6:00AM – The sun is up, and there’s coffee to brew. You get up and drag yourself to the kitchen to find your plants by the window sill, waving to the soft breeze as if to greet you a good morning. Immediately, your mood picks up.
4:00PM, Sunday – You just binge-watched this anxiety-inducing TV series on Netflix. Your heart is racing as you put it on pause. At the corner of your living room, you notice your calathea sprouting a new leaf. You let out a breath and allow yourself to be fascinated by life unfolding before your eyes.
11:00PM, Tuesday – It’s been such a toxic day at work. You come home thinking that you just want to collapse in bed. But you see your plants and realize it’s been awhile since you misted them. You go through each of your plant babies, and maybe tell them a bit about that nosy co-worker. “That’s all the therapy I need,” you tell yourself as you prepare for bed. This, among others, is how #PlantParenthood looks like.
Key in “benefits of having plants at home” on Google search and you’ll find a lot. For starters, they help clean the air, keep the environment cool and are beautiful natural home decorations. However, despite the fact that we are now living in the day and age where information is accessible and you can practically learn everything you need to learn online, some people are still intimidated by the thought of becoming Plant Parents.
“I don’t have a green thumb,” said so many times by so many people. We’ve heard countless stories of people getting a succulent as a gift, only for it to die a few months later.
Of course there are several factors involved in ensuring that houseplants thrive, but there is a simple hack to it. You only have to learn two very important things about each plant: their light requirement and their water requirement. Yes, newsflash – not all plants need direct sunlight and not all plants need to be watered every day. In fact, most plants die from overwatering.
If you are planning on being a plant parent, here’s a list of houseplants that would be perfect for you. We have chosen them because of their accessibility in the market, their easy maintenance, and their beautiful foliage.
SANSEVIERIA aka Snake Plant aka Mother-In-Law’s Tongue
This is one of the best entry-level house plants because it checks all the boxes on the criteria for a good house plant. It is widely available—you can see it everywhere—it requires an incredibly low level of attention, and it’s a joy to style your home with. Sansevierias are good roommates too! NASA recommends snake plants in its clean air study because of its capacity to remove toxins from its immediate surroundings. It also gives off oxygen during the night hours, so it’s definitely a good thing to have in your room.
CARE: Super Easy
LIGHT REQUIREMENT: They thrive best in medium light, will grow like crazy in high light and can tolerate low light.
WATER REQUIREMENT: Water only when soil is completely dry as it does not want to be overwatered. Overwatering will cause root rot which is usually the reason why a snake plant will die. Water ever 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the temperature and light it gets. As a general rule, the less light a plant gets, the less frequently you should water it.
POTHOS
Hang them up, put them on a top shelf, or let them sit prettily on your balcony—this beautiful trailing plant brightens up any space immediately. When grown indoors, they can reach about six to ten feet, but in the tropical jungles – they can grow up to 40 feet long! The most common kind of cultivar is the golden pothos which are heart shaped leaves that are green and variegated with golden yellow. The marble queen pothos is a popular cultivar that is highly variegated with leaves that have more cream color than green. These babies are easy to propagate as well, so you can have more of them for yourself or to give away as gifts.
CARE: Easy
LIGHT REQUIREMENT: Shade to partial shade. While it can do well in different light conditions, it will not do well in direct sunlight. Highly variegated pothos may also lose its variegation in low light because it will need chlorophyll to produce food, so it will compensate for the lack of light by turning green.
WATER REQUIREMENT: Let their soil dry out in between waterings. If the first two inches of the soil are already dry, then you can water them. Avoid excessive watering to avoid root rot.
AGLAONEMAS
Every day’s a party with these aglaonemas! They come in different colors and patterns, in fact there’s over 30 varieties! The most common here in the Philippines would be the Snow White, Lipstick and Pink Dalmatians. See? Even their names are a hoot! The Snow White versions have lush white leaves with green specks and outline. The Pink Dalmatian is green with splotches of pink. The lipstick shows off green leaves with a bright red outline and veins, even their stalks are reddish too.
CARE: Easy
LIGHT REQUIREMENT: Bright indirect light, can tolerate low light. Avoid direct sunlight as it will scorch its leaves.
WATER REQUIREMENT: Let their soil dry out in between waterings. If the first two inches of the soil are already dry, then you can water them.
ZZ PLANT
This plant is a household staple. It is known for its thick waxy green leaves and for being super low maintenance. Disregard it for weeks at a time and it will continue to live. In fact, ZZ plants refuse to die. This rhizome plant is a must in your houseplant collection, plus it has a fun botanical name too! Everybody say it three times: ZAMIOCULCAS ZAMIIFOLIA!
CARE: Super Easy
LIGHT REQUIREMENT: Bright, indirect light but can tolerate low light. Keep away from direct sunlight.
WATER REQUIREMENT: Water every two weeks or when the soil is completely dry.
SPIDER PLANT
Spider plants look delicate with their rosette of long thin, arched foliage. But don’t be fooled because these babies can tolerate neglect. Hang them up for everyone to see or keep them on your desk. When they get the right kind of light and humidity, they can produce white flowers on long stems and even baby spider plants which they call “pups.”
CARE: Easy
LIGHT REQUIREMENT: Bright, indirect light but can tolerate low light. Keep away from direct sunlight.
WATER REQUIREMENT: Water every two weeks or when the soil is completely dry.
Where to buy plants in Cebu?
1. SugboPlants.PH (instagram.com/sugboplants.ph)
2. Wednesdays from 4:00 to 8:00 PM across Fooda, road leading to Redemptorist Church
3. Busay (Just drive through Busay and see all the plants being sold on the side of the street)
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