1: My take on houseplant care
Hello everyone!
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I have become a houseplant authority in the past few months. Last year, I came back from a 4 day work trip to many dead houseplants. This time around, I now have sixty-five houseplants of many different varieties. Sixty-four of them are happy. The unhappy one is a fern. If you ever get complacent, just get yourself ferns. RIP your self confidence. Otherwise, I am confident I can keep the green alive in my apartment. Do your plants keep dying? Let's try to fix that.
You need to adjust your mental model of houseplants
Adjustment 1: You are over watering and not under watering.
You are loving your houseplants too much. If the plant is browning at the tips, you are giving it too much water.
What is happening is that the veins are bursting and the leaves are rotting. This is what is causing the discoloration at the tips. We are taught to think yellow or brown means under watering for living green. This is the most common incorrect mental model.
If the soil smells moldy, that's another sign you are over watering. The roots of your plant are rotting. You may not be able to see it, but a similar effect is happening to the roots where the tips are decaying. Basically, we keep killing our plants softly.
For succulents, the leaves will fall off if you gently touch them. They don't brown at the tips since they are designed to save up water between droughts, so it makes sense they are too full to sustain themselves when over watered.
How do I fix over watering?
- Stop watering the plant.
- Let the soil dry out COMPLETELY. (0-100 on the soil meter.)
- Throw out the old soil and re-pot it with fresh soil.
- Put the plant next to a window with lots of light.
- Water properly.
There may be a chance your over watered plant is beyond saving. It's happened to me too, several times. Thank it and give it a proper burial in the compost bin.
Adjustment 2: Low light houseplant advertisement is a lie.
All indoor plants are already getting lower light compared to being at a nursery. All plants need to be next to window or skylight where they can "see the sun." Ideally, this window will face the east or west for low light plants and the north or south for sunlight loving plants.
How do I water plants properly?
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Imagine how plants live outside in the world. When it rains, they get a good thorough soaking. Imagine that and water less often, more thoroughly. The water should drip through the bottom generously.
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Don't water on a schedule, water when the plant wants it. Each plant has different needs. Water when the leaves are droopy (most plants) or wrinkly (succulents). This doesn't mean your watering can't be scheduled. This means the information you searched online isn't going to match your home's specific needs. If you cook, this is similar to how "medium heat" could vary between stoves.
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Aim for the soil, not the leaves. Pooled water in the leaves will rot the plant and attract bugs. Use a rag to soak up any pooling water that's not going to dry up within the day.
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Bottom water the plant if it is difficult to water from the top. Always bottom water succulents. Bottom watering is putting the planter into a larger container of water and letting the soil soak up its fill. Check my plant stories on Instagram for a video of bottom watering.
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Use filtered water. Tap water may cause brown spots due to minerals. Rainwater is best if you can get your hands on it.
Adjustment 3: Use new growth as your measurement of a happy plant.
Your plant is happy when the leaves are green or the variegated color they are supposed to be. Your plant is happy when it's making new leaves for you at the rate it loses old leaves or faster. When an old leaf dies off, it will yellow evenly across the leaf. Remember, when it's over watered it will brown at the tips.
Some houseplants will bloom flowers at peak contentedness. It is truly a joy to reach that point.
Common follow-up questions
- Q: So, how can you tell if your plant is under watered?
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A: It has probably never been unless you've literally ignore the plant since you've had it.
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Q: What potting mix do you use?
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A: Buy well draining indoor plant soil, perlite, and peat moss. I use 1:1:1 ratio for pretty much everything. Unless it is succulents, then I use a touch more perlite at a 1.2:1:1 ratio. This ratio was advice I've followed from a book, How NOT to Kill Your Houseplants. I haven't needed to adjust it otherwise.
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Q: What's your place like?
- A: I have 5 areas with plants, 2 south facing windows and 3 east facing windows. All succulents are in south facing windows. I'll move the others between locations depending on how they are doing. For example, the pilea peperomioides was drying up too quickly in the south facing window, so I moved it to an east facing window.
Helpful tools
The tools don't always make the artist, but in this case, it might make your life easier.
- Plant meter: This measures light, soil wetness, and pH.
- Watering can: This applies a gentle stream of water and won't dislocate your plant's soil.
- Gnat strips: Get those nasty things before they get your plants.
- Hydrogen Peroxide: If you get a houseplant pest infection, use this in a 1:4 ratio water solution to kill their eggs. Water with this solution after watering with water to mitigate root burn.
- Cute planters: They make your life better.
This letter is already more than thousand words, so I'll write about how to prune and take cuttings in another letter. I'll also share details on my favorite varieties and their care quirks. And yes, I'll send you the Privacy Practices letter soon.
Remember you own the houseplants, don't let the houseplants own you.
Studio updates
Every letter I'll include a list of updates about my work.
It has been 2 years since I've written so I'll keep these updates high level.
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I am serving as a Technical Editor for Make your own pixel art, published by No Starch. It's on my bucket list to publish a graphic novel someday. This experience has given me insight into the publishing process.
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I am collaborating with @LKM on a Shiba Inu soccer game. Here are a few updates on instagram.
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Interface Lovers interviewed me earlier this year about how I got into design, what I do now, my set-up, and inspiration.
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I was in several art shows. Most notably, my original watercolor was on display at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's visitor center! I was also in two shows at The Galallery, Love Is: Benefit Art Show and Moon Prism Power: Sailor Moon Art Show.
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I launched two new art products: pixel art apparel and an enamel pin featuring the studio name, Mintlodica.
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Finally, my new studio partner is the absolute cutest Mame Shiba Inu.
Cool thing on the internet
Every letter I'll show you something cool I saw on the internet.
New work (work, work, work, work, work) 💅 @Rihanna's @fentybeauty launched last year with a ground-breaking 40 shades of foundation, making it a champion of inclusivity in the makeup world. How do other brands across the US and the world stack up? https://t.co/M8NkRVY4rS pic.twitter.com/LyaqcO3t0e
— The Pudding (@puddingviz) June 14, 2018
My friend @JasonLi published this data visualization of makeup brands on The Pudding. Check out the Beauty Brawl.
Goodbye!
Thank you and be well. —Mintlodica
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