Plantlennials: 3 tips not to kill your houseplants

What is, going by stereotypes, the best way for millennials to cope with their life, trying to find a balance between dinners with family asking for children and for the fear of the future? One clear answer: plants. Well, I might also add cats but that is probably because I am obsessed with their paws. So let’s go with plants for now!

(Photos by Stefania Del Sette)

Raise your hand if, despite all the good intentions and the attemps, you never had a plant looking at you from the windowsill begging for mercy, as well as for some fresh water.

Exactly, like I though, your hand is still next to you. Don’t worry, before last year I was in the same position: I kept buy plants I was told were almost immortal and then… Boom, after a week in my hands were basically waiving their leaves from the plants paradise. But, with a bit of knowledge and, I have to admit, numerous attempts, I learned how to look after them quite well. Probably my orchids might disagree but hey, I am trying my best also with them! It is not my fault if they are so fussy!

But now, wothout further ado, here are 3 tips to make sure your next green friend is going to stay with you as much as possible.

1. Know your environment: This is the most basic advice but, at the same time, the most important. Plants need the right conditions to grow and, as well as people, each of them is different and has diverse needs. Check your home, check the rooms and individuate the main characteristics of each place. In particular, keep an eye on the level of humidity and the light, elements that are peculiar for every plants. Avoid to put your green friends in places of the house where there is not light at all: even if some of them might live in darker places, they would be in survival mode. Don’t choose a place, for example, next to the heater: she might burn. And so on. Paradoxically, it is easier than you might think as is mostly based on common sense. Obviously, once you know the plant, you will learn to be aware of the specific needs, for example knowing that not only light is important, but how much light the plant receive is essential. But this is a step that require time and experience, here we are only making sure they survive at least a month!
2. Choose the right plant: once you know your environment and are aware of which room receives the most light and which one is, for example, the coldest, it is time to pick the right new tenant. As said above, each plant has specific needs and, with no doubts, there are some of them that are low minteinance and other that require attention even only to survive for the night. Starting from these, my advice is to start with easy plant: succulents, alea vera, snake plant and spire plant could be a good beginning. I might add, because it is actually one of my favourite, the Monstera. They are all pretty cheap and, looking online, you can also find their basic needs and go with them.
3. Be nice with them (and with yourself): this might look like the advice that a nice old granny would give, but it is also the starting point to look after something/someone else, as well as ourselves. You are learning and it is not easy to understand to need of the environment and its elements next to you. Give yourself and them time to get used to the new process. Do not throw them away at the first difficulty and do not give up at the first obstacle: it takes time and, unless you are in a hurry to get annoyed for another plant, give yourself the opportunity to learn.

I am aware that these are only the starting points, but I also know that, as a super beginner myself at the care of plants, these were the 3 main obstacle I had to face myself.

I assure you that, since I started payng attention to these factors, my plants are thanking me. Well, the orchids would not agree but, once again, not my failt it they keep being so fussy!