Rachel Rudd’s plants in her dorm.

I get it, it’s January. Not exactly what you’d think of as “prime plant buying time.” Not to worry however, because I am here to prove you wrong and explain how to take care of the new plants you will buy this January. 

First, I need to talk about the benefits of plants to explain why you should buy them. First off, they’ll add a nice pop of green to your dorm or apartment. As someone who has crowded her dorm and house full of plants, I can say they add such lovely greenery to living spaces.

They also are great for your mental health. There is nothing more soothing than just taking 15 minutes to water and trim my plants, or getting your hands dirty as you repot a plant. 

Basically, what I’m saying is, you should get them. So let’s assume you’re at the store (I personally recommend the garden sections of Home Depot or Lowes because they have a better selection). What plants should you get?

PLANTS TO GET

For beginners, I recommend haworthias (also called zebra plants). They’re incredibly tough, do great in low light environments and can go for long periods without water. I’ve dropped mine on the floor before and it’s still trucking. 

I also can’t recommend jade plants enough. My plant addiction started with a tiny jade plant and it’s survived two college moves and numerous repottings. They also do well with infrequent waterings, so they’re great for busy college kids. 

A final plant for your collection would have to be a Ming thing cactus. They’re weird lumpy little plants and like any cacti, they can go for long periods of time without water. They’re tough little plants too, as like my jade plant, it has survived two college move-ins.

Other good plants for beginners include aloe veras, snake plants and Christmas cacti (don’t worry about the name, you can buy them whenever). 

OTHER SUPPLIES

So, you’ve grabbed your new succulent friend, but don’t leave the store just yet. You’re going to want some good dirt and a good pot for your plant. The key to succulents is drainage, so make sure you buy soil that allows easy water flow. There is soil specially made for cacti/succulents, which is a great start and what I use. 

However, if you’re feeling fancy, you can use this three part ratio when filling your pot: two parts sand, two parts gardening soil and 1 part pumice. 

For the pot, it might be tempting to buy that cute llama-shaped pot, but I’m going to recommend you steer clear of that in favor of a traditional terracotta pot. They’re cheap and due to their porous nature, allow for excess moisture to evaporate. This is necessary for succulents, so terracotta with a saucer for collecting excess water will be paramount to your plant’s success. 

When buying a pot, make sure you don’t buy too big of a pot, otherwise you might risk overwatering. When in doubt, get a pot that is at least one inch bigger than the diameter of the root ball.

REPOTTING

When you take your plant home to repot, make sure to put a good amount of dirt into your new pot. Then, remove your plant from the plastic pot you bought it in and break up the root ball. It will likely be very dry, so don’t be afraid to wet the root ball to make breaking it up easier. Unless you rip the roots, you won’t hurt the plant by doing this.

Place your plant in the pot and fill in the rest of the pot. Make sure your plant is nice and stable after you’ve filled in all the dirt.

You might be tempted to water your plant, but don’t just yet. Repotting is stressful for a plant, so give it a week or so to get settled before watering.

WATERING

When it comes to watering succulents, people often think these plants never need water because they’re desert plants. This could not be farther from the truth. When watering them, make sure you give them enough water that it collects in the saucer. Be sure to dump out this excess water to ensure that the bottom soil gets dry, as keeping your soil dry prevents root rot.

Succulents tend to go dormant in the winter months (think mid to the end of October) and become active again around the beginning of April. When they are dormant, they only need to be watered around once a month. When they’ve active, I water them about every two weeks. 

The trick with watering however, is paying attention to your plant. If it looks like it needs water (it looks wrinkly, shrunken or disheveled), it probably needs water. Learning to get to know your plant and knowing when it needs water will help tremendously. 

On the other hand, signs of an overwatered plant include it looking yellow, mushy or translucent. If your plant looks this way, don’t water it. Leave it alone and let it dry out. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

One final thing when taking care of your new plant: sunlight. Generally, placing a plant in a well-lit window will be just fine, but there should be a tag or label on your plant that tells you approximately how many hours of sunlight it needs. Pay attention to this tag and you should be just fine. 

And that’s it. Go and take care of those plants! 

Categories: Life