A Beginners Guide to Starting an Indoor Jungle With Houseplants
Indoor plants have a unique ability to energize and improve the appearance of a home. They add a beautiful fresh touch to a space and are a simple tool for instantly brightening up everything from dull bathrooms to a drab living room. It's one of the most simple and cost-effective ways to update your home which, if you don’t own your home, is also landlord-approved.
The benefits extend beyond the visual interest that is added to your interiors; indoor plants have a variety of health benefits, including the ability to reduce anxiety, and stress, increase memory and productivity, and even act as air purifiers.
However, before you head to your favorite nursery to pick out a bunch of different plants, there are a few things that need to be considered to ensure a successful plant journey in your household. Whether you are interested in an indoor garden or learning more about the easiest house plants for indoors, we are here to help.
Below are a few tips to get you started in your house plant journey.
- Conduct an Environmental Assessment
The first step is to determine the type of space you have so that you can later determine whether a plant will thrive in your home. Make an environmental assessment of the area you want to green.
What is the space's average temperature and humidity levels? What is the orientation of your windows and how much sunlight enters your space? Measure the height and width of your rooms to get an idea of how many plants you can realistically fit. It all comes down to light exposure, which is determined by the amount of natural sunlight that enters a room through the windows, although you could add grow lights in areas that don’t get natural sunlight.
- Conduct some plant research
It is critical to understand that not all plants are the same. This means that not every plant will thrive in the same room, give off the right vibes, or benefit the décor style of your room. Determine exactly what your plant requires to grow. This eliminates the need to constantly move it. Plants prefer to acclimate to their surroundings and remain there. When that plant catches your eye, do your homework to ensure you can provide it with the best possible environment for it to thrive. Google it and match what your space has to offer to the needs of that specific plant.
- Prepare your environment
Be it your current house or a new home, prepare the space for the plants before moving them in. Install shelving, map out and assign the plants to specific areas of your apartment based on their light requirements.
Other details like the scent, pollen and how often it will need watering should guide you on how high you place it or how close to an opening they can be placed. Don't forget to check the toxicity level of your indoor plant before bringing it home – especially if you have children and/or pets.
- Choosing the Perfect Indoor Plant
Choosing the right house plant requires a lot more consideration. Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for incorporating greenery into your household.
Guided by your environmental assessment findings, and knowledge of the amount of natural sunlight that enters the room through the windows, you will be able to choose a plant that can thrive in your specific setting.
Start small if you're just getting started. Invest in a more tolerant, low-maintenance plant if you want to add some botanicals to your house without having to overcommit to tending it. A few of these are:
- Sansevieria (aka Mother-in-Law's Tongue)
- Pothos (aka Devil's Ivy)
- Succulents
- Ferns
- Rubber plant
- Choosing the Perfect Container
Because you will be growing your plants indoors, you have a variety of containers to select from. Your container should serve both functional and aesthetic purposes while complementing the plant itself. As a result, you should be selective in choosing the best container. Consider plant spacing, root depth, container material, and container diameter. You can choose pots that match your décor, or use the pots as a pop of Boho color. A farmhouse sink is a great way to pot and plant your houseplants inside or outside.
- Make Use of the Best Soil
The beauty, health and growth of your indoor plant are greatly influenced by the soil. As a result, selecting the best soil is critical. It's worth noting that different types of plants require different types of soil. This means that if your indoor garden contains a variety of plants, you may need more than one type of soil.
You might make friends with the employees or owners at your local nursery or home improvement store; they have a wealth of information. Also, you can bring along a photo of your plant if you have any questions or concerns.
- Have a Watering Schedule
So, how do you figure out how frequently you should water your houseplants? To begin, familiarize yourself with the soil in which your plants are housed. Every week, stick your finger into the pot's soil and feel how dry it is. If you come across dry soil, it's a sign that it's time to water it. If it's moist, wait until next week to water, and if it's wet, your potted friend should be fine for a while. You can use a farmhouse sink to water your plants. They are so deep, you can place the whole pot in the sink to let them drain.
Here is a list of some of the most popular houseplants and how frequently they need to be watered to make things a little easier.
- Monstera: approximately, every 5-10 days
- Rubber plant: approximately, every 5-10 days
- Fiddle leaf fig: approximately, every 5-10 days
- Succulents: approximately, once every 10-15 days
- Peace lily: Regularly, every 5-10 days
- Snake plant: Infrequently, once every 10-15 days
- Be Patient
It takes some time to adjust to and become acclimated to a new environment, much like when you move homes--the same is true of plants. As it adjusts to its new home, your plant can experience a period of stress. For the first week or so, have patience with it and pay special attention to how it adjusts to its new home. Additionally, you might get a book on house plants to keep on hand as a reference manual as you gradually begin to extend your plant family into a flourishing indoor jungle.
To make the most out of your new house plants, think about adding a farmhouse sink into your kitchen. Contact us today to learn more.
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