Garnering greenery

It's a glorious week (6 weeks actually) for me. My roommate has skipped away (back home) to Alaska through the middle of August. While I really do appreciate him and enjoy his company, I'm over the moon to have the house to myself for a bit. Being able to grind coffee beans (without going into the garage) and play music in the morning are just two of the things I can savor this summer. But along with the silence I've been left with one (super simple) job: Take care of the plants. Thankfully there are only a couple.

I've never had much of a green thumb. While I enjoy plants and flowers, I never really have them around or pay much attention to them. Honestly, I have had them in the past and found that my home or office is inevitably filled with fruit flies (or whatever those tiny things are) as soon as I get a plant. That alone will always keep them out of my space. Today let's take a look at some of the myths surrounding plants. Perhaps my own article will encourage me to get back in the green game.

Having houseplants will purify your indoor air. This one is simply true, but with a huge caveat on quantity and volume. The studies that were done to come up with this idea were in a controlled laboratory environment. In reality, the smart folks at Drexel University found that you would need 5,000 plants in a 500 square foot apartment in order to realize any impact of their air purification properties. The air would most certainly be pure, but you wouldn't have any place to sleep!

Since I'm on plant duty, I have to water the plants every day. Not so fast, aquaman! It turns out that the majority of plants should be allowed to dry out completely between waterings. Over watering can cause the roots to rot and then the arrival of the dreaded fungus gnats. Yes, I'm typing this as I'm learning about watering plants and realizing I was very likely over-watering my plants in the past. I'm sincerely excited to give this another try.

Along the same lines as the over watering is over spacing. OK, that was a bit of a stretch, I know, but basically I mean you shouldn't rush to put your plants in larger pots as they start to outgrow their existing home. The additional soil in that larger pot holds more dirt, but also holds more water. You simply need to be careful to maintain the correct moisture levels in that larger container otherwise (see the above paragraph).

Besides you inadvertently killing your houseplants, houseplants will inadvertently kill your pets. Well this one is partially true, you just need to do your homework. Most pets just leave plants alone. Your dog may enjoy eating grass while it's outside romping around, but chances are good that they will not touch your indoor greenery. I actually grew Farley (former kitty) some grass specifically for cats. He loved it and it was fun to watch him chomp on it. Just do your homework and make sure you're not bringing anything into the home that'll cause harm. You know. Like you do with every other purchase you make.

Vegetables can only be grown outside. This is simply not true. I saw an article yesterday that showed how you can grow green onions, lettuce and celery from the rooty part we all cut off when we're making salads. We are also growing some basil in the window and started it while there was snow on the ground. "Growing vegetables and herbs indoors is a great way to liven up your kitchen during the colder, winter months," notes Badger Realty agent, Michele Jordan.

Growing stuff is expensive. This can be true depending on how far down this rabbit hole you choose to crawl. Just mentioning to your friends and neighbors that you are starting to cultivate your green thumb will immediately open a faucet of advice and free plants. Not to mention any pots, seeds, or tools they have laying around that they no longer use. The gardening community is a friendly and cooperative one. As soon as you join the club, you'll be amazed at the generosity.

I am loving living alone with my adopted plants. They don't leave dirty dishes in the sink and don't sleep until late morning. On the other hand, they aren't very forthcoming with relationship or business advice. That, I will have to get from my humans. If you're itching to test out the green-ness of your thumb, get started this weekend. See if you can get some freebies from your friends and neighbors and then just head down to your local nursery or greenhouse and see what you can learn from them. It could turn into a lifetime hobby. Happy getting dirty!