Mommy Pehpot, Author at Mommy Pehpot

Indoor Plants for Newbies

Taking care of plants is the newest yet not new trend. It became a famous hobby again during this pandemic. A lot of people are starting their plant collection and going out of their way, spending a bit of cash on getting those beautiful plants, especially indoor plants that have big leaves. But why did it become so famous all of a sudden? Does it have benefits?

Is it easy to take care of them?

The reason why taking care of indoor plants became the newest house trend is because of its easy maintenance and how these plants give your household life and color to their corners cheaply. These plants became the new “pets” to many, especially to people to refer themselves as “Plantitos” and “Plantitas.”

Taking care of plants has a lot of benefits. For example, they release oxygen for us so we can breathe. Another one is they purify the air inside your house. A lot of people are giving testimonials about how having indoor plants helps them get rid of their anxiety, and it helps them relax. So, now you know that plants can make us feel good because it purifies toxicities in the air!

If you are worried about killing your first collection of plants, you should not. Taking care of plants is just trial and error. You can always start with cheap plants. Or if you have a neighbor who has a garden, maybe you can ask them for some free cuttings! Asking for free cuttings has been notorious in some places like in provinces. Nothing is wrong with that as long as you always ask for permission.

This is some of the easy-care indoor plants you can have if you are a beginner:

Fern plant/paco plant- these fern plants can grow with medium to bright lights, but not direct sunlight. It thrives with humidity. If it does not get enough of it, the fronds will turn brown and become dry. This plant is also ideal when you are building a terrarium.

Bacularis plant- is a perennial, stemless plant that has one or two thin cylindrical upstanding slender leaves and is 1.7 meters tall and can be quite still in good light conditions. This plant can grow even with low light, but it can also thrive in bright lights and can tolerate direct sunlight. Water it when the soil is dry.

Snake Plant- This plant is good if you live in a small apartment because it can live even with low light. It is also an ideal plant for forgetful plant owners. This plant doesn’t need to be watered every day. 3x a week is good enough, or waits until the soil in its pot is dry.

Anthurium Plant/ Laceleaf- This plant can grow and have flowers even with low light. But slowly. Like the other flowers above, don’t overwater. The leaves will turn to yellow, and under-watering can also make the leaves turn brown.

Selloum Plant- Selloum prefers moist but not mushy soil. And can live in bright lights or even indirect. Just keep the soil moist and the leaves dry. Do not water it directly on its stem. Water it around its stem base.

Aglaonema- this is also an ideal plant if you are living in an apartment because it can live with medium to low light. You can just water it once a week, and it will still be healthy.

Sensation Plant- allowing the topsoil to dry before watering it again. It can grow with medium to low light making it also a perfect indoor plant.

Spider Plant- Not only that but these plants also help purify the air in your house. Spider plants are also non-toxic. To make it safe for your kids but also to your furry friends.

Monstera Adansonii- also called the Swiss-cheese plant. This plant prefers indirect bright light and can even survive with low light, but its growth can be slower. Please keep it away from direct sunlight because it may burn the leaves. And don’t overwater it because the leaves might droop. You have to keep an eye out on the consistent watering schedule to keep your Monstera healthy.

Pothos plant- taking care of pothos is very easy, and you don’t have to worry about overwatering it because it likes water. You can even put a cutting of it in a glass with water, and within three to four days, it is starting to grow some roots already. Pothos prefer bright indirect light but can also tolerate low lights.

It would be best if you took care of your plants. Planting can make yourself busy and forget about your worries. Having them inside the house clears the air, too, and is relaxing to the eyes. So keep trying until you succeed! Happy planting!

Monstera Deliciosa and How to Take Care of Them

Monstera Deliciosa is one of the most famous plants today. Everywhere you turn, everybody wants one in their household. These plants used to be ornamental, but now they are the star. They’ve moved from the back of the bouquet to be the only thing in the bouquet. You can also see Monsteras on social media. And thanks to social media, this plant became so famous, and now, it is one of the most expensive (depends on the size) indoor plants today.

But why is it so famous?

Monstera Deliciosa is easy to grow. It thrives even if you neglect it.
The glossy, Swiss-cheese like leaves make a naturally gorgeous decor in any style of home.
Monsteras can grow big or can also be in a small size, making them the ideal indoor plants for small apartments or big living rooms.

What is Monstera Deliciosa?

Monstera is local to tropical rainforests from southern Mexico to Panama. So it is no surprise that it likes warm, humid conditions, making them ideal for indoors.

Monstera Deliciosa is climbing, evergreen perennials that can reach up to 60 feet or more in height in their natural environment. In your household, they can reach about eight feet in height. Their leaves can measure up to 2 feet long. Due to the height of the Monstera deliciosa, the stems of it might have a hard time supporting the weight of its leaf. You have to use a PVC pipe or moist coco fiber-covered sticks for support.

The unique shape of its leaves helps it resist downpours in tropical rainforests like an umbrella. This plant will look perfect in living and dining rooms, where it will make your space look like a tropical corner of the house. Another bonus is that these plants help purify the air! You also have to be aware and careful because these plants can be quite dangerous when ingested. It causes stomach pain and skin irritation.

Repotting Your Monstera

When taking your Monstera out of its old plastic nursery bags, you have to be careful not to hurt its roots. Don’t pull the plant, just simply cut the plastic at the bottom and another at its side. And place it carefully inside your pot. By the way, black or white pots look more amazing than other colored pots. It makes your indoor plants look more stylish and expensive! And when you are done putting your Monstera inside the pot, if you see that there is not enough soil, mix a combination of loam, soil, and garden soil. The ratio and proportion of this mixture are for every 3 kilos of garden soil, and you will need 1 kilo of loam soil.

Care Tips

Having the right amount of sunlight is vital for a monstera leaf development. Please place it in the corner of the house where it can receive indirect light. Too much sunlight will turn its leaf to yellow or brown.

Knowing when to water your Monstera is essential too. The roots of your plant may rot if it’s overwatered. You can try poking the soil and see if it is still moist or dry already. If it is dry, then that is the right time to water it.

How to Spot a Legit Monstera

There are lots of people selling this plant with high value, but if you are going to spend some of your hard-earned cash, wouldn’t you want it to be worth every penny? These are some of the things you should look out to when buying a Monstera Deliciosa.

Monstera’s leaves have multiple fenestrations (natural holes in the leaves of some species of plants)
The top of its branch, where it meets the leaf, has ruffles or curls.
The stems have shorter gap nodes and have a sprawling growth characteristic.
The stems are also in one place.

Monstera Deliciosa plants are beautiful and are perfect as an indoor decor with easy-care guidelines. Taking care of these plants will bring you lots of joy and compliments!

Lucky Bamboo Stems Meaning

Have you ever been to a house and saw a small plant that kind of looks like a bamboo with a red ribbon tied on it? Or you might have seen one too while walking around the mall as you passed by a plant shop, especially if you have been to Baguio city. That small green plant with two or multiple stems wrapped with each other like a woven basket is a lucky bamboo. But what is a lucky bamboo anyway? And why it is important that we know about the Lucky Bamboo Stems Meaning?

Lucky Bamboo Stems Meaning photo from Halamanan sa Pasig

What is lucky bamboo? Is it bamboo?

Lucky Bamboo is an indoor plant that people believed that attracts good luck. People use it for good luck charm or part of their plant collection. Lucky bamboo is not really bamboo. The stalks just look like bamboo, but it is a “Dracaena Sanderiana.” The difference between them is that dracaena is a tropical water plant and is indoors because it can survive even if it doesn’t get direct sunlight while the regular bamboo grows high, but they are also considered as grass.

History of Lucky Bamboo

For over 4000 years, lucky bamboo has been one of the most famous lucky plants in Chinese heritage. It represents prosperity and is common during holidays, especially spiritual festivals.

Lucky Bamboo Stems Meaning

We see a lot of these plants, and they have different shapes and the number of stems per pot. But have you ever wonder why?

Below is the list of Lucky Bamboo Stems Meaning:

Two stems are good luck for love and harmonious relationship.
Three stalks are for an abundance of life, fortune, and joy.
Five to six stalks symbolize opulence, and it’ll be a great gift for a family or a friend that is starting a business.
Seven stalks are good for happiness, wealth, and good health.
Eight shoots are good for motivation. It is a good present for a family or friend that is about to take an exam, needs to focus on studying or having difficulty at work, or lacking creativity with whatever project that needs to be done.
There are also ten stalks that are a total package. Suppose you lack everything like love, wealth, happiness, good health, etc. Then maybe you should get the lucky bamboo with ten stalks.
And wait, there is more! Twenty-one stalks are good for an abundance of wealth and good fortune.

Lucky Bamboo Stems Meaning and other lucky indoor plants

Now you have the list of all the types of lucky bamboo, and you can finally look and buy the lucky bamboo type that is based on your luck needs!

Lucky bamboos can also attract different kinds of luck depends on which direction you put it in your household. Keep it in the East part of the house, and it’ll attract healthiness for the entire household. And if you keep it in the southeast part of the house, it will attract fortune and prosperity.

Taking care of lucky bamboos can be fun and will attract all good luck when kept in the right direction.