For a Those With a LOT of Plants, How Do You Manage to Ke...
So some people have soo many plants. I used to have a lot too but ngl, I got behind with watering and ESPECIALLY repotting 😴🥵 quite often. But I had nowhere near as many as some people here. Like in the hundreds of full grown plants. AND, they look super healthy. I was counting little propagating leaves (including succulent babies that practically grow themselves 😅) for myself lol.
I don’t mean to put you on the spot @MamaLinne , no pressure to answer, you’re just the person that’s stood out of me as far as this. But how on earth do you keep over 800 very healthy plants in shape while also having a life haha 😲😂🧐?
#HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #PlantTherapy #NewPlantMom #PlantCorner #PlantLove #NewGrowth
I don’t mean to put you on the spot @MamaLinne , no pressure to answer, you’re just the person that’s stood out of me as far as this. But how on earth do you keep over 800 very healthy plants in shape while also having a life haha 😲😂🧐?
#HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict #PlantTherapy #NewPlantMom #PlantCorner #PlantLove #NewGrowth
13
@SolidGold
What I would do would be to gift at least half of the 800!
To friends, libraries, banks, etc. Any people and places that would want them.
You could also sell them...many ways to consider how.
What I would do would be to gift at least half of the 800!
To friends, libraries, banks, etc. Any people and places that would want them.
You could also sell them...many ways to consider how.
@CutePolypremum oh sorry if the wording was confusing. I don’t have 800+. No way I could handle that lol. I just remember how hard it was to take care of them when I had like 20+. Like you said I gave a more than half away because it was too much. Even more because of work and life. But I miss having a lot of plants and want to see if anyone found a way to make it less time consuming and easy to remember take care of all their needs. And each individual needs.
@captainstardust I thought about selling plants before because one of my succulents was popping out babies like crazy. I just couldn’t think of how to safely ship them so they don’t arrive bad like a lot I’ve gotten. And have no idea what to charge for them.
@captainstardust I try to water once a week too, skipping the cactus frequently, but figuring out each plant’s lighting and sunlight and food needs and soil mix and humidity and temperature. 🥵
Maybe I overthink it though 😂
Maybe I overthink it though 😂
I’m somewhere over a thousand plants at this point. Not all are posted. I wouldn’t say they all are good, but I can say most do. 🤪 I’ll tell you something. I am terrible at repotting, and I don’t do reminders on my phone or anything like that. I generally silence 🤐 my reminders or ignore them. So I go off the “droop.” If my leaves have a little droop, I water. I bottom water every couple of months, and then every few months, I flush my plants. But for me, I don’t know if you are familiar with those big black storage containers you can find at, like, Costco that have the yellow tops? So I get a big bag of lava rocks and put them inside the container. Then I add rainwater. (Where I live is a desert 🏜️ as well as a massive drought, so we are asked not to water our lawns and things so we can conserve water. So we have about, hmm, 530 gallons of water (we have permits to collect more rainwater). Anyway, that’s how I bottom water. Then I leave these big containers in the center of my plants outside and one inside my inside plants. The rest I just hook up a hose and a pump to water. So yeah, that’s my routine. But my trick is the droop. ☺️
But another trick I use is I go up in size on what I’d say is a little over half of my containers. 🤔 But if you water along the edges so away from the root base, and water like the plant is in a smaller container, usually works for me so I don’t have to repot as often. 😉 But I also mix a variety of soils to make sure I hold in moisture but still not overwatering. If you want to hear the mix or anything, let me know. I’m an over-sharer so I apologize in advance’ish. 😂😂
@SolidGold I really don’t know how many I have, I’ve never counted and not even half of them are on here, especially since I got the greenhouse! I can tell if they need water by how much the pot weighs. I just grab each one give it slight lift and if it’s too light I water it! And I use a 4 gal sprayer so I don’t have to stop and mess with water but maybe twice! That had been a game changer for me. 🥳😁🪴🌸🌺
Oh, I definitely don’t have 800! I have 160, which is about 30 more than my comfort zone, so I have a bunch listed on marketplace. As for how I care for them, I utilize Greg as a reminder of which ones to check each day. I usually have between 20-30 to check on and either water, or snooze. I repot as needed, but it’s not that often and not all of them at once. I think each person has a number they’re comfortable with- anything more than that is going to cause more stress than joy! I am a nurse, so I work 3/week, and all of my kids are grown. Plants are my main hobby and joy, so I don’t mind spending a couple of hours a day doing plant things- in fact, that’s what I *want* to be doing. I didn’t always have this much time to myself, so I certainly didn’t have this many plants! Only you can say. I don’t think there’s anything special about collecting vast numbers- to me, that can get us into a consumer mindset if we’re not careful. But it’s very individual!
@SolidGold So I never water or repot on a schedule, but like @MamaLinne I also use the Greg reminders occasionally to help me decide who to check on (if I don’t have time to wander through my plants visually checking on them.) And also like Deb, just know that everyone’s comfort number of plants will be different. Some people’s are 15, some 100, some 500+. It’s all about finding YOUR personal balance: the number of plants that you love to take care of , that put you in your happy place, without getting overwhelmed or stressed.
Since I hang out in the rooms with my plants I usually can just see who needs water, which has come with years of practice. I have learned their signs. Ideally I notice their EARLY signs of needing water, but sometimes I’m late in noticing, and I’m jumping over the couch shrieking, “oh my goodness BABY, you need water, I’m so sorry!” 🤭
I have also learned what my preferred mix of soil ingredients is for my unique climate and watering habits . Too moisture retaining and they never dry out, too chunky and I’m having to water way too frequently.
And, Just like @Idplantthat said, you don’t only have to use up-potting for plants that have outgrown their pot, sometimes you can size up if you want a particular plant to not dry out as fast. I basically have gotten everyone on a 2-3 week watering rythym. And with over 200 plants, I usually end up with only about 10-20 plants that actually need water on any given day.
I also keep my fertilizer and water in one of those pump top pressure sprayers with the hose attachment. I can reach and water everyone without a lot of effort, or having to bring everyone to the sink.
Then I use empty milk gallons to put extra or backup fertilizer & water in, so I waste no time when my pressure sprayer is empty. I keep at least one in every spot there are plants, ready to go if needed!
Edit, because I just can’t help myself when I think I’ve missed a point:
I also didn’t go from 0 to 200 in a flash. I’ve spent my whole adult life, and part of my childhood tending plants. But my number was holding at about 50 max, if I had to guess before I got Greg, and it’s only since jumping off the deep end and having helpful reminders to keep me on track watering, that I’ve felt comfortable getting up to the number I have now. And I try to never add more than 5 at a time, with some exceptions 😉, so I can get used to new plant’s care 🤗
Since I hang out in the rooms with my plants I usually can just see who needs water, which has come with years of practice. I have learned their signs. Ideally I notice their EARLY signs of needing water, but sometimes I’m late in noticing, and I’m jumping over the couch shrieking, “oh my goodness BABY, you need water, I’m so sorry!” 🤭
I have also learned what my preferred mix of soil ingredients is for my unique climate and watering habits . Too moisture retaining and they never dry out, too chunky and I’m having to water way too frequently.
And, Just like @Idplantthat said, you don’t only have to use up-potting for plants that have outgrown their pot, sometimes you can size up if you want a particular plant to not dry out as fast. I basically have gotten everyone on a 2-3 week watering rythym. And with over 200 plants, I usually end up with only about 10-20 plants that actually need water on any given day.
I also keep my fertilizer and water in one of those pump top pressure sprayers with the hose attachment. I can reach and water everyone without a lot of effort, or having to bring everyone to the sink.
Then I use empty milk gallons to put extra or backup fertilizer & water in, so I waste no time when my pressure sprayer is empty. I keep at least one in every spot there are plants, ready to go if needed!
Edit, because I just can’t help myself when I think I’ve missed a point:
I also didn’t go from 0 to 200 in a flash. I’ve spent my whole adult life, and part of my childhood tending plants. But my number was holding at about 50 max, if I had to guess before I got Greg, and it’s only since jumping off the deep end and having helpful reminders to keep me on track watering, that I’ve felt comfortable getting up to the number I have now. And I try to never add more than 5 at a time, with some exceptions 😉, so I can get used to new plant’s care 🤗
@SolidGold oh, and, I usually only repot plants when they are brand new and in nursery soil that doesnt work me, or when they used to need water every 2-3 weeks, and are now needing water every 5-7 days, because that’s too much watering for me. 💦
Since I rely on a complete fertilizer to give my plants all the nutrients they need, I do not need to repot for “depleted soil” reasons. My mix is 1/3 coco coir, 1/3 orchid bark, and 1/3 perlite, so it does not naturally contain nutrients.
Since I rely on a complete fertilizer to give my plants all the nutrients they need, I do not need to repot for “depleted soil” reasons. My mix is 1/3 coco coir, 1/3 orchid bark, and 1/3 perlite, so it does not naturally contain nutrients.