Houseplant Diaries: WFH Edition

I would say that before quarantine, I was a self-certified “plant-mom,” but, working from home has really elevated by my now plant enthusiasm and plant-parent lifestyle. I have about 40–50 plants in my collection right now- ranging from succulents, cacti to large leafy plants to veining plants. I would like to preface this with the fact that I am in no way the “perfect” plant parent. I have seen many plants in my last about 2.5 years of being a plant-mom come and go- in simple terms. But, I do have some that are quite successful, and make me happy to see them grow!

A healthy Swiss Cheese plant, with some new growth

Pre-quarantine: I would check my plants maybe twice per week, forgot when I would water them, which could lead to over-watering or under-watering. I really did not do much research on them if they were having issues, but would still regularly purchase about a plant or two per month

During-quarantine: Working from home during the COVID 19 pandemic allowed me to focus on getting into a routine in my daily life, and mostly with my plant care. I was able to put my plants on a strict watering schedule: all plants get watered at 10am on Monday’s. I was also able to take more time to check my plants either daily or every other day.

Were they too dry, were their leaves browning, were they reaching towards the light, were there any other issues going on?

Verigated pothos

Usually, before WFH, I would find irregularities in my plants, and try to adjust the conditions once I found them- but sometimes I would be too late! From WFH, I was able to check my plants more frequently so that if any issues were arising, I could research (usually online) what the cause of the indicators were and then try to adjust accordingly- as soon as possible! This has helped a few of my plants that likely would have been goners with my usual timeline, but have been able to bring them back in the recent months.

Cacti and succulents do very well in bright light. Water once per month.

Here are the takeaways I have discovered from personal experience help more than not with being a successful plant parent!

1. Keep your plants on a routine. Getting on a watering routine and a rotation routine (this helps plants grow more evenly and not lop-sided) helps plants grow more successfully. If I water my plants on a Monday, I will always do this, and then check for dry soil about half way through the week and water if needed. Determine dry soil by sticking your finger by the side of the pot 1 inch below the soils surface. If your finger comes out relatively clean from soil, your plant needs some more water. If damp soil is sticking to your finger, your plant does not need more water.
2. Check regularly for irregularities on your plant. This could mean lopsided growth, brown spots, drying leaves, fading colors. These usually indicate too much sun or too-little water. Though- be careful! Some of these indicators could mean the opposite for different plants, i.e. faded leaves on one plant could mean too much sun, while on another variety could mean too little water. Make sure to do your research on each plants conditions and the corresponding issues and their causes. You can either do a simple Google search with the plants name and the issue, or download a free plant app on your phone that you can take a picture of the plant and it explains the ideal conditions for the specific plant variety.

The plant in the brown/white pot (right) has been cut back to eliminate the dead growth and promote new fresh growth.

3. Cut back any dead growth on your plant. Cutting back any brown leaves or stalks on your plant can make a huge difference to your plants future growth. Your plant will no longer waste resources by sending energy to the browned bits, but be able to use all of its energy to the portion that is still alive! This can help a plant from continuing to die, to perking back up. I recommend using small shears or sharp scissors, and not ripping the leaves or stalks off, as this can spread t ripping off healthy plant growth in the process.

In addition to having happy plants, these learned tips have also helped maintain my mental health while WFH and make me have a happy work space. I have improved my plant parenting skills to make everyone in the household as happy as I can, including myself. Happy parenting!

Plants often like bright indirect light, that can be seen on many windowsills- check which direction your windows face to align with the best lighting for your plant.