Welcome home, baby plants!

OK! Now that you’ve gotten free plants, some of them look a little beat up <eek!>, what’s NEXT? “Am I gonna be able to keep these alive? How long before they die on me like all the previous plants? Why do I have such a black thumb?…” If these thoughts are running through your head, fear not! Here is the 100% fool-proof step-by-step guide to happiness and/or success at those plants:

Step 1: Read the tag and the note!

Step 2: Google “How to care for (insert plant name) indoors?”

Step 3: Read AND print or save a copy of the article. You are not going to remember all of the details later. I keep a Google Sheet of my plant list with these key columns: Name of Plant – Water – Light – Temperature – Soil Type – Propagation.

• • Most of the plants in the kit are low-maintenance, easy care. That means although the information on Google can seem overwhelming, slight fluctuation from the “ideal” environment will not kill the plants.
  • The #1 way to kill a houseplant is overwatering. The kits are packaged already well-watered. You should not have to water for at least 2 weeks (because the plants don’t grow much in the winter), unless you place the plants right in front of the heater vent (which you should not do!)
  • The #1 tip to success at a succulent is neglect. Think of aloes and succulents as rent: You pay attention to it once a month and just enjoy all the amenities for the next 30 days! 🙂
  • If you can, use filtered/distilled water for the plants. Otherwise, let your water sit still for 24 hours before watering the next day to reduce the chlorine. Rain water or melted snow is also excellent for plants. Fish tank water is even better.
  • If you don’t understand certain lingo in the plant world, check out my other post “Plant Vocab to Normal English”

Step 4: Give yourself grace and time. Look at your plants often, but do NOT water every time you look at them!

• If they start to look sad (droopy leaves, brown tips, spots, bugs…), Google the symptoms and try to treat it.
• If they die, it’s OKAY! For a beginner plantie, if you can keep 1 out of 4 plants alive, consider that a success!
• A green thumb is like … calculus. You don’t just excel at it when you are only learning how to add and subtract!

Step 5: If ALL of your plants died, get a new kit and try again! I promise you that some of these plants grow faster than you can kill them – unintentionally. It is sad to see a plant die, but it is part of life!