Culture
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It feels weird to only have one day to celebrate the Earth. Every day should be Earth Day. As a plant lover, there are so many things I appreciate about nature. The satisfaction when a new leaf unfurls, sharing cuttings with friends, seasonal blooming flowers, farmers markets and locally grown produce — I could go on.
To honor our planet, I try to prioritize sustainable practices as often as possible to reduce my carbon footprint. That’s why I am so enthusiastic about propagating, composting and reusing supplies every chance I am able.
Propagation is the easiest sustainable way to grow your plant collection. There are many different ways to propagate and regrow multiple plants from just one, so you may never need to buy another plant ever again! (Just kidding, go support your local garden centers.)
The good ole chop and prop is one of my favorite propagation methods. Cebu blue pothos, monstera Peru, and philodendron Shangri-La are a few of my favorites to chop and prop in water. These trailing plants have easy-to-spot nodes (where roots can grow) that make it clear where to chop.
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Fertilization is crucial for a thriving plant collection. There are a lot of fertilizer options out there, from synthetic water soluble solutions, to earthworm castings and bat guano. (Who would have guessed that I’d be spending all my money on bat poop?)
What if I told you that fertilizing can be free? I think it’s safe to assume you have some coffee, eggs or bananas somewhere in your kitchen. The vital nutrients in those common household waste products are very beneficial to plants.
There is nitrogen in the coffee grounds, potassium in the banana peels and calcium in the eggshells. And if you use ground coffee, the coffee filter is a good source of carbon too!
Banana Peels
Eggshells
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Coffee Grounds
It can feel like a constant cycle: Your plants keep outgrowing your pots and you constantly need to re-pot them into new ones.
A great hack here is keeping a handful of old nursery pots tucked away for when you need to upgrade plants into a bigger home. Recycling and reusing what you already have is a great alternative to buying new planters, and you can save yourself a little bit of money too.
Also, anything can be a planter if you try hard enough. Go thrifting in your garage for some makeshift planters and you might surprise yourself with what you can find! An old wooden toolbox would make a charming option to plant some succulents in.
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Being a sustainable plant parent doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. By adding these simple hacks to your gardening routine, you can reduce waste and help make the Earth a better place one new cutting at a time. Make haste for zero waste, because Mother Earth deserves it!
Hilton Carter is a plant and interior stylist, artist and author from Baltimore.
Culture
© 2024 The Baltimore Banner. All Rights Reserved.
Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policies.
The Baltimore Banner may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. See our Cookie Policy, RSS Terms of Service, Submissions Policy, Ad Choices, Do Not Sell My Personal Information, and CA Notice at Collection at Privacy Notice.
Click here to view our Terms of Sale.
The Baltimore Banner is a trademark registered in the U.S. for The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Click here to learn more about supporting local journalism.