Self-Care September Day 29: Nurture Your Green Thumb

You may have heard the urban legend that a NASA study concluded having certain types of plants in your living space can purify your air.

While the study, done in the late 1980's, is scientifically valid, the takeaway that putting a peace lily in your bedroom will create more oxygen at night isn't exactly right. (To create these kinds of results, you'd need close to 1,000 plants in a 10x10 room.)

However!

---

Bringing plants and greenery into your living space can still be considered self-care. Co-exisitng with other living things that you’re caring for can bring you joy, happiness, and a sense of purpose, which affect your mood in positive ways.

I love accessorizing my house with houseplants - I love how they breathe life into a space and the way you can cultivate a loving relationship with them. And if you start small and pay attention, it's much easier to keep them alive than you might think. You can get the hang of learning the plant's language and the beauty they provide is worth the extra effort! ​

Benefits of Houseplants 

• Boost mood, productivity, concentration, and creativity
• Reduce stress, fatigue, sore throats, and colds
• Humidify the air
• Beautify a space
• Help to clean indoor air by absorbing toxins
• Add life to a sterile space, create privacy, and reduce noise levels
• Therapeutic and cheaper than a therapist

Houseplant Tips 

• Pick a spot for your plant to live, they don’t like to be moved around. In fact, the majority of plants don’t like change, but sometimes they need it to thrive (just like people!)
• Remember that light is food for a plant. You can read more about why, how much, and what type of light your houseplants need in this article from The Sill. 
• Pick a day to water your houseplants and stick to it. Make sure to water evenly around the soil. I use "Water Wednesday" as my weekly reminder to check if my plants need a drink - some do each week, some can wait for two weeks. ("Thirsty Thursday" is another cutesie way to keep track of your watering day.) 
• Remember plants don’t like their “feet” constantly wet, so water in small amounts, taking care not to overwater. Overwatering can lead to bugs!
• Related, don’t let your plants sit in water. I like to water mine in my kitchen sink or bathtub so they can drain well. If you choose a planter without a hole on the bottom, be sure to place some small rocks under the dirt so the water doesn’t saturate the roots. 
• Plant in a big enough planter so they have room for the roots to grow. I tend to initially leave mine in the plastic container they came in and just put them in baskets or pots until they need something bigger.  
• Dust your plants and talk to them as you do! You can use a wet rag to clean the leaves, and coconut oil is also great to rub on the big leaves to make them shiny and new, but not if your plant sits in direct sunlight - the oil can burn the leaves if that's the case.
• Some plants like having their leaves misted, so I use a DIY Plant Spray I made to do exactly that. I also spray the top of the soil with it to deter bugs. In a 16oz spray bottle, I mix 1 cap of On Guard cleaning concentrate, 10 drops peppermint oil, 10 drops wild orange oil, 10 drops Clove oil, and distilled water. Peppermint, wild orange and clove oils are all natural pest deterrents. 

Troubleshooting

• Brown Leaves– When houseplants get brown on their leaves, it’s generally an indication of poor watering habits. The best way to water a houseplant is to thoroughly flush it until water runs freely out the drainage holes. Shallow watering can cause brown tips on the leaves.
• Yellow Leaves The most common reason that plants’ leaves turn yellow is because of moisture stress, which can be from either over watering or under watering. If you have a plant that has yellow leaves, check the soil in the pot to see if the soil is dry.
• Gnats Reducing excess moisture is a key to getting rid of gnats in houseplants. Add a thin layer of pebbles or gravel to the top of the potting soil in your indoor plant containers. Clean your catch trays. Insert sticky traps into your houseplants. 
• Common Reasons Houseplants Die include not getting enough light, watering the wrong way, giving too much fertilizer, the air is too dry, or you think it's dead but it's not. ​​

Great Beginner Houseplants 
Philodendron

• This plant has a reputation of being one of the easiest houseplants to grow. It's a perfect plant to hang from high places or place on high shelves because the leaves can trail up to 10 feet!
• Bright, indirect sunlight  
• Water once a week or even every other - check to see when the top part of the soil is dry.  Don’t let the roots sit in water.

Succulents 

• Bright, full sun is ideal, but medium, filtered light can work, too   
• Water every two weeks for smaller succulents or monthly for larger ones. Do not overwater - you run the risk of them sitting in the water which will cause plant to rot. Better to error on the side of a thirsty succulent than a drowning one.

Snake Plant

• Often called “Mother in-law Tongue,” this is another reportedly easy peasy plant to care for 
• Low light (this plant has even been rumored to survive in windowless office building!)
• Low water requirements

Peace Lily

• One of the most common houseplants because of how easy it is to grow
• Keep the soil moist, but do not overwater. Peace lilies can tolerate short periods of dry soil, but their leaves will start to brown if neglected for too long.
• Bright but not direct light

Self-Care September Day 29: Nurture Your Green Thumb

Pick a plant to welcome into your home. Love it and it will love you back.
​
I love you and will see you soon!
xo,
Coach Alex