Plant Care for Dummies (Or Beginners)
I’m sure you’ve noticed our many plants throughout CoLab, and that we enjoy caring for them and watching them grow! Office plants are great for many reasons, see our blog “Office Plants: Why They Should be Prioritized” for more information. These are our best tips to keep your plants happy (yes plants can be happy), healthy, and pest free.
One of the quickest ways to kill a plant is to over water it. It’s important to do research on the plant that you have or want to have, to take care of it properly. We have over 50 plants throughout all our CoLab locations, and we make it look easy 😉
We have a variety of plants that all have different needs; some plants require more sunlight or water than others. Too much sunlight for certain plants can scorch their leaves after an extended period of time. Snake plants, for example, only like to be watered when their soil is completely dry and they do not like direct sunlight. (Pretty easy to take care of if you ask me).
Not all of our plants that are around the office are placed in soil either! We have air plants and propagated wall plants (Placed in water for the roots to grow). To take care of the air plants, (they may appear artificial, and are sitting on various shelves and in the downtown conference room) we completely soak them in water for 15 minutes once a week.
The propagated plants are specific types of plant that can stay in water, not all plants can survive without soil or develop a root system this way. Pothos, in particular, are well known for being easy to take care of and propagate very well. We strategically trim plants throughout the office, place the cuttings in a glass jar, and make sure the water level stays where the plant can sustain itself. Once these plants develop roots, you can plant them in pots with soil or keep them as is!
Plant necessities are watering, repotting, pest prevention/treatment, pruning, sunlight, and interaction. A good rule of thumb for watering your plant is seeing how damp the soil is, you can test this by measuring with your finger 2 inches into the soil. If it is slightly damp, give it a small amount of water, just cover the top of the soil. If your plant’s soil is bone dry, maybe give a little more water depending on the size of the plant and depth of the pot. (SLOWLY pour your water, this ensures the water has time to penetrate the soil deeply). Another tip is to have platters to go under the plants to catch any overflow of water. If you over water your plant, you might see a yellow leaf appearing on your plant. Once it is completely yellow, you can pull it off and throw it away; Same goes for wilted leaves, and this process is called pruning.
If you notice the soil in your plant is no longer healthy and fresh (maybe you notice pieces of wood chips in the soil, or your plant is just plain struggling) it may be time to repot! You only want to upgrade your pot 2 inches larger than the pot it is currently in and put it in a pot with drainage holes, unless you want your plant to suffer. Add fresh soil to the new pot, remove your plant from the current pot it’s in, (you don’t have to disturb the roots unless there is root rot from lack of drainage) or if you had a pest problem, and need to treat the plant accordingly... perhaps a neem oil shower is in order. Fill up and pat down the soil around the freshly repotted plant and you are good to go. 😊
Pest Control can look like using neem oil, insecticide soap sprays, or sticky gnat traps, just to name a few. Common indoor plant pests include aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, spider mites, fungus gnats, and thrips. These pests can be identified by signs like white cottony masses (mealybugs), tiny bumps on stems (scale), or minuscule webs and damage on leaves (spider mites). They can be introduced through new plants or open windows and are best managed with frequent inspection and prompt treatment. We have sticky traps in all our plants, to keep the little pests at bay.
Finally, interact with your plant. They respond to noise and vibrations (if you ever see us talking to the plants no you didn’t), gentle shaking of their branches, (if they are plants that grow tall, to help them grow stronger), and touch their leaves. You may find that all these things make your plant grow a lot faster and continue to thrive.
Elizabeth is the mastermind behind the plants; here are her recommendations to keep your plants alive and thriving: Remember that plants are living beings, they need love just as much as they need water and adequate sunlight. No seriously... tell them they’re pretty and that you love them! Don’t give them kisses unless you’ve verified that they are non-toxic in nature. Don’t always follow what the tag says- just like there is no one size fits all guide to raise a child, the same goes for your plants. They are adaptable to a certain degree. If your plant is in direct sunlight, you may find it needs more water than what the tag recommends, etc. Lastly, don’t underestimate the power of the plant! They have proven to improve mood, boost productivity, and purify the air. Even Forbes recommends adding plants to an office space. In their words, “sometimes less is just... less”.
