Bringing nature indoors

Published On: May 31, 2019 11:00 AM NPT By: Rakshya Khadka


Thinking of adding some plants to your indoor space?  Maya Ghale, from The Plant Shop, tells you all that you need to know. 

Ghale opened The Plant Shop at Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur almost a year ago. As someone who has always loved plants, she considers it a blessing to be surrounded by greenery all throughout her working days. And to see a gradual shift of perspective towards gardening in recent times gives her immense pleasure. There’s a lot, however, that she’d like people to know and understand about plants. Here, with The Week, she talks about her favorite indoor plants and also tells us how we can take care of them.

Snake plants

Snake plants are drought tolerant. They don’t immediately wither away and die if you neglect them for a few days. Snake plants also don’t require a lot of light, so you can place them in areas that don’t get a lot of light. But this is not to say that you can keep these plants in places that are completely dark. All kinds of plants need light to a certain extent – just how much light it needs depends on the plant. Snake plants also gives off oxygen at night – most plants take in oxygen during the night time – so this makes it an ideal plant to have in the bedroom. In addition to that the plant also filters toxins in the air. Water the plant occasionally but for the most part, leave it on its own accord because it thrives in bone dry soil. In winters, take extra care to avoid watering.

Swiss cheese vine 

This plant thrives in areas that often see rainfall. So the best cheese vines in Nepal are in Pokhara and that is where the majority of the plants are brought from. With cheese vine plants you don’t need the mother plant to propagate it. Take the cuttings of the mother plant and root it in water. Change the water every few days and don’t place the plant under direct sunlight. When the roots become visible, plant the cheese vine in a good soil mixture with plenty of perlites. Keep the soil moist at most times. This plant when variegated looks stunning.

Pothos

Pothos is another low maintenance plant. It can survive in different light conditions and it’s really easy to grow. You start with one pothos and in one year’s time it will multiply to ten pothos. One tip for your pothos though would be to keep it away from direct sunlight, the leaves can burn or curl inwards or outwards. The thing with pothos is that it allows you to miss watering two or three times without it reacting to the lack of water. Plus they can be grown both in water and on soil. Another thing to keep in mind is that your pothos needs more watering when placed in a darker setting than it would when placed in a brighter room. Plus they are tropical so they like a little bit of moisture. 

Air plants

Air plants are epiphytes, meaning plants that grow without soil. Air plants attach themselves to rocks, trees, shrubs, or the ground with their roots in their natural habitat, but they aren’t parasitic, meaning they don’t harm the trees or plants they grab on to. Air plants are very trendy these days and although they are still new in Nepal, they’re slowly becoming popular. They are almost impossible to kill so it’s perfect for anyone who thinks they don’t have a green thumb. Provide them good air circulation and mist or soak them in water once every week. You can hang them, mount them, decorate them with shells or put it in a terrarium, the ideas are aplenty. Whatever you choose to do, they will add that extra oomph to your home. 

Spider plants

Because spider plants are so prominent in Nepal, people often take them for granted. Spider plants in particular are neglected but that is mainly because people stick to one kind of spider plants. There are many variations of the plant – there is one that is all green and wonderful to look at. Unlike snake plants, spider plants have thinner foliage (the thicker the foliage the more water retention) but they have bulbs in their roots for water retention so that is where the water is stored. Like snake plants they don’t need watering very often. Provide them with well-drained soil and bright, indirect light and they will flourish. It’s really as simple as that. 

Silver sword

Under bright lights this plant glistens the way silver does, thus the name. During the daytime, this plant is a visual stunner. The plant likes to be on the moist side so water it more often than other indoor plants. Keep it away from direct sunlight but this is not to say that the plant is for the dark corners. Direct sunlight burns the plant. It actually needs lots of light but it needs indirect sunlight, so place it in a well lit room. The soil mixture should be water draining and this particular plant requires plant food (fertilizer) once every two weeks. The plant food, however, should only be given during summers and spring.

False shamrock

This plant is really like a cluster of butterflies and is absolutely stunning. Maya recalls an instance when she threw away a few petals of the flower on her garden and today her garden is full of them. “They grow like weed,” she says. The petals of this plant close during the night and bloom again come morning. One plant is never mono-colored, some petals are darker in shades, some light while some are completely white. They are pretty easy to take care of as they like to be on the moist side. But between watering they like to be dried out a little, not completely bone dry but dry two to three inches into the soil. The stalks are delicate so never be in a hurry with this plant.

Terrariums

Now terrariums are of two kinds, the open kind and the closed kind. Making terrariums in itself is a lot of work. Since the vessels used for terrariums have no drainage holes, it should be laid out in a way that ensures it isn’t flooded with water. The plants need to have air to breathe. It needs activated charcoal to retain the moisture in the soil. The choice of plant is also very important, succulents are mostly favored. Water your terrariums once every week or once in every two weeks and make the soil very moist (but how moist depends on the season). 

Fiddle leaf fig

Perhaps the most famous plant on Pinterest, the fiddle leaf fig is a plant that if you possess you cannot help but show off. Large and with wide foliage, the stem is streamlined and beautiful even when it’s bare. This plant, however, is only for those who are dedicated to invest time on it. Fiddle leaf figs are prone to spider mites and if you get the amount of water a little wrong, you’ll immediately see brown spots develop on the plant. One could call this plant a drama queen but it is one beautiful drama queen. It actually looks like a miniature version of a large tree. Put it under direct light in the morning, but for the rest of the day put it where there’s indirect light. Water the plant whenever the soil is dry to the touch.

Helpful tips from Maya Ghale

Your plants speak to you about their needs. They will tell you when they need watering, or repotting or when they need to be moved from their current location. There isn’t one rule that fits all when it comes to plants. The same plant in two different pots and at two different places requires different amounts of water and plant food. Observe your plant well – this is the basics of plant rearing.

If you’re planning on getting a plant, do some research. Don’t just stop at a nursery on your way to work and buy whatever plant you see first. Know and understand the plant and its needs before making a purchase.

Plants come from the wild and no matter what that is their ideal habitat. See what you can do to replicate these conditions, do whatever can be done. Pothos are found under large trees in the wild so they never get direct sunlight, this is why we never put them under direct sunlight. 

Certain plants need humidity. Spray water on the foliage not the roots. Or take pebbles and water on a tray and place the plant above the tray. The water level should not reach the drainage hole or else the soil will absorb the water. For any plant to thrive, proper lighting, drainage holes, and appropriate soil mix are essential. Air flow and humidity are secondary.

With any new plants you’re trying to propagate, never place them under direct sunlight.
If you notice that your plants need more sunlight, never take them directly from low lit areas to directly under the sun. This will shock the plant. Change positions gradually, from lower lights to medium lights and then finally under bright light. If your plants look like they are turning towards one direction, rotate the plants and keep shifting them regularly.

If you have bad soil at home, use perlites, they’re soil amendments. They help in aeration. But rice hulls are ten times more effective and cheaper to use, also they are sustainable. For succulents use more of rice hulls, for moisture-loving plants use half rice hull, half coco pit. You can always substitute coco pits for equal mixtures of sand and soil. Bear in mind that soil mixture depends on plants. For succulents, heat and drought tolerant plants, prepare a non-water retaining mixture using rice hulls. 


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