When I first got to Bloomington, my dorm room was bare. I missed the green painted walls of my room back home. Logically, I spent the next two weeks researching plants I could keep alive in my college dorm to liven up my dingy shelves.
I always thought taking care of plants would be hard, since I had killed countless plants from the grocery store in high school. Now, two years later, I am still caring for the same Pilea plant that thrived in my dim dorm room despite my lacking ability as a plant parent. With my newly developed green thumb, I will try my best to spill all the magical information beans I have about keeping plants alive.
Know your watering schedule
On every plant blog I read, the number one tip is to always keep track of how often you water your plants. Most plants I own only need to be watered once a week, like my Pilea peperomioides named Robert. Other plants can only be watered once every two weeks, such as my snake plant named Carl.
No matter how often you water your plants, use water from a Brita filter. While this may sound dramatic, unfiltered water can cause discoloration in the leaves and stems of some plants. If you don’t have a water filtration system, you can leave a cup of water out overnight. Somehow, it has the same effect.
Don’t be shy when watering plants, especially if they have a hole in their pot. Make sure to fill the pot up with water entirely; the hole is to allow the excess water to drip out. If this aggressive form of watering sounds scary to you, you can always place them on a tray or plate filled with water. This method, called bottom watering, allows the plant to take in as much water as it needs.
Get plants suited to your windows
I know this sounds stupid, but giving your plants too much sunlight can also play a factor in their untimely death. To remedy this, use your phone’s compass app to see if you have a North, South, East or West-facing window.
North-facing windows typically get the least amount of light, making them perfect for easy-going, resilient plants. ZZ plants and snake plants are perfect for this kind of room since they don’t need a lot of water or sunlight to grow. Alternatively, South-facing windows give a lot of light throughout the day, making these rooms perfect for succulents like aloe.
If you want a cute plant for medium sunlight like a monstera or an alocasia but don’t have the proper amount of sunlight, it may be a good idea to buy a grow light. Grow light bulbs can be added to any kind of table lamp, turning any kooky thrifted lamp into a key player in keeping your plants alive.
No more plastic pots
There is no shortage of amazing plant nurseries in Bloomington, some of my favorites being oak and May’s Greenhouse. Whenever I’ve bought a brand-new plant from these stores, they are kept in cute plastic containers. A few years ago, I would have expected those plants to survive whilst staying in those cups. Now, I understand why every plant I had died.
Plants grow quickly and cannot survive in a pot that is too small. Thankfully, for only a few more dollars, investing in terra cotta pots will give your plant extra inches to grow. Do not hesitate to ask in-store what size pot you should get for a new plant. If the pot is too large, the plant could start rotting at its roots, causing your whole room to smell terrible and forcing you to hold a plant funeral a few days later. Instead, spend the extra money on new dirt and new pots for your stoic, silent best friends.
Congratulations, you are now ready to be a plant parent! Before buying any plant, make sure to research how to best take care of them. Some of my favorite resources are found on YouTube, like Crazy Plant Guy and Epic Gardening. Don’t forget that if I can take care of four plants as an anxious, hyper-independent junior, you can do it too.
