain soils, lighting, food and watering times. Different plants can even have different growing seasons, directly affecting how often you need to provide them with necessary nutrients. Because these plants do not just naturally occur in your bedroom, it is your responsibility to play the role of mother nature and give your plant the environment that will allow them to thrive!
Every time I acquired a new plant, it was never planned. I would usually just be out shopping and see an adorable little succulent or leafy beauty and I just had to bring it home. Most of the time, I had no idea what kind of plant I was bringing home. To save yourself some time trying to google what type of plant you have, I recommend getting the app Garden Answer.
This app allows you to take a picture of your plant and it will tell you what type of plant you have. It gives you a list of pictures of plants with names, and then you have the opportunity to select what matches your plant. I think this feature is great because I’m not stuck putting all of my trust into a computer that can often mis-detect images. It’s a great way to narrow your search, give you some basic information about the plant.
After you identify your green child, it’s a good idea to then do a little more reading on your plant’s needs. In my own green-thumb journey, YouTube has been such a useful tool. You can find how to’s on how to re-pot your babies, specified care and how to expand your plant family with the ones you already have. Yes, you read that right. You can grow more plants with the plants you have. Propagation for the win!
Once you know everything there is to know about your little friends, set a watering schedule. When life gets hectic, it’s easy to forget about your plants. You’re in class, work, and trying to maintain a social life and then all of a sudden your plants are looking droopy. Make a note in your planner, set an alert on your phone, make a google calendar, or whatever works for you to designate a day to show your plants some TLC.
Depending on if you have plants in different families or not, the amount of times you water in a month will be different, so you may have multiple watering days for different plants. Make sure to keep updating your calendar so you will always remember.
Now that you understand the importance of doing your homework on your plants and getting a routine down, you’re ready to decorate your room with some green!
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