Nothing brightens up your home quite like a plant you love, especially as the doldrums of winter hit. Unfortunately, not everyone is born with a green thumb — if you’ve accidentally killed every house plant you’ve ever touched or even if you just can’t seem to stop watering your succulents, you can still have hope! We’ve compiled a few easy-to-follow tips for improving your green thumb and keeping those plant babies happy and healthy.
The Main Rules of (Green) Thumb to Follow
Follow three basic rules when it comes to your indoor plants. First, avoid under- and over-watering. Research your plants and then mark your calendar to know which days to water. Make it a routine so you never forget and accidentally leave your poor plant friend high and dry for too long. Second, place them in optimum sunlight. Again, research what works best for that specific plant! Or, if you have a particularly sunny spot in your home, research what plants thrive with the amount of sunlight your home receives. Third, use the right kind of potting soil. Just like with pets, different breeds need different nutrients. Learning the right soil for your plant will ensure a happy, healthy, and green home.
Packing Peanuts for Drainage
When it comes to indoor plants, we’ve found tons of hacks on clever ways to care for them. Have you tried using packing peanuts for drainage? Not only will your plant’s roots thrive without the standing water, but you won’t have to throw out your back every time you’d like to move the planter. Layer the peanuts at the bottom of a planter, add a fabric divider, and then fill the rest of the pot with soil. It’s that easy! Coffee filters can also work wonders in the bottom of a planter with a drainage hole.
Propagate Your Plants in Water
You’ll find plenty of ways to propagate plants, but one of the most foolproof ways we’ve ever found is water propagation! Some plants work better for water propagating than others, like pathos, philodendron, holiday cactus, and ZZ plants. Watch out though, because once you see the roots growing right before your eyes, it can be a bit addicting — hello, green thumb!
Get a Sturdy Plant
All advice aside, if you truly lack a green thumb why not consider a sturdy and hard-to-kill plant that can withstand a little neglect? Might we recommend a pilea, african violets, or a spider plant? Don’t worry, plenty of plants love being left alone to thrive independently!
Make Sure Your Plants are Pet Safe
Just one last note: If you have a pet that might nibble on the leaves of your plant — let’s be honest, even the most well-behaved dog or cat can get a bit curious about new foliage — make sure you get a plant that isn’t toxic to your animals.
Add a little life back into your home this month with a well-cared-for plant — just follow our tips to make sure it lives more than a few weeks! We love adding plants to our kitchen window sills, our living areas, and our master bathrooms — they truly brighten up your entire home. Where will you be adding more greenery to your space next?