You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘green thumb’ tag.
Dear Black Thumb,
You’re not a loser. Really. I know you think you are, but it’s not true! I know you feel cursed, like there’s no way you can ever learn how to grow houseplants. But I promise, if you have the desire, I can show you how to turn your black thumb green.
With much love,
Liza, aka “The Plant Lady”
I was at the cereal factory, one of my very favorite accounts (it smells oh-so-delicious), and struck up a conversation with one of the employees. I offered him some Pothos cuttings.
“No thanks, those would die at my house,” he said.
“Really? Because Pothos are one of the easiest houseplants to grow,” I answered. “There aren’t even windows in parts of the factory, but they grow fine there.”
He joked about he felt worse now, knowing they could survive in a windowless office but not his house.
Did I mention this guy is an engineer? Super smart fellow! But he’s convinced himself there’s no way he can ever learn how to take care of plants.
So today’s post goes out to him (I won’t use his name, lest the other engineers tease him endlessly, but he knows who he is). Before I get to how, let’s look at why houseplants are a wonderful addition to anyone’s home.
Why Bother with Houseplants?
1) Beauty. They’re gorgeous, why wouldn’t you want to be surrounded by pretty things?
2) Cleaner air. Houseplants clean the air, which keeps you healthier.
3) Companionship. What? You heard me – companionship. Houseplants are living breathing beings that are 100% dependent on your care. Just exactly like dogs or cats, except they don’t slobber, bite, claw, bark or meow. They also eat less and cost less. Houseplants need your nurturing, just as you need to nurture.
How To Turn Your Black Thumb Green
First, keep it simple. Those Pothos cuttings above? They can live in water forever.
You don’t need to know a thing about soil. Or fertilizer. Or vitamins. All these cuttings need is water. Now, they will drink their water, so you have to pour more in from time to time (everyone knows how to pour!), but that’s literally all there is to it.
So let’s say our engineer took those cuttings, put them in water, and realized that he liked the splash of green that now brightened his house. He also realized how easy it was. Now he wants to learn more.
I would graduate him to plants in soil. (Although, as Martha at Water Roots says, most plants can live in water forever.)
There are lots of houseplants that require very little effort. I’ve talked about many of them on this site. For a beginner, I would recommend Sansevieria, commonly known as Snake plant or Mother-in-law’s Tongue (because they are difficult to kill).
Snake plants require very little care. In fact, they thrive on neglect.
Not that I’m recommending neglecting them. I’m just saying they don’t mind if you forget to water them for a month or two.
Cacti and succulents are also great plants for beginners. They require very little water (especially in the winter). The main thing they do require is sunshine. If our engineer has a sunny windowsill, that’s a perfect spot for a cactus.
If our engineer does not have a sunny windowsill, I would pick out a dark-leafed plant for him. As a general rule of thumb, the darker the leaves, the less light a plant needs.
In upcoming posts, I’ll explore more houseplants that are perfect for beginners.
The Simplest, Best Way to Grow Houseplants
As for houseplant care, there is one rule that will change your relationship with plants forever: Pick one day a week to check on your plants. Yup, that’s it. Make say, Sunday your plant day. Then, every Sunday, go over and say hello to the little guys. Look at them – do they look healthy? Stick your finger in the soil. Is it dry? Give the plant water. If it’s moist, don’t.
Plants, like kids and pets, thrive on routine. So if you get in the habit of checking on them once a week, you are giving them the routine they crave. That’s one of the nicest things you can do for your plants.
So what if my engineer gets worried about fertilizer, or whether he has the right kind of soil, or that he doesn’t know how to repot plants? Since he’s a beginner, I would tell him to ignore those worries. There’s plenty of time for him to learn the nuances of what plants need or want. For now, he should just get to know the plants, and experiment with them. Keep it simple – give the plants water and watch to see what happens.
Simply by paying attention, he can learn much about plants. He will eventually realize the plant gives plenty of clues as to whether or not it’s happy. If you don’t believe me, check out this ode to baby leaves.
Once he gains some confidence with plants, I’ll point him to more specifics (that he can find on this site) such as how to prune, how to repot and how and when to fertilize.
See? That wasn’t so difficult, was it? Go ahead, give it a try!
Good To Grow 