LIFESTYLE & TRAVELBUDGETING

Keep Your Houseplants (And Budget) Thriving and Happy

A great way to add some life to your living space is by adding plants. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, some plants can help purify the air and provide other health benefits. While many types of houseplants are already pretty affordable, you can also save money by keeping them alive. Once you’ve mastered taking care of your plants, you can even propagate them to make more to add to your collection or give to friends.

First, you’ll want to make sure you have a solid foundation for your plants. To start, make sure you use the right type of soil for your plants. Some plants prefer well-draining soil, while others need more moist environments to thrive. A bit of research and preparation can go a long way when creating an ideal home for your plants to grow and thrive.

Once you’ve determined the best soil type for your plant, make sure the pot or planter you use is ideal for the plant as well. Planters can be expensive, so to save some money you can purchase them at hardware stores or thrift shops. Additionally, you can create your own planters by reusing glass jars or tin cans. When making your own planter, ensure proper drainage by creating a hole at the bottom of the vessel, or place some rocks on the bottom to help prevent root rot.

Once you’ve created an ideal environment for your plants, the next factor to consider is watering. One of the most common way people kill plants is by watering too much or too little. When plants aren’t watered enough, the leaves and roots will dry out and the plant will start to shrivel. If you feel you may forget to water your plants, set yourself calendar reminders. When plants are watered too much, the leaves may yellow and brown, and the roots will rot. Root rot is almost impossible to reverse. If you find yourself watering your plants too often, before watering test the top 1-2 inches of soil to make sure the plant needs to be watered first. Depending on your climate, outside plants will likely need to be watered more often than your plants kept indoors. Be sure to water your plants less in the winter when many plants become dormant and stop growing for the season. If your plants are still having trouble, try switching to distilled water. Often times there are minerals and chemicals in tap water that may deter a plant’s growth.

Lastly, if you’re new to taking care of houseplants, try easing yourself in with some that are hard to kill. In my experience, a few notoriously hard to kill plants include golden pothos, spider plants, snake plants, aloe, and succulents. Happy planting!