I’m a new plant mom, thank you COVID-19 pandemic. I never thought I’d have plants! But as a long time renter, I have found that plants can add a ton of character and life to your apartment. Therefore, it’s worth it to learn how to take care of them! Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you decide to make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Step aside Crazy Cat Lady… It’s all about the Crazy Plant Lady these days! All jokes aside, plants have made a huge comeback thanks to boho style home decor. They offer life and personality to any space. That said, they are a commitment that I never wanted to deal with before the pandemic. I am by no means an expert when its comes to being a plant mom, but I have learned a few things along the way that will be very helpful to the new plant mom. In this post I will share the things I have learned about plants that I wish I had known from the beginning.
This post is all about things every new plant mom should know.
1. Lighting
Know the Lighting You’re Working With
This is very important! You need to know what kind of light you’re working with in your space. You can fall in love with any plant that you’d like, but if you don’t have the correct lighting for the plant, it’s not going to thrive.
First of all, know the direction of your windows. I live in the northern hemisphere, so I’ll be writing these references according to my location.
South facing window: Long exposure to direct sun (think succulents) East or West facing window: Your happy medium light option. You’ll still benefit from some direct sunlight, but not at the most intense times of the day. North facing windows: Low light. Think heartier plants like pothos and philodendrons. Tip: If there is anything blocking a north facing window like a building or a tree, I’d say forget putting a plant there. It’s just not enough light.
Now that you know which windows offer the most and least amount of light, you should also consider 2 things: 1) how far from the window you wish to place your plant and 2) if there is anything obstructing the light coming in such as a tree or building. In the next section, I will share a light test you can do to figure out how much light the space you wish to use offers.
Understanding Plant Lighting Labels
DIRECT SUNLIGHT / BRIGHT LIGHT / FULL SUN SYMBOL: Direct sun exposure for at least 6 hours a day. South facing window is the place for these plants.
INDIRECT SUNLIGHT / MEDIUM LIGHT / PARTIAL SUN SYMBOL: This could mean a shady spot next to a bright area. This area gets direct sunlight for around 3 hours a day such as an east or west facing window or even filtered sunlight in a bright space (think a south facing window that is filtered with a curtain all day).
FULL SHADE / LOW LIGHT / FULLY DARKENED SUN SYMBOL: These plants can only tolerate indirect sunlight or less than 3 hours of direct sunlight per day. Personally, I’d stick to indirect sunlight to be safe. This could be a north facing window, a brighter window that is blocked by a building or tree or an area where there is little natural light, but there is an abundance of fluorescent light like an office space.
Light Test
At 12 o’clock noon (brightest time of day) stand in the spot you want to place your plant. If your shadow is:
Well defined: You have bright light or direct sunlight
Weak but can still be made out: You have indirect or medium light
Undefined or faint: You have full shade or low light
2. One at a Time
I know Pinterest is filled with plant villages overtaking people’s spaces. This is great and all, but caring for plants takes time. Those people likely have been caring for plants for years. Besides, bringing on a ton of plants all at once is overwhelming for a new plant mom. I know you’re excited, but one plant at a time. This will save you the frustration of your plants not thriving, or worse, dying.
3. Do Your Research
This is another reason I say one at a time, because you should do your research on the plant you’re taking on. This doesn’t have to be a research project, but watching a few YouTube videos and reading a few blog posts can give you some good tips to get started. Each plant is different and you cannot just think every plant uses standard potting soil and gets watered once a week. Each plant is different. They require different types of soil and different amounts of water and sunlight.
The most helpful thing I did was learn the signs of each plant when they’re under watered or over watered. This way, I water them when I see the signs of under watering just becoming apparent. If I have a plant that is harder to read, I also use a moisture meter. I only water the plant when the moisture meter is in the red zone as the plants I have dealt with so far need to fully dry out before being watered.
I have a pdf form that I keep track of my plants on. Things I recommend knowing are: light level, type of soil, signs of under watering, signs of over watering, rough average of watering schedule, growing season, dormant season, when to repot, common pests (signs and treatment).
I also have a PDF that I track my watering and fertilizing on. This way I can see common patterns. Again, I water by reading my plants or using the moisture meter. Not by counting out a certain number of days.
Reading your plant is the best tip I can give you.
Tip: Use lukewarm or room temperature water to water your plants as too hot or too cold of water can shock your plants.
Tip: Leaf shine can make your foliage look amazing! Plus, it helps to combat pests.
4. Drainage Holes and Terra Cotta are Your Friends
As I said, I am no plant connoisseur, but I have yet to find a plant that loves sopping wet soil for long periods of time. This leads to overwatering and root rot. Yes, this has happened to me. Personally, I think it’s safest especially for a new plant mom to make sure the pots have drainage holes. Terra cotta is a great choice in general because the pot itself is well “breathing”, allowing for air flow. Fortunate for us, terra cotta is a happening color and style right now! Amazon, plant nurseries and Joanne Fabrics are great places to find different style terra cotta pots.
Tip: Often times the cute plant pots you see are strictly for decor. The plant is often in a well draining pot that is just setting inside of the decorative non draining pot or basket.
Tip: Now that I am slowly growing a plant collection, I have grabbed plant pots that I LOVE and keep them on hand. This way if I get a new plant, I can throw it in a decorative pot without being on the hunt for one. Often the pot they come in has good drainage and I can set that right inside a pretty pot.
5. Don’t Over Do It
Do not be that plant mom that keeps doting over her new plant baby. I did this, and it got me into trouble. If your plant is doing fine, LEAVE IT ALONE! You’re doing it right. As I said earlier, do your research, but don’t over do it.
Example: I would find all this information about how to make a type of plant thrive and implement extra things like a tray of water with beads or rocks under my plants to give them extra humidity. Well the plant was doing fine and after a period of time with the tray under it, it got leaf drop (a ficus ginseng). I had been successful with this little tree for 9 months. I should have let it be.
Essentially, what happened was the soil ended up never drying out and the thing got root rot. I had to throw it out. After that, I decided I’m not going to overdo it. If my plants are doing fine, I’m not going to continue looking for ways to keep it thriving. If I run into an issue, I’ll look into it as they come. I’m so bummed I listened to that tip. I didn’t live in a dry climate, so I think for me, giving it extra humidity wasn’t good. But the source I got it from never mentioned considering my own humidity levels first.
Below is my ficus ginseng tree. I LOVED it.
Most plants do fine with the correct soil, drainage, sunlight and water. I do fertilize every other watering during growing seasons for some plants and once in a while for others. But really, that’s it. Less is more I have learned.
All purpose plant fertilizer I use.
Succulent fertilizer I use.
Remember: Under watering is always going to be better than over watering. It is fairly hard to save an over watered plant. Hence, as I said, less is more. Again, learning to read your plant will be priceless. Yellowing foliage often means it’s over watered. Shriveled and weepy often is a dry plant. As mentioned earlier, do your research for each plant.
There you have it.
These were 5 things I wish I knew before I became a plant mom. I now feel comfortable adding to my collection and sharing tips with other millennials wishing to jump on the plant mom band wagon. As I said earlier, plants can help to make your apartment feel like a home. If you like boho decor, plants are a must! So cozy up those spaces with some plant life! As always, thanks for sticking with me.
This post was all about things every new plant mom should know.
