We are spending more time at home than ever, and while we are hoping for the best, this situation might still last for a while. We are longing for our old lifestyles, hoping to go on nature walks and vacations soon, but until that happens, there is no reason we shouldn’t enjoy staying at home, especially if we have some houseplants to “play with”. So here are a few tips to enjoy your time at home with your plants!
Take care of your growing season to-do list
Every good plant parent needs a growing season to-do list. Are you finished with yours? If there are still a few things on there that need to be done, now is the time. Take a good look at your plants, and decide if they need repotting or not. Look for diseases, pests, or any signs showing that the plants might need a little extra care. Clean their leaves with a damp cloth to remove all the dust and dirt. Water them thoroughly, and feed them. Some plants enjoy high humidity – you can mist these. Prune them, if needed.
Repot
If you have plants that need to be repotted, find some time – a few hours, maybe – to dedicate to this. Choose your new pots carefully, and create a potting mix suitable for your plants. Repotting is also a good opportunity to take a good look at the roots, and trim them if needed. Depending on the plant, you can also divide pups from the mother plant, if you find some, and plant them separately. Just make sure to handle the plant carefully throughout the whole process, and use protective gloves!
Create new life
Talking about the plant-babyboom here, because one can’t have enough plants! You could propagate your existing plants, but before you do that, just please do your research, and make sure that the species you have can be propagated by cutting or division. Put the cuttings into water, and watch them grow! Once they have a nice root system, you can plant them into pots. You might want to use a few drops of Plant Vitamins to speed up the process. Besides propagation, you can also plant some seeds – and you don’t even have to go to a garden center to buy some. You can always harvest a few seeds from your groceries, like lemon, orange, apple, pepper, mango and other fruits and vegetables.
Be social
It’s time to be social – though not exactly how you might think. Instead of going out, use the power of social media! Take aesthetic photos of your plants, and create a dedicated Instagram account or blog for them, where you can share your photos, updates, tips and tricks, etc. Connect with other plant lovers – join online plant clubs and groups, engage in conversations, discuss your plants, share tips and form new friendships with other plant enthusiasts! Create a plant wishlist – some of your new friends might even have a plant from your list, willing to send you a cutting or two! Exchange plants! You may not be able to go to the post office and send your cuttings and plants to fellow plant lovers right now, but you can still collect your little group’s lists and start propagating, so when the
time comes, you’ll be able to send the baby plants to their new homes! And if you really feel the need for extra plants and can’t wait that long, support local businesses, and order some online – and don’t forget to post your plant haul either!
Do some plant DIY
There are so many exciting DIY ideas that you could try. Do a little research on Pinterest (typing “plant diy” for example), but here are a few tips for you:
• If you want to do something easy, decorate your planting pots! Clean them first, then come up with designs and paint them, glaze them, or put stickers on them. The possibilities are endless! You can also create new pots from household items, like tin cans!
• If you are a passionate collector of cacti, succulents or fern species, you can create a terrarium! All you need is a bigger glass vase/aquarium/bowl, a few of your plants (I suggest using pups of slow growing species), and some decorative elements, like stones or shells. You can get inspired online, but you can also come up with your own design! Just make sure all the used plants need the same conditions to thrive, and that they have enough space to grow.
• And if you’re into interior design, you could also try creating macramé potholders. It’s easier than it seems, and there are many designs to choose from, so you’ll surely find the one that fits your home the best! These potholders are not only aesthetic, but also practical, and all you need for this project is cord/rope and a little bit of patience!
Send us an email and let us know how you are spending your time at home? Would you like to write one of our blogs? Do you have an ideas for Plant Vitamins content? We would love to hear from you and if you are looking for something to do we would love to see your work!