Tricks Of The Trade From A House Plant Addict

I LOVE plants. I like the idea of looking after a living organism with the only maintenance being a bit water every so often. Having a few plants scattered around my bedroom brings the outside in and a sense of calm. I wanted to share a few tricks of the trade on the things I have learnt about house plants.

1. Growing your own; My Grannie once told me that I could grow an avocado plant from a seed. At first I thought ‘mine would one hundred percent not grow’ but behold, I planted one and it grew! All you have to do is wash an avocado seed and stick 4 cocktail sticks into the seed on opposite sides. Fill a jar with water and rest the seed and cocktail sticks over the water so half the seed is submerged. Wait 3-4 weeks and then you should see some roots begin to grow. You can then plant the seed into some soil and there you have it- a growing avocado plant. 
2. House plants are a good alternative to fresh flowers;  I would have fresh flowers in my bedroom all the time if I could- except I can’t because I’m not made of money or any good at flower arranging. House plants are a good alternative to blooms. If you look after them properly they last for YEARS and there is no need to repurchase.
3. Over watering is a killer; Recently I killed a succulent (desert plant) because I over watered it and was gutted. But I have learnt my lesson. Stick to the guidelines given on the pot of the plant you have: it is most probably the best way to keep it alive!

Lucy