Earth Day is here, and as a plant parent you may be wondering, “exactly how good are my indoor plants for the environment?” The good news is- while there are pros and cons (as with most other things) indoor plants have a very low impact your carbon footprint!
Still, there ways of making your green hobby even greener! Keep reading for a list of 5 easy ways you can make garden more eco-friendly.
Use Alternatives to Peat Moss
Peat moss is a common ingredient in a lot of different types of potting mixes. This is taken from peat bogs, a type of wetland where dead plant material deposits moss. Here’s the thing – peat bogs only cover about 3% of the earth’s land surface. By continuing to harvest peat from these bogs, the natural resource gets used up. During the harvesting process greenhouse gasses can also be released.
So, instead opt to purchasing potting and soil mixes that are free from peat!
Propagate Wherever Possible
This is definitely a fun one- who doesn’t enjoy propagating their plants and watching new ones grow? Propagating saves you money from to buying a new plant and take out the impact of shipping. These little things count! If you want to try growing a plant different than the ones you have, call up a friend and see if you can swap cuttings!
Reuse Plastic Pots
Every time you buy a new plant, try to use the pot it came in as much as possible! If you purchase a pot, also try to get as much use out of it as you can. Buying lots of pretty, eye-catching pots that later get thrown away can impact the environment more than you might think!
Buy From Local Nurseries
When you are buying new plants, always try to go straight to the source instead of the middleman. Save that trip to Home Depot for that much needed paint job and find a local nursery to buy your plants from! If you aren’t sure where the nursery’s plants are sourced from, you can always ask- a good place will have nothing to hide.
Look For Hardy, Long-Living Plants
We all have experienced that one plant that just loves to cause trouble. No matter what we do or how much we baby that plant, it gives us yellow leaves, catches some sort of disease, or even ends up dying. It isn’t exactly beneficial to the environment to keep throwing out your dying plants and then purchasing new ones. So either commit to taking the best care of it that you can, or opt for fool-proof plants! The Smart Plant & Tree Care app can help you find easy plants, and provide care tips for the ones that need a little extra love. Here’s a hint: two plants that are notoriously difficult to grow are poinsettias and sprayed cacti. Go buy a friendly Monstera or pothos instead!
