PLANT HACKS

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Plant Hacks Cassie Saunders

Plants are one of the best ways to bring colour and life to your room at College. Plants help purify the air, boost productivity and reduce stress; which is excellent for study environments. Purchasing one or two plants (or three or four or even more) from a nursery or Bunnings is a cheap way to brighten your dorm room.

Start adulting and move from fake plants to real ones in a few easy steps:

1.Buy plants that require little to no work. These include trailing plants, small shrubs and succulents.

2.Keep plants in their plastic pot. Instead of buying plants and potting them directly into a cute pot that you bought at Kmart, keep them in their original plastic pot; sit that inside your Kmart pot. This will make it easier when watering because you can lift it straight out of the pot, and water can drain out the bottom. If you do repot your plant, be sure your new pot has plenty of drainage.

a. HOT TIP 1: Put a few large pebbles at the bottom of your pot to allow water to drain away easier so your plants don’t get root rot.

3.Water when necessary. It’s super easy to tell when your plants need water, just push a finger into the soil, if your finger comes out clean your plant is thirsty, if you have damp soil on your finger, leave the plant alone. When watering, place the plant in a sink or outside and pour water in. Plants can have dry patches in their soil, so be sure to pour water around the entire surface. Don’t let your plants become bone dry and wilt, the sudden water shock can cause your plants to die. Between watering, you can spray your plants using a spray bottle. Enough to wet the top of the soil and leaves can be a great boost for plants.

a.HOT TIP 1: Put your plants in the shower and turn on the cold water. This will help to clean your leaves and water them. Leave them under the direct shower for 5min and allow to drain completely for easy watering.

b.HOT TIP 2: Spray your succulents and cacti. They’ll be happier with a spray instead of wet roots.

4.Location in your room. Different plants need different amounts of light and water. It’s easy to research whether your plant requires a shaded area or direct sunlight. If you notice your plant has burnt tips on the edges of leaves or is turning yellow/brown, try to move it to a new location and don’t water it. Don’t be afraid to cut off a yellow leaf or burnt edge!

5.Bug problems? If you find that you’ve got some little bugs flying around your plant, your soil has become a hosting ground. Allow your plant some sun time to dry the soil. If you notice white bugs on your leaves, create a solution of dish soap and water in a spray bottle, spray directly onto the underside of the leaves, or cut off the leaves with bugs. Insects can travel quickly and infect your other pots, get onto the issue sooner rather than later.

If you’re worried about anything, Google is your best friend. Plants usually come with a little tag which describes the required water and sun amounts for plants, keep them by pushing them inside the rim of the pot so you can refer to it later. I’ve overwatered, under-watered, burnt and caused root rot in many plants; you learn as you go. Just be aware that once you buy one, it might be hard to stop! Cassie’s recommended plant choice for a college room:

-Devils Ivy (Epipremnum aureum) -Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica) -Mistletoe Cactus (Rhipsalis baccifera) -Zebra succulent (Haworthia fasciata) -Parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans) - Fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) - Snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata)

Enjoy plant parenthood!