i love my green babies 🌱🌿 some of my plants started off as lush plants from the nursery or shop, cuttings or rescue plants that were nursed back to health. then there are the ones that didn’t make it (rip overwatered succulents & air plants, under watered ferns, & plants lost to mealy bugs).
seeing my plants grow gives me hope & all the feels. on the flip side, i’ve let go of the idea that i need to perfect plant care to have lush looking plants. the truth is, plants are much like us – we just need to observe & listen to learn what it is that they need. in this post i go over the basics & then discuss each aspect in the posts to follow. the basics include:
☀️ light
get to know your environment & the direction that your windows face. this will help with understanding what type of plants will be happy in your home & where to place them. the amount of light from a window diminishes as the distance from the window increases. have a look here for more on plants + light.
💦 water
for some plants little water is needed, for others the soil should remain moist. the frequency & amount of watering will depend on your plant’s needs, the lighting situation & environment. the best way to learn when to water is to observe your plant & stick your fingers in the soil. i’ve gone into more detail on plants + water in another post.
🌬 air
in general, a relative humidity of 40% is required. however, some plants require high humidity similar to the rainforest & jungles they come from. in this case, it is best to aim for at least 60% relative humidity. for more on plants + humidity + temperature + air please check this post out.
🌡 temperature
different plants have different needs but in general, temperatures around 20 c or 68 f indoors work best.
i’ll go into more detail about each plant care aspect in the posts to come. it’s important to keep in mind that each plant has its individual needs. overall, try to mimic the natural habitat of your plants as much as possible. with time, you’ll get to know what your plant needs.
plants are resilient & adaptable but there are limitations. to avoid disappointment, get to know your environment first & then bring plants home accordingly. if you lose a plant or more – it’s okay! we’re all learning as we grow. i’ve given some plants away to homes with environments better suited to their needs.
💭 last thought: i was meditating on unlearning perfectionism & the pressure i put on myself. plants are not objects that need to look perfect or to perform their best. we should be more kind & gentle to our plants & ourselves 💚
side note: chris (my partner) got me a copy of reader’s digest (1979) success with houseplants last year & i learned so much from it. in fact, this series of plant care posts was written using the information from it. i recommend it as a guide for caring for plants. there are pages of information on specific plants listed from a to z & they are beautifully illustrated. chris got me a used copy online for a great price! if you’re interested, check online or at your local thrift shop slash second hand book shop.
lostinplantopia 