None of my thumbs are green, seriously, and I might be the least appropriate person to write a gardening tips post, but one thing I've learned this last few years, is that a green thumb can surely be grown! Plants I was buying used to die after only a pair of weeks and fresh flowers to be everything but fresh in less than two days, but thanks to a few tips I've learned these past few years, I've build quite a nice little indoor amount of greenery lately. I love the look of fresh flowers in clear vases around the house, as well as a touch of green here and there, it really brightens up the rooms and make them look more alive - and it's actually being very easy to take care of them all lately that I feel my green thumb might actually have grown a bit!
I bet I'm not the only one who didn't know where to begin with taking care of a green living being, so, even if I'm no expert at all, it might be useful to some of you to learn about those little tips that improved my plants and flowers life for the better! Now that spring is on its way, from a green thumb dummy to other dummies that want to grow a bit of indoor greenery, here is my fuss-free guide to keep plants alive for more than a pair of weeks!
1 :: Polish and cut your flowers.
This makes a huge difference. When you buy a bunch of fresh flowers, don't simply dust off an old jar and put the flowers in there without ever worrying about it anymore. If you don't want to be bothered with taking care of them, simply don't even buy any! But instead, if you do like the look of fresh flowers on your dining table, take each flower and polish them by removing the leaves that might be broken or dry (which will only steal nourishment from the flowers which are what you *really* want to keep alive) and especially the ones at the bottom. It not only helps with obtaining an aesthetically cleaner and neater result, but will make your flowers last a lot more. Also cut a pair of inches of their stalks away with an oblique cut, and once done, cut the stalk a few inches up vertically. This will maximize the exposure of the stem to water and nourishment for the flower!
2 :: Create a nourishing and disinfectant solution.
While filling your vase with water, try adding a tablespoon of white sugar and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to it. Mix well until both have completely dissolved in the water! The sugar will nourish the flowers and keep them beautiful, whereas the vinegar will make the solution disinfectant!
3 :: Change the water!
The water solution has to be changed every day or every other day! This is the best trick to make your flowers last longer. I used to forget about this, but now that I try and remember it, I was able to see my tulips as beautiful as when I bought them for more than a week!
4 :: Pick cactus and succulents instead!
If you're not the best at taking care of greenery, instead of going for plants that require a lot of cares, try picking cactus and succulents! I love how little succulents look on my desk, they add a little bit of life to it and everything feels much more spring-like, plus cactus and succulents have to be watered only once a week in spring and summer, and only once a few weeks in autumn and winter, which reduces the commitment to the minimum!
5 :: Don't throw away your bulbs!
I've bought a little plant of daffodils last year and I loved seeing the flowers come to life once a week, but it didn't last too long and once the flowering has finished, all the leaves and flowers dried out and everything looked quite dead! But fear not, bulbs can be kept with minimum (if not none) cares until the next year, and they will grow again! So don't throw away your bulbs, you can keep them in their vase and leave them there during summer and winter, and comes springtime, your flowers will bloom all over again - just remove the dead leaves and water once a week if the topsoil is dry in spring!
*
That's it! Those are the little tips that changed my plants and flowers life for good! If you have other beginner tips for me, I'd love to hear about them! x
No comments:
Post a Comment