What if there were some easy-to-get and affordable tools and supplies to make your indoor gardening hobby even more fun?? Well, guess what? There are! And I cannot wait to share with you those houseplant gadgets that have become essential for my plant care routine.
When I first began my indoor gardening journey, all I had was a bottle of water and a regular scissors. To be real, that’s all you truly need…
But as my collection grew, so did my interest to dive deeper into what could help me look and feel like an expert. Let’s face it. It’s a lot fancier to stick a soil moister meter in your pot rather than your finger. Although getting your hands dirty is a wonderful feeling and a big part of the experience too!
Here is the list of my absolute favorite care tools and supplies:
Moisture Meter – our number one must-have!!
Whether you are a heavy waterer or let your plants dry out too much, a moisture meter is an absolute must-have gadget. When it comes to caring for houseplants, I simply cannot live without it!
If you have a small pot, sticking your finger in the dirt might be damaging to the roots. And if the pot is large, most of the moisture will be in the bottom of the pot, where your finger doesn’t reach.
A moisture meter is key to know at what stage of dryness or sogginess your soil is. And also to understand whether you should give your plant a drink or not.
I often use it to loosen up the soil too. I know, there are specific tools for that as well, I just haven’t got them yet and for now, this has been doing the job.
Water Filter
As you may be aware, some plants are fancier than others… Some houseplants in our collection, such as calatheas or alocasias for example, would prefer to be watered with something other than tap water. Some people will buy distilled water or bottled water for these plants.
Although I think it’s a great idea, for me it is not an option to spend that kind of money so often. Having a water filter is not the same of course, but it will help improve the overall purity of your tap water. On top of that, I tend to let the water sit in the container overnight before using it (just in case that does some work too).
Spray bottle/Mister
Misting your plants is not only necessary to improve air humidity in your home, but it will also help you with the task of cleaning the foliage. Nowadays, rather than getting a damp cloth and going around cleaning leaves, coming back and forth to the tap, I walk around with my spray bottle in hand.
To be fair, this was one of the first items I got. It’s so cheap and anyway useful to have around.
Humidifier – essential for specific humidity loving houseplants!
Oh, this might just be my second favorite! Although it was one of the last additions to my collection, I have come to believe that my plants would not be able to survive without this incredible gadget anymore (nor would I!).
Well, again, I am referring to where I live now and based on my current conditions. If you live in a tropical country, it probably sounds silly that someone would spend money on a humidifier. There are many benefits of humidifier for plants.
Either way, since these can be quite pricy, I would suggest starting by getting one to the area of your house where you gather the most plants. Put your humidity-loving plants nearby and, if you also see that it does wonders, you can always get more for other rooms.
This thing will be awesome not only to improve the air quality in your house and make your plants happier but will also do wonders for your sleep and lifestyle generally.
Grow Lights
Depending on your environment and natural light availability, you may or may not need to provide additional lighting for your houseplants to thrive.
While in Portugal or Spain for example, I wouldn’t have needed any artificial light since, throughout the year, my home would get plenty of light for over ten hours a day. Now that I live in The Netherlands for instance, I find that grow lights are mandatory even for my south-facing rooms.
While I do not turn them on during the whole day, I will supplement my plants with that artificial lighting in the evenings or for longer periods during winter days.
Saucers
Most decorative pots will not require a saucer. These will serve as cover pots to your ugly nursery pots and are all you need. But if you, like me, love the looks and benefits of terracotta, then I do recommend that you invest in some saucers (not that much of an investment, don’t worry).
While terracotta pots normally come with their matching terracotta saucers, these are also made of porous materials. And the same reason why it is great to have your plants in terracotta, I am sure you can tell why terracotta saucers will be terrible for your furniture!
Yes, these will eventually destroy it… unless, like me, you try to put terracotta in glass shelving. But if you want to have terracotta pots in a wooden piece of furniture, please make sure you do use something that will not allow for any moisture to get to it.
Pruners
Although you could start off with a regular scissors too, having a pruner will be a lot more beneficial to the likes of your plant family. Have you noticed that when you snip off a leaf or stem with scissors it doesn’t come off as sharp as you would want?
A regular scissors used for other tasks, besides having the risk of being infected with bacteria that will endanger your houseplant, often has a weak blade. A proper pruner will help you get sharp cuts preventing various types of diseases. Remember plants are live beings. When you remove a leaf or stem, you are opening up a wound and allowing bacteria in.
Most people like houseplants, even if they are not houseplant fanatics. They like the looks of a home filled with greenery. But more often than not, they don’t own one single potted plant.
And why is that?
Well, for most people I know, the famous answers would be:
- I cannot keep any houseplants alive.
- Every plant I got in the past has become sad or ugly in my care.
- I just don’t have the time to look after houseplants.
Being a houseplant parent is no easy task. Not at all! It takes time and effort.
But with the right care tools at hand, not only your caring routine will become more enjoyable but also the looks of your urban jungle will be improved.
0 comments:
Post a Comment