What No One Tells You About Collecting Houseplants
So you want to start building your home jungle or you’re thinking about growing your houseplant collection.
There are several things that I wished someone had told me before I began hoarding dozens of houseplants in my house. When you start getting into plants, you think,
“Oh, this will be an easy and cheap hobby”.
There’s so many things that I didn’t know or things that I didn’t even think about when I stared out. But I’m going to save you the struggle I had and tell you what you need to know about getting into houseplants.
Getting Too Many Plants At Once
The biggest rule I’m going to tell you in this part is – start slow. Building your houseplant collection is not a competition. Many plant newbies see all these influencers on social media and want their home as lush as theirs, but not starting slow will have you stressed and lost.
Do your research on each one of your plants. This will help you make sure that the environment and care needs are met and get those plants thriving.
Buying one to a couple of plants at a time and really learning/mastering their care needs will make it easy to add another.
Remember just because you only have a few houseplants in your collection doesn’t mean you’re not a plant parent or welcome in the plant community. Many people don’t think their collection is big enough or even rare enough to be considered part of these groups. But I’m here to tell you – that’s completely false.
They’re A Lot Of Work
Kind of going back to growing too fast, they can become a lot of work. Sometimes my plant care can take 1-3 day’s worth. Now, I have 90+ houseplants but they can take up a good part of your day off. This can be especially hard if you have a high demanding job.
Some people think that plants only need watering once a week, but that can’t be further from the truth. There are houseplants that don’t need water once a week, and plants that need water every few days. Fertilizing certain plants on certain times of the year/month/week and others don’t. not to mention wiping down all the leaves once a month.
Plants aren’t always treated the same.
One thing you can do to keep track is, pick a day that works in your schedule. For me, that’s Mondays. Every Monday I’ll go around and check what plants need to be watered that day if it’s fine ill skip it and check back mid-week.
I deep clean my plant room every first Monday of the year, this includes – watering, wiping down leaves, cleaning off shelves, treating for pests, and all other plant chores that need to get done.
Keep a record book of when you last did a plant chore. This will help you to reference to check back to in case you forget.
Houseplant Collecting Is Expensive
This can happen before you know it. Buying a plant here and there isn’t going to usually break the bank, but not considering that the plant you bought will need things that can add up.
Setting a budget for your houseplants is probably where you’ll want to start. Realistically look at your expenses to see what you have left over after all your bills are paid. Then setting a number that you can spend in the month will help you stay on track.
I have a $50 per month budget that I use for plants and any other plant supplies I need like; planters, soil, soil additives (perlite, bark, etc.), and nutrients. This helps me so I don’t wind up overspending.
Don’t Only Buy A Plant Because It’s Trendy
This is probably the hardest rule for me to break. I get so influenced on social media that I have been known to go out the next day and buy a plant I saw on my feed.
Before you jump on the bandwagon and buy a plant because you want to stay up with the latest trends, consider waiting a week.
While you’re in this waiting period you can look up care need for that plant. You can also search the plants name and look through some images to see what that plant will look like in all stages. Some plants look completely different from its immature stage to mature. You’ll get ideas what it could look like and if it will be something you’ll be able to care for.
Also to see if it was just the way that person took the photo that you fell in love with.
Waiting will allow you to really think about “do I really want this plant?” At the end of the week and your still in love with it go ahead and buy it. As long as it fits your budget. ;]
They Can Outgrow Your Space
I know this sounds silly and you may be like “duh!” but hear me out.
I always knew plants can eventually get large, but with good plant care that day can come quicker than you think. When you get a plant that fits in a 4-inch pot, within a few months to a year you may need to re-pot that plant into a bigger pot, and so on and so on.
This topic can basically feed into all the other four above. Pots aren’t super cheap, and the bigger they get the bigger the cost. Re-potting them annually can be time consuming.
When growing your home jungle make sure you leave enough space for that plant to eventually grow and get big. But make sure you pat yourself on the back because a plant that is growing is a happy and (most likely) a healthy plant!
Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You
These are just a few things to keep in mind before hoarding plants into your homes like I have. I’ve made these mistakes, but I look at it as a learning experience and a chance to share my faults with all you plant parents, so you don’t do the same as I did.
Or at least be aware of it.
