A New Form of Comfort: Plants!

By: Lucy D’Elia | April 5, 2021|

With the many lockdowns we have had to experience due to COVID-19, many are experimenting with different hobbies. One hobby in particular is very popular: raising houseplants! This activity has gained a lot of popularity in a similar way to the increased demand for pets. With the pandemic forcing individuals to isolate themselves, many are lonely and looking for any form of companionship. Taking care of plants can be a cheaper, less strenuous way to not only provide company, but also bring a little of the green outdoors in. Plants have a way of opening up a space and especially for those in smaller apartments, can really change a room’s atmosphere. They provide a breath of fresh air, as well as a glimpse into a green spring, opposed to the rather mucky reality that is Canadian April.

With all of these pros there seems to be only one slight drawback: keeping them alive! As daunting as it can seem, I have learned some helpful tips and tricks for raising healthy plant babies. The most basic one is to read up on your specific plant. I have quite a few different ones and have learned, sometimes the hard way, that some are much more needy than others. For instance, three of my plants should always stay somewhat moist (a mister is your friend!), however, most of mine only require weekly watering or in the case of my succulents, once every three weeks. The best way to figure out the right amount of water is research, although I have also found that if a plant's leaves are becoming softer and more spongy, you are probably watering it too much. In order to stay on top of remembering when to water what plants, I use reminders. That way I can put it in my phone as recurring every week or however often the plant needs water. When it comes to the actual watering itself, my secret is ice cubes. The ice cubes are easy and efficient to use, plus they are better for the plant as the ice melts, distributing the water slowly and more evenly. Many plants don’t require a lot (for instance two work well for an orchid)!

Other than water what plants need most is sunlight, and if you have a room like mine with only a small window, that can be challenging. First of all, try to get plants that prefer indirect sunlight as opposed to direct. This will make them stand a better chance. If you want more light for your plants you can buy plant lights relatively cheaply from pretty much any home hardware store (I got mine from Amazon). They are easy to use and even come with a timer so you do not have to remember to switch the light on and off everyday. My plants certainly seem to enjoy the extra light!

Now if you’ve gotten into taking care of plants as much as I have, you’ll come across this problem sooner or later: where do I put all of them? The answer is in hanging plants. Not only does it take up much less space and place the plants closer to the light, but they also look really cute! While you can buy premade plant hangers, they tend to be expensive. Instead make some out of macrame! Macrame can seem difficult at first, but it’s really just strategic knotting.

All you need to build a simple plant hanger is four equal-length strips of rope (go long on your first try so there’s plenty to work with). First fold the strips in half and tie them all in a knot, leaving a loop. If it’s too difficult with the eight strips use a rubber band instead, as shown in the photo.

Now take two strips and knot them together about a quarter of the way down. Do this with the other strips. It should result in four knots, plus the original loop.

Next create another row of knots, this time using the adjacent strips of the above knots. You should end up with four more knots.

Finally take all of the strips and tie them together in one large knot. Trim any uneven ends, and your plant hanger is good to go!

With all of the craziness COVID has brought into our lives, we all need to find comfort somewhere, whether it’s in books, video games or, of course, plants. Please stay safe and maybe pick up a plant buddy, trust me they help!

Images and instructions retrieved from: https://blog.jungalow.com/2015/11/diy-little-nickis-simple-knotted-plant-hanger.html