by Evin Morrison, Extension Master Gardener
Photos © Evin Morrison
The holidays are almost over and it’s time to think about the new year. Start out 2024 by treating yourself to some special items for your indoor houseplant collection.
Misters:
The heaters are running full blast and no matter how hard we try, the humidity in our homes is at an all-time low. We are lucky to live in a relatively humid area here in Northern Virginia and our houseplants thrive on that humidity in the summer months. But when winter arrives, we aren’t the only ones to feel the effects with our dry skin and staticky sweaters – our plants are craving added moisture, too. So short of buying a giant humidifier, try getting a mister. There are so many options on the market that you should be able to find a specific color or style easily.
Popular choices are glass or metal, and they are usually pretty enough to double as décor. Artful misters are perfect if you want to fall within a certain aesthetic; however, these cute misters have a small water reservoir and require refilling more often than a larger spray bottle.
For a more utilitarian version, look for a continuous spray mister bottle. The continuous spray requires less pulling of the trigger: just press down once and you get a ultra-fine continued mist. These misters are usually sold as a hair styling tool, but they double as a useful addition to any plant tool kit. Since they come in larger sizes, you can pick one that holds more water. An added benefit is that these misters are often easier to use for people with minimized hand strength.
Benefits of Misters: If you notice your plants are looking a little droopy or their leaf edges are browning, there’s a decent chance that they need a boost in humidity. Misting your plants is not a complete replacement for ambient high humidity. Some moisture loving plants, like ferns, might do better if moved into a humid bathroom or into a terrarium for the winter. However, misting the leaves and grouping plants closer together can temporarily raise the ambient humidity. The effects don’t last very long, so put on some music and mist your jungle plants a few times a week.
Propagation Stations:
Around this time of year, we are all so busy that we don’t have a ton of time to think about our plants and gardening goals for the upcoming spring. But once the holidays are over, the winter blues start to set in. The ground outside is hard and maybe even frozen, and houseplants are just doing their best to live until spring.
To satisfy those green thumbs searching for something to scratch that garden itch, try a propagation station. A wonderful cure for your inevitable winter garden woes, you can find a variety of shapes and sizes, colors, and styles to fit your style and décor. Small bud vases from the craft store, thrift store or even the dollar store work just as well as the ones sold as “propagation” vessels.
Often, these are designed for water propagation, where the gardener removes a piece from the parent plant and places the cutting, node first, into a vessel holding water. From the node, roots should sprout and then once there are enough, it can be potted back into the original planter to make the plant appear fuller or can be potted into its own pot to make a whole new plant.
If you are feeling handy, you can also purchase test tubes and grab a piece of scrap wood to use as a base. Using a Forstner or spade bit on your drill, drill holes in the wood that are slightly larger than the diameter of your test tubes. Give the piece of wood a good sanding and stain or paint it for your desired look. Both glass and plastic test tubes work for this project.
Small Shovels:
While a mini shovel may seem unnecessary, small shovels (or even vintage spoons from a thrift store) make incredibly useful tools for an indoor gardener. What are you going to do with all those propagations you make this winter? They are too small to pot up into a huge pot, so how about a tiny pot to help it grow? Enter: the tiny shovel.
Potting very small planters and even terrariums with a standard shovel can be very messy. It’s hard to aim the soil in the correct spot and even then, there’s way too much of it when the planter you’re using is only two inches wide. Many of us in the past have ended up stealing a spoon from the kitchen, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a dedicated tool that doesn’t double as next week’s ice cream spoon?
These small shovels come in all shape and sizes and are often sold in a pack. Depending on your interests, check out the options for telescoping shovels. These come in handy when building terrariums that have narrow necks. The extra-long handle allows the user to direct plants and substrates to exactly the correct spot, in a space that normal tools just won’t fit.
Tiny shovels can also be a good tool for adding organic nutrients to already potted plants. In general, during winter, when plants are dormant, it’s important not to over fertilize them. The plant isn’t taking up as many nutrients and therefore adding too much fertilizer can be more harmful to your plant than helpful. However, if it’s been a while since you last fed your plants, consider treating them with a little compost or some worm castings. Instead of unpotting your plants and mixing them into the substrate, use your tiny shovels to top dress your plants. The smaller shovel allows for much more controlled distribution amongst the stems of already planted stems.
Watering Globes or Spikes:
Traveling this time of year is required for many, which means leaving plants behind in a cold, dark house – not ideal.
Help keep your plants watered while you are away with a watering globe or water spike. Again, these come in a variety of decorative options from terracotta to blown glass. Some even work as a spike into which you invert a water-filled recycled wine or water bottle. . The goal of these watering tools is to direct water directly into the root ball of a plant while also having a reservoir that will continue to water the plant for multiple days.
Using watering globes is easy and provides a steady source of moisture for plants. After filling the watering globe, gently push it into the soil near the base of the plant. The soil draws water from the globe or spike through capillary action. As the soil dries, more water is pulled out. The device keep the moisture level of the soil even, without under watering or overwatering your plant.
These tools are great for busy houseplant owners and a great babysitter for those long weekends away. Remember that you should still thoroughly water your plants at proper intervals either through drenching the top until water runs through the drainage holes or by bottom watering. Your plants will prefer a full watering and drying out than a constant trickle of water, but these spikes can save you from coming back home to a house full of dried out plants.
Small Pruners:
Tiny plants call for tiny tools. Herb pruners or a pair of small sewing scissors make a great addition to a gardener’s tool kit. Whether used for pruning away dead growth, propagating from cuttings, or snipping gifts for others, sometimes the average pruners can be too big to get into our small and super compact houseplants. It’s never fun to accidentally cut an unintended part of the plant in the crossfire of routine pruning. Smaller shears make it much easier to do more exacting work. Bonsai gardeners have long used specialized pruning tools, so take a page out of their exacting book and check into some tiny shears.
Having a set of tiny pruners for indoor plants can help minimize the spread of disease and prompt better hygiene for your indoor plant life. Pruners should be kept clean to avoid spreading diseases from plant to plant. With that in mind, having a dedicated pair of pruners for your indoor plants and one for your outdoor plants helps contain any pathogens. To make certain you aren’t accidentally spreading pests or diseases after pruning, wipe down the blades with rubbing alcohol in between cuts. Because some of our houseplants are actually multiple plants potted together to look like one larger plant, wiping your pruners down between each prune seems tedious, but can save your plants from spreading something faster even if it’s planted in the same pot. Likewise, having your tools indoors near your plants makes it much easier to just do the tasks that you otherwise might put off.
Final Thoughts:
Like all hobbies, houseplant care can require some extra gear to make things easier and to keep our plants happy and healthy. Pamper yourself with some of these ideas. Happy New Year and happy planting!
P.S. We’ve rounded out another year of houseplant content here on MGNV. If there are any topics that you would like us to cover, please let us know! We would love to hear from you!