Growing through quarantine

It is not just a social media or quarantine fad. Research shows that there are numerous benefits of indoor plants, including reducing stress, sharpening attention, boosting productivity, and helping persons to recover from illness faster. It is no wonder that so many Barbadians (and people all over the world) have embraced indoor plants since the first COVID-19 lockdown last March.

COVID Weekly chatted with plant stylist and professional plant parent, Crystal Benidict about how exactly aspiring plant parents should go about “growing through quarantine”. 

Benedict agrees that indoor plants give persons something else to focus on and take their minds off the harsh realities of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I find a lot of people are going back to earth; like going home . . . you just reach for nature. It’s like that comfort zone and that feeling that you’re looking for. This isn’t just a movement here on island, but worldwide. It has made many people grounded. I mean . . . they are forced to look at home,” she said. 

The’OG’ plant mom is also the owner of Green Style Boutique Plant Shop and the creator of the popular Instagram Page Plant Parents Barbados. While her journey began with lots of trial and error and eventually studying the science of plants, from root to stem, she acknowledged that not everyone has the time to commit to that effort. Here are some tips and tricks.

Best indoor plants for beginners 

Benidict recommends plants from the aroid species, including monsteras and anthurium. 

These plants are very hardy . . . they’re usually nice and juicy, so they can miss a watering or two. These plants are very forgiving. If you want to have a big plant, but you’re not really good with plants, a monstera is always your best bet. They are hardy, they are forgiving, they are beautiful. They are very easy to care for. They always give such a grand look to a room, and they can get massive,” she said. 

Where should I put my plants? 

According to the plant stylist, this depends on the plant and how your home is built. She advised that before you even leave the plant nursery, one should Google the care requirements. 

“You have to be realistic about the plants you purchase and if you can maintain them. You would see the lighting conditions, watering conditions, fertilizing, everything. And then you decide if your home is enough for this plant and if you are enough for this plant before you take it home. If you want your plant to thrive, it’s best to do what is best for the plant and not necessarily what’s best for where you want to see it.,” she said. 

“There are plants for your bathroom, like ferns that love the humidity. They will thrive there. And you don’t have to go through all of the stress of watering or overwatering them. And then you have plants that will thrive in lower light like the ZZ plant or sansevieria. There is a plant for every lighting condition within a home. You just need to figure out what those plants are and match them to your lighting condition.” 

Choosing the right soil 

For Benidict, it is all about the right mix for the right species of plants. She stressed that in order to have a healthy plant, one must have a healthy mix. 

 “Just purchasing a bag of mix off the shelf and using it, most of these mixes are made with a lot of organic matter, which is amazing. [But] when you purchase these and you pot your plant within them, as you water over time, because this mix is heavy in peat and organic matter, it starts to break down, so it compresses. So unless you have something in there to help aerate the mix and to create air pockets, then your roots become tight, she cautioned.

The bottom line? It is all about tailoring your mix. 

Pot sizes matter 

Key tip: Never pot within a pot that does not have a hole. 

“Always Google your plants’ requirements. You will see instructions or a few clues in terms of potting it because some plants thrive when they are a bit more root-bound; when they are a bit more snug in the pot. And then some prefer to have a lot of space or some are aggressive growers like sansevieria. Plants like alocasias do prefer to be a bit more snug,” she explained. 

Indoor plant etiquette 

• Never water on a schedule. That is the number one way to kill a plant. 
•  Every plant isn’t the same and every potting medium isn’t the same. Some things dry out faster than some, some plants drink faster than some, depending on the humidity within a room. 
• Take risks — if you would like to propagate a plant, just do it! 
• Succulents — don’t bring them indoors. Leave them in the patio or leave them in a very bright room if you’re going to bring them indoors. 
• Overwatering and underwatering are the two main killers of plants. 

This article appears in the February 22 edition of COVID Weekly. Read the full publication here.