5 Overlooked strategies that are key to adopting the right indoor plant friend
Buying a plant is easy. For most people the confusion arises after they’ve left the nursery. This agony can be minimized by learning how to select the right plants for your home or office, and more importantly, how to allow them to thrive. If you are ready to reap the benefits of plants including purifying air, adding aesthetic value, and companionship, continue below to find five overlooked strategies that will prepare you as a plant parent, optimize your space, and save you money.
SHADOW TEST
Examine and assess the levels of light in the different areas of your space. Since light is fundamental to plant growth (despite the clickbait Youtube channels that claim otherwise), the basic formula for plant growth is CO2 + sunlight + H2O → sugars + oxygen (AKA photosynthesis BKA plant growth CKA indoor jungle garden). A shadow test helps you determine light level. Simply raise your hand over a wall or floor. Does it cast a shadow? Is the shadow faint, intense, or non-existent? That is a good indicator of your indoor lighting situation so that you are prepared when ordering plants. If you are determined to bypass an apartment with poor lighting, you can invest in growth lights which emit light at a frequency suitable for the chloroplast’s photoreceptors to absorb and process.
OVERWATERING
It’s hard to kill a succulent. It’s easy to overwater a plant and surprisingly common. Overwatering leads to an anaerobic environment for your plants, meaning they are so smushed by water molecules that they are suffocating and would like air. Another complication of overwatering is root rot. Luckily overwatering can be corrected pretty easily once you’ve identified the issue. The signs of overwatering can be lack of turgidity + sopping wet soil. If the soil is bone-dry and the foliage is limp, that can be an underwatering issue. Apart from simply watering less frequently, remedying soil with perlite can help with aeration. Also, making sure your pot has good drainage.
START UP COSTS
Where this is a will there's a way. Do not be discouraged by the price tags of plants. There is a plant for every budget. We have all seen the beautiful jungle homes with pothos trailing into the kitchen sink. Orchids are beautiful and a major draw for any occasion. But between purchasing flora, ceramic pots, special soil, stones, fertilizer and time one could think that caring for plants is an expensive hobby. Yet it doesn’t have to be. Ferns are low maintenance and affordable; same with air plants, and they require little attention. Some of the best containers are upcycled from water bottles and soda cans. Be imaginative. Where this a will there’s a way. Check out Offer Up, craigslist and at neighborhood meet ups for more deals. It might be your lucky day.
POTS AND GIRDLING
Check the pot. Girdling occurs when plant roots wrap around the base of the container they are placed in. When purchasing plants from Home Depot and stores that don’t specialize in our green friends, it is likely that plants are on the shelves for weeks and even months at a time. This becomes problematic because rather than absorbing nutrients from the soil, the roots are in a knotted, tangled mess. An easy way to eliminate this is by upscaling your pot. Simply remove the plant carefully from the container, detangle the roots (water helps to loosen the knots out), prune as needed, and rehome your plant into a larger container with additional soil. When selecting soil, try to strike a balance between nutritious, dense dark soil and lightweight, well drained components. (Pocketbook glossary: perlite, vermiculite, sand, loam, bliss)
WATER pH and mineral content
Not all water is built the same. This isn’t a bad thing. Oceans and lakes are both great to swim in, but you wouldn’t jump in without knowing what you were diving into. Likewise pH, heavy metals, and chlorine in tap water can lead to necrotic spots, chemical burns, and stunted growth in plants.
pH refers to the acidity or alkalinity of a chemical substance. Most plants thrive in slightly acidic environments (6 to 7 pH), while tap water typically hovers between 6.5 and 8.5 (according to Environmental Protection Agency guidelines).
Chlorine is another factor. You can create de-chlorinated water at home by boiling a quart of water and allowing to sit in pot uncovered for 24 hours. This allows the chlorine to evaporate.
Simple solutions also include investing in a $15 brita filter, drought tolerant plants, and buying bottled water, which you can later upcycle for fun hydroponic walls. Fortunately most plants are adaptable and will grow to tolerate the conditions they are reared in.
Despite all of our efforts, we misstep. We might overwater our plants, or forget to turn them for a whole week straight leading to lop-sided bobby new growth. Perhaps you are a serial “I forgot to water my plants” person. Perhaps through no fault of your own, the foliage of your prized plant has gone limp.
Anyone can become a good plant parent or friends. It simply takes foresight, patience, and persistence. Since plants are such great companions (great listeners and super loyal), why not make the investment today?
