I bought my first houseplant on October 27, 2018. Since then, I have acquired seven more.
This is a hobby that came out of nowhere for me, but I am loving every single minute of it.
Not only are plants beautiful to look at; caring for these little babies has given me an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, which grows each and every time a new leaf unfurls. And even though my family constantly makes fun of me for it, seeing them every single day makes me super happy.
If you’d like to take home your very first plant baby but don’t know where to start, this post is for you.
If you’ve killed more plants than you can count, this post is for you.
And if you eat, sleep and breathe houseplants like I do, this post is for you.
Note: To be frank, I have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about, and there’s a fair chance that the survival of my plants has come down to sheer luck. Please take everything I say with a 1kg bag of salt.
How I Keep My Plants Alive
At first, I was afraid. I was petrified. Kept thinking there was just no way my houseplants would survive. But then I spent so many days researching what I’d done wrong. My skills grew strong. And now I seem to get along.
Here are five CRUCIAL steps to maintaining a strong and healthy plant:
1. Pick the Right Plant
This goes without saying, but if you live in a place with limited natural light, don’t buy a plant that needs constant direct sunlight.
Think about the amount of room you have, your space’s climate and humidity levels, as well as how much time you will be able to devote to plant care (watering, misting, fertilising etc.)- and even though it’s tempting, don’t buy something that you can’t provide for.
2. Drainage
Your plant needs adequate drainage, or you will lose it faster than a box of Oreos in the Ince pantry.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS choose a pot with a drainage hole at the bottom, and if you can’t, buy a 50c drainage pot which fits neatly inside a pot without a hole (so that the plant can be easily removed from its death trap to be watered).
Well-draining soil is pretty much always a good choice, but consult the internet before you repot.
Think about it- you wouldn’t like to sit in a dirty bathtub 24/7, so don’t force your plant to.
3. Watering
Watering is really down to trial and error.
How often you water your plant really comes down to the plant’s individual water needs, the amount of heat and light it receives, and the general climate of your home. But as a general rule of thumb, you should water when the top 3-6cm of soil is dry (I use a $10 soil moisture meter if I’m ever unsure).
And how much should you water?
Again, this completely depends on the individual plant, but I like to place mine on the shower floor and use the handheld showerhead to saturate the soil until water begins to drain from the pot. I’ll then leave the plant in the shower for 1-2 hours to allow the excess water to drain, which prevents staining of my furniture.
4. Misting
If your plant thrives in a humid environment, I highly recommend lightly misting the leaves with room temperature water once or twice a day to keep it happy.
This may seem super extra, but for me, it’s made a world of difference.
5. Name your Plant
Again, this probably sounds completely nuts, but giving your houseplant a name is absolutely key, as:
- You’ll be more inclined to want to care for ‘Lorelai’ than ‘Ficus Lyrata’
- Things are always more important to you when they have a name
- It makes plant ownership WAY more fun
With that said, I shall now introduce you to my children.
Lenny
Common Name: Zebra Plant
Scientific Name: Aphelandra
Variety: Snow White
Origin: Brazil
Water: Once or twice a week
Light: Bright, indirect
Humidity: High
Size: 0.5-1m
Beginner Friendly: Sort of
Peter
Common Name: Zebra Cactus
Scientific Name: Haworthia
Variety: Fasciata
Origin: Southern Africa
Water: Fortnightly
Light: Bright, indirect
Humidity: Low
Size: 4-20cm
Beginner Friendly: YES
Laurel
Common Name: Fiddle Leaf Fig
Scientific Name: Ficus Lyrata
Variety: Standard
Origin: Western Africa
Water: Weekly
Light: Bright, indirect
Humidity: High
Size: Up to 6ft (mine is about 1ft)
Beginner Friendly: Sort of
Problematic
Common Name: Polka Dot Plant/Freckle Face
Scientific Name: Hypoestes
Variety: Mixed
Origin: South Africa
Water: Weekly
Light: Bright
Humidity: Average
Size: Up to 3ft
Beginner Friendly: Typically, yes. In my experience, NO.
Benjamin
Common Name: Weeping Fig
Scientific Name: Ficus Benjamina
Variety: Starlight
Origin: Asia/Australia
Water: Weekly
Light: Bright, indirect
Humidity: High
Size: Up to 10ft (mine is about one)
Beginner Friendly: YES YES YES
Pepper
Common Name: Baby Rubber Plant
Scientific Name: Peperomia Obtusifolia
Variety: Standard
Origin: Mexico, Carribean
Water: Weekly (up to 10 days in wet weather)
Light: Moderate
Humidity: Moderate
Size: Up to 25cm
Beginner Friendly: YES YES YES
Audrey
Common Name: Rubber Plant
Scientific Name: Ficus Elastica
Variety: Standard
Origin: Southern Asia
Water: Weekly
Light: Bright, indirect
Humidity: High
Size: Up to 6ft (mine’s about 1.5)
Beginner Friendly: YES YES YES
Erica
Common Name: Arrowhead Plant
Scientific Name: Syngonium
Variety: Sunshine Speckles
Origin: Mexico
Water: Weekly
Light: Bright to low
Humidity: Average
Size: Up to 1.8m (mine is about 10cm)
Beginner Friendly: YES
And that, my friends, is the end.
If this has persuaded you to embark on your very own plant journey, PRETTY PLEASE tag me in any photos you share so I can shower your plant babies with compliments.
Until next time, 😉
Side note: if you got the name references, I love you (I mean, I love you anyway, but still).
