Plant Lady 101

We've set our clocks an hour ahead, the mounds of snow are finally shrinking, the birds are chirping, and the green is slowly returning... that can only mean one thing: SPRING IS HERE! 🌸

After we "spring forward" for Daylight Saving Time, I can feel a strong shift in my mood. More daylight = more happiness! I know I am not alone in this major mood swing once spring hits. Not only do a lot of us just feel better, but the increase in sunlight and warmth is the perfect time to start gardening and house planting! 🌿🌱

Depending on where you live, you may have outdoor gardens year round, but us Midwesterners will soon be flocking to our local garden centers to get our hands dirty and plants planted. I'm particularly excited this year, as I have finally left the apartment life and now have a townhome with a patio and some outdoor space to get my herbs and flowers planted (more on that in a month or two... it's still too unpredictable for outdoor gardening). I'm also super pumped for my houseplants to start flourishing again after the dark winter! Luckily, most of my plants survived their first winter with me, mostly unscathed though we are definitely ready for the extended sunshine. 🌞

Let's rewind a little! I began my houseplant journey almost exactly one year ago, in the early days of Spring 2018. I went to my local garden center, Lurvey's in Des Plaines IL, and got a couple houseplants: a pilea, a pepperomia, and a snake plant. I also ordered a fiddle leaf fig off Amazon and hoped for the best. Before this, I had only a little experience with house plants. I've had a handful of succulents in the past (all bit the dust easily, whoops) and I have somehow kept a pothos from my mother-in-law alive for four years. I also have a peace lilly from my grandma's wake... I've kept it alive for almost six years but it has been touch and go a lot of that time (sigh).

But last year, I decided that I wanted to make houseplants a legit hobby. My hobby is going strong, even through a move and a record-breaking cloudy winter. I even made a new Instagram page devoted to my plant lady life (follow me here --> @plantyylady!). I finally feel knowledgeable enough to share some tips with you guys!

To make caring for houseplants a hobby, here is my basic, universal advice: research each specific species you get, adhere to the provisioned care, and buy a moisture meter. 

WATER //

Now, of course it isn't as simple as that, but for the most part that advice should be golden. For starters, order this $8.99 moisture meter. When you do your research on the species you've selected, you will need to note what kind of watering needs it requires. For the most part, a lot of common houseplants should only be watered when the first inch or two of soil is dry. A lot of people just stick their finger in the soil to see if it is dry, but I much prefer to use the moisture meter. The easiest way to kill a plant is to overwater it (which is how I killed my succulents each time, those in particular require a lottttt less water). Again, you still need to research what kind of watering your plants typically need... even then, every plant is unique (just like humans lol) and you sometimes just need to listen (with your eyes) to your plant. 

LIGHT //

Light is another critical resource for plants, of course. Your research will tell you the plant's needs for lighting. The popular houseplants right now are mostly tropical, so a lot of them require lots of indirect light. And lighting can go hand in hand with watering (if you can give your plants more light, they will most likely dry out faster vs. if you have a less sunny spot). I know, it can sound overwhelming, but I promise you get the hang of it... and caring for a living thing makes the hard work fun when you get to see blooms and new growth! And again, the plant will often tell you if it needs more or less light; sometimes plants "stretch" towards the light or lose leaves when moved, meaning they'd like some more sunshine, or they can get scorched with brown leaf tips, meaning you might want to relocate. Plants tend to go dormant during the winter when there is less light, so the return of daylight results in lots more growth!

Look at those plump pepperomia leaves!

SOIL //

This is an area I'd like to learn more about. Since you don't repot plants too often, it isn't as easy to experiment with. I'm excited to repot the majority of my plants in a few weeks! I am going to try this soil, as recommended by some of my planty friends on IG. I'll be sure to report back on how I like it! In the meantime though, I've pretty much only ever used this Miracle Grow with fine results, though I ALWAYS add extra perlite. The perlite helps keep the soil less compact, improving drainage. If soil stays too wet, it can cause root rot, attract pests, and grow mold. I've had that happen before, and the easiest way to remedy that is to delicately spoon away the molded soil and sprinkle cinnamon to help it dry out.  And in the spring/summer months, I've been using this liquid fertilizer/plant food in the water every couple of weeks (again, your research & the product directions will help you determine the best feeding schedule). Speaking of the pests mention, that can be a whole extra post, so I'll sum up my experience as... EW I do not like bugs, so this is hard for me lol but I use this neem oil extract because it is widely used in the houseplant world and it is an organic way to battle all sorts of plant pests.

The face of a girl who just got a new plant 😄

WHERE TO BUY //

For me, I've had great success with buying plants both in-store and online. As mentioned previously, I bought my first plants at a local garden store, Lurvey, and I love that I can chat with an employee and get great info in person. I also frequent Plant Shop Chicago, it is a cool little spot with tons of species and fabulous staff members! I will say that I steer clear of Home Depot and the like for plants... I've just heard too many horror stories of pests and their selection hasn't been the best for me. Regardless, plants are plants and they run the risk of pests at any time in their lives... including when being purchased in a store. I've come home with spider mites and gnats... it isn't fun but I can usually handle it with the aforementioned neem oil and mosquito bits (sounds weird, but it works!).

I've also had success with ordering plants online! While it can be risky (and pricey) to ship a plant, especially if you are doing so in a colder month, it can be so worth it! I purchased both my Fiddle Leaf Fig and Monstera plants online via Amazon (linked below). I also recently ordered with Gabriella Plants down near Orlando... they are true pros! They have an awesome selection, they package and ship the plants so well, and they're family-owned... what could be better? I also love to follow them on Instagram to get a peek inside their greenhouses 😍 Plus, if you live in the area, you can pick up your order in person or go to their Second Saturday Warehouse sales!

Figgy has two new leaves this week, wahoo!

MY FAV PLANTS //

Okay, last little bit in today's post! I promise to soon write a whole post on my own plants, but until then here are my favorite houseplant species!

• Pilea, aka Chinese Money Plants - they can be divas, but mine has done best in a brightly lit window. They easily grow "pups" that you can divide up into more plants!
• Fiddle Leaf Figs - they are pretty ~*trendy*~, though many HGTV homes have fake ones -_- these can be harder to care for, but so worth it. I actually got mine on Amazon and had a good experience with it! His name is Figgy and he is doing okay, the winter was a little rough (only a couple new leaves and they weren't super healthy... I even lost one *cries*) but we are on an upswing this week with new, healthy-looking leaves!
• Snake plants - super popular as they can do well in lower-lighting spots. But if you put them in some more indirect lighting, they grow faster 😉
• Monstera - they are the super tropical looking plants that instantly transport you to an island somewhere warm! I also got this one online, via Zulily, but it doesn't appear to be available anymore.
• SO MANY MORE! Can't wait to show you all my babies soon!!!

Here is Penny the Pilea 😍

I hope this has been helpful! I only scratched the surface, but trust me when I tell you (for the thousandth time, whoops sorry!) that researching the species you've picked up, and adhering to that care, is the best way to keep your plants happy. Don't get discouraged if something is looking off! Hop on a Facebook gardening group or DM your fav plant account on Instagram (maybe me? hehe) and get some advice! That has been the biggest help in my houseplant journey this past year... and I'm still in love with my new plant lifestyle 😊

Oh. And go buy a moisture meter  😅

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As always, thanks for reading! 💓

xo. Kaitlin