INDOOR PLANTS- Series 1

1 Feb

INDOOR PLANTS- Series 1

Planting a big time YES.

We live an era where planting outdoors and indoors both are fair enough and equally important. I choose planting indoors because change starts from you, even 1 single plant does make a difference. Planting not only adds serenity at homes, one can attain mental peace also.

I know that I am late with this post. But trust me, each time I would sit to complete this post a new project would come in. And you know if its a paid work it becomes our topmost priority. So the same was happening with me. But I was committed to myself that no matter what, I am gonna make this post a priority in June to share my knowledge on indoor plants to benefit and help my audience. The motivation behind this post were your messages which I received after posting my HOME TOUR article. Thanks a lot for the comments and I was really happy to know that you guys loved what I tried to do in my small 2 bhk apartment.

Well honestly, I didn’t spend alot of money to decorate my Dtwon loft. But yes I spent plenty of money in buying the plants, keeping them fresh & green. The idea of keeping my apartment green was to keep myself close to the nature and to have positive energy around me. I also wanted to creat a space where I don’t need to run for vacation I wanted my home to be the place where I can run back to from any place to feel relaxed and peaceful.

The good thing about these plants are they give all the energy which I need to start my day and since I am a kinda person who likes to stay at home so ofcourse I had to create a space which gives me satisfaction of being at the best place.

But it is not easy to keep it green in the weather of Doha like you seriously need to spend extra time understanding these plants their nature and what is the exact right way of caring them.

So right now I am sharing a few plants which are there in my home since the beginning and are doing amazing with low maintenance. This is the first series of indoor plants I will release second series as soon as possible, I am still observing few plants as some of them are new and some of them are dying with time.

If you remember, I have already shared the hint why you shouldn’t buy plants from IKEA.

Well, I have a genuine reason behind it. Initially when I was decorating my apartment, alongside my furniture I also bought a wide range of plants from Ikea as well. I was absolutely clueless from where I should buy the plants. It was also convenient for me to shop all the things from one place.

But just after a month I started noticing most of the plants were dying or were looking sick. I couldn’t understand why it was happening as I was following all the instructions noted as much as possible but I still couldn’t save all of them and most of the plants died within 3-5 months. I was so upset seeing this. I visited IKEA many times showing my concern but unfortunately they didn’t hire staff with good knowledge about plants. Most of the staff working in the nursery area had no clue about plants.

After wasting 4-5K on buying plants from Ikea which, eventually died except for a money plant and some bamboo sticks.

Later one of my friend suggested me to visit Salwa road nurseries. After paying a visit to those nurseries I found that I made a mistake buying plants from IKEA. As the nursery plants at Salwa road were much cheaper and the staff had good knowledge about plants. Additionally, when you buy plants from salwa nurseries, the people working there guide you about how the plant should be kept. They would give you information on how to maintain the plants right from the temperature, lights and and shades. The good thing about buying plants from direct nurseries is that you can negotiate from them and you may actually get a good price. Plus, if you see that your plant are not doing well or it is sick you can visit them again and they will guide you on what went wrong or they will give you suggestions on how it could be fixed.

The thing is that nurseries pay extra attention on the sales and preventing of losing customers. They give you all the knowledge which you could possibly need, which is very convenient for me. If you want, they are also ready to guide you on which plant is good for summer and which for other seasons. And the plants you won’t be able to get from IKEA, as Ikea is a totally commercial place and they don’t have experts there to guide you on planting.

After buying plants from direct nurseries I had better knowledge and understanding about indoor plants & I was able to take good care of my plants which encouraged me to bring more plants to make my loft greener and it’s way cheaper than IKEA.

Hence, it is a big NO to buying plants from IKEA.

So right now I am sharing a few plants which are there in my home since the beginning and are doing amazing with low maintenance. This is the first series of indoor plants I will release second series soon as possible, I am still observing few plants as some of them are new and some of them are dying with time.

So in the secnd series I will be talking about more new plants and about those plants which lasted longer than my expectations.

The plants I am sharing right now are the ones which you can buy being care-free as they are require extremely low maintenance and can survive even in the weather of Qatar.

Monstera Pertusum

one of my favorite plant and very low maintenance. Common Names: Split-leaf philodendron
Care requirements: Prone to sunburn hence place in a bright location, out of direct sunlight. Water once when the top inch of soil feels dry and allow it to drain completely. Reduce watering in winter to avoid water lodging.
Maintenance: Provide artificial light unto 24 hrs a day to encourage blooming. Plant rarely suffer disease or pests, but check it occasionally for common indoor problems like aphids, scale insects and various leaf fungi. Pinch and prune vines regularly, because they can grow wildly out of control.

Chlorophytum

Common Names: Spider plant

Benefits: Reduces indoor pollutants

Care requirements: Keep plants in bright to moderate indirect sunlight. Plants do not appreciate direct, hot sunlight, which can burn their leaves. Maintain average room temperature and humidity. Spider plants prefer temperatures between 13–27°C. Initially water occasionally, once fully grown(one year) water moderately. In spring and summer keep the soil moist.

Maintenance: To get rid of the brown discs on leaves, use your fingernail to remove the brown residue every few days.

Dypsis Lutescences

This beautiful palm with feathery leaves is mostly cultivated as a house plant. Dypsys Lutescenes can add instant beauty to any corner of your house and the best thing about this plant, its very low maintenance. watering this plant once a week is enough.

Common Names: Areca Palm, Butterfly Palm.

Benefits: Most efficient air purifying plant also an excellent air humidifier.

Care requirements: Average room temperature 16-24 degree Celsius. Place in a fairly bright room without direct sunlight is advised.

Maintenance: Non toxic for cats and dogs. Use a heat propagator to maintain correct temperature.

FERNS

Easy-to-grow ferns make a wonderful addition to a garden or houseplant collection. They’re also easy to propagate, although making more ferns takes a little time and patience
Keep the temperature constant. Most indoor species of ferns are tropical, although not all require tropical weather. Make sure that the temperature in your home (or at least the room in which the fern is kept) is near 70 °F (21 °C). The ferns can handle temperatures as low as 60, but they won’t thrive as well under low temperature conditions.

Alocasia Polly

Common Names: Elephant Ear, Kris Plant

Care requirements: Place in full to moderate shade. Protect it from full sun, as the harsh rays will scorch the plant. Use a pot with adequate drainage. Plant grows best in high humidity. Check the soil’s fertility and then water, needs less watering during winter. Needs room temperature around 29° Celsius.

Maintenance: City water causes leaf spotting on Alocasia Polly. If you’re using city water to feed your Polly, allow the water to sit out for two to three days before using it. Alternatively, use distilled water. Keeping the plant on a moist pebble tray to allow for adequate moisture and drainage. Scatter cocoa bean hulls or shredded bark around the base of the plant. These materials not only provide nutrients for the soil, but also hold moisture in the ground.

soon I will be posting more indoor plants in series2. As Iam still observing many plants and trying to find out if they are easy to maintain.

Hope you remember Qatar’s FIFA 2022 World Cup initiative to plant 16,000 trees by 2022. Yes, you can also contribute by either planting indoors or outdoors.

Seeing a plant can subconsciously make you feel calm and relaxed. It regenerates our attention and keep our senses and brain going.The greener the plants the more it includes happier moods, better job satisfaction, and stronger relationships.

Hope you will plant a plant soon.

Until my next post

Stay Voguish Stay Gardens-keeping

Gazal