buzzfeed Press
Keeping Plants Alive Is Hard, But These 27 Things Will Make It Just A Little Bit Easier
Images
BuzzFeed and our publishing partners may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Read More Alexa, play “Stayin Alive” for my houseplants. I am a contributing writer based in Brooklyn who previously held roles at BuzzFeed including Commerce Writer, Senior Entertainment Partnership Manager (Streaming Lead), and Streaming Editor. Promising review: "Holy cow, these suckers work! I'm so grossed out by the result, but at the same time, I have a sick sense of satisfaction. I used these on my house plants that are breeding fungus gnats like crazy. I used them in conjunction with beneficial nematodes, and they definitely reduced the number of gnats in our house. Unfortunately, I added a new houseplant, plus repotted one that had outgrown its prior home, and we are wrapped up in them again. I'm buying another package of sticky traps as soon as I finish this review!" —Megan Get it from Amazon for $8.97 (for 16 traps; also available as a two-pack). Promising review: "These Mosquito Bits are a total game changer for anyone dealing with fungus gnats on indoor plants! I was battling those annoying little pests flying around my house for months. Nothing seemed to work until I tried this product. Within just a few days, I noticed a dramatic decrease in the fungus gnat population, and by two weeks, they were almost completely gone! The active ingredient (BTI) targets the larvae in the soil without harming my plants. What I love most is how easy and safe it is to use. No harsh chemicals, no complicated application process — just soak, water, and watch the results. My indoor jungle has never been healthier, and I finally have peace of mind knowing the gnats won't be coming back. I've recommended this to all my plant-loving friends, and they've had the same amazing results. If you're struggling with fungus gnats on your indoor plants, stop searching and buy this product NOW. You won't regret it!" —Alan Promising review: "I have used it to remove too much water from the saucer of an overwatered plant. I guess the sky's the limit for that this baster will work for. The brush included makes it easy to clean. The size of the squeeze bulb makes it easy to control how much fluid you are sucking up. It's great, and I will never be without it again." —A. Zambetti Promising review: "Really great guide to houseplants. I am an experienced outdoor vegetable gardener who has never had much success with houseplants. The only one I've ever been able to keep alive is George, my un-killable Aspidistra (Iron Plant). Thanks to this book and the more detailed, but less cute, book Practical Houseplant, I now have a little forest of air-cleaning plants, succulents, retro '70s plants (rubber plant and Swiss cheese plant), and even two indoor banana trees — all healthy and happy." —Jo Get it from Amazon for $17.19 (or $7.99 on Kindle). Promising review: "I am a plant lady and have way too many houseplants, so I have a humidifier in almost every room in my house. I have tried a few different brands over the years, but own three of this specific one because it really is so great!! I appreciate how easy it is to clean, probably above anything else. This really packs the "small but mighty" punch!! The operation is simple — you turn the knob on and then turn it up or down. If you want something with an app and a hygrometer, this is not the one for you. But if you're looking for an effective, quiet, useful humidifier, this one is the one. It is virtually silent as well. When my son was young, we had the Vicks-branded ones for when he was sick, and they were so loud. I will say two things I do that help keep them clean longer: I only use filtered water in the tank. I have a countertop water filtration device I use for our water to drink, and I use that in a tank. I also purchased a pack of little fish here on Amazon that have little beads in them that you keep in the tank — they are cheap." —Gavin's mommy To determine whether you should invest in a humidifier for your plants, you'll first want to identify the humidity levels in your room. Our pick: This intuitive monitor with a 4-inch LCD display is perfect for displaying on a tabletop, mounting on a wall, or against a magnetic surface. Promising review: "We loved the size and the fact that we can see the readings from across the room. It has magnets so it can be mounted on the refrigerator. It also has a backlight for viewing in the dark...brilliant. We monitor humidity in our house and have found this item to be very useful." —C. Hall Promising review: "My monsteras are loving this light, and the timer function is a huge plus. You can also dim the lights if they are too bright, or have only two of the four lights on, if you so choose. Overall, I really like this light set, and the stand is nice too because I don't have to clip the lights onto a surface." —Bri Promising review: "I love this little watering can. It's helping me thrive in my plant lady life. It has the perfect amount of water flow, and the long spout lets you direct it exactly where you want, so no mess and no splashing onto plants that don't like their leaves getting wet. Makes watering so easy. The color is beautiful, so I can leave it on the shelf with my plants and use it as decor. The plastic seems sturdy enough and hasn't scratched or cracked." —Bond You can slide the ropes on the rod to adjust the placement of the hanging planters! Promising review: "For all the plant parents out there, this is a must. It’s a great way to spruce up a window or wall. I have this above my tub, at a window that gets great lighting. I didn’t want to cover it with curtains, so I decided this was a great way to spruce up my master bathroom window. Easy to install. I decided not to shorten any of the ropes, and after installing, I realized they were already of varying lengths. Great purchase!" —sasscee Get it from Amazon for $39.96 (available in two colors). Promising review: "This is such an amazing sturdy shelf that holds all my plants and more! I had to pull all my little plants in for the winter and needed something that the cats can't get to and won't take up a lot of space. This was the perfect hanging shelf I needed. I looked on Amazon and other Etsy sellers for months, and I am so freaking glad that I bought this one! It arrived way earlier than expected, which was super nice. I look forward to having this in front of my window year round." —Karla Nord Get it from JDM Wood Creations on Etsy for $26+ (available in seven colors and 22 sizes). Promising review: "I bought these gloves to help me dust my plants and look at the difference between the before and after picture! These gloves fit well, are extremely soft and comfortable, and do a bang-up job against dust. Highly recommend. I ordered the four-pack of gloves, which comes in a handy resealable storage bag."—Shannon T Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two glove sizes, four colors, and four pack sizes). Promising review: "This pack of cleaning wipes is essentially like baby wipes for plants. There is very little to no smell. There is a little bit of texture to the wipe, which helps to clean water spots and such off of the plant leaves. I had one plant whose leaves were covered in water spots. These wipes took the spots off after going over the leaves a couple of times. Sometimes it is necessary to wipe the leaves, then let them dry. This lets you see if there is anything you need to wipe over again; some spots are harder to remove, so it may take a few swipes before the leaves are completely clean. I have used these several times on a variety of different houseplants. From my experience so far, the wipes are safe and gentle on plants." —wonder_woman1 Promising review: "Have you bought new plants and someone at the nursery or on the internet tells you to water once a week or every two weeks? Well, guess what, your plants don't dry out on a schedule like that all year. It depends on its environment. How much light it's getting, how hot and humid its surroundings are, and what kind of soil and pot it's in. If you're a total newbie or you're just really into plants even after a series of failures like I was, then you need this moisture meter! It will tell you exactly when your plants need water. It'll stop you from killing that seventh string of pearls, whose six predecessors you drowned because you were just born to overwater. It will help you water that fiddle-leaf fig you love even though it's so 2016. (It's OK. I have two.) I have this simple moisture meter and another one that measures light, moisture, and pH. I have two just because I have plants scattered all throughout the house, and I don't wanna walk up and down the steps to get one. They're both useful to have." —MJ Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (also available in a two-pack). Promising review: "I love these crystals. The heat is here and this product keeps my plants in containers from drying out so fast and dying. With these moisture control crystals, I can even leave home for a couple of days with no worry." —Peggy Ryan Promising review: "Excellent pair of snips. Well-engineered design with a removable plastic piece that covers the sharp blades. I think of them as a pared-down version of a full-size pruner. Perfect for getting into hard-to-reach places or for cutting small diameters." —A. Quint Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four colors and multi-packs). Promising review: "This pumice mix has been great for my cacti. The texture and particle size are exactly what I was looking for—nice and chunky, which helps with drainage and keeps the roots from sitting in moisture.Since switching to this mix, I’ve noticed my plants look healthier, and I haven’t had any issues with overwatering. It blends well with other soil components, too, if you like to customize your mix.Overall, a simple but really effective product. If you’re growing cacti or succulents, this is definitely worth picking up." —Ian Get a 2.2-pound bag from Amazon for $9.99. Promising review: "I have been trying to grow hydrangeas for years. I’ve killed every hydrangea I’ve brought home up until now. In fact, these watering globes are the only thing keeping my hydrangeas alive, and they’re flourishing! Also, I killed a fiddle-leaf fig tree, replaced it with a new one, and, again, this system is what’s making it flourish! I just check to make sure the bulbs aren’t empty and refill when needed. I’m using two outside and one indoor. Will definitely be buying more!" —T. Dhont Get a three-pack from Amazon for $19.95. Promising review: "I have houseplants and noticed this year that some of them were weakened and 'dying.' After talking to someone about my houseplant issues, they mentioned a light meter that they use. He suggested my plants were not getting enough light, even though it's very bright in my home. Some of the plants were about 15 feet away, which I thought was still bright enough. I eventually researched more on how much light plants should receive when they are in your house. This light meter works great! All I did was install the batteries that came with it and turn it on. It was already calibrated. I removed the cover and started measuring the light coming in from my windows. I measured the light in the middle of my room, and there is a big difference! I would have never thought it was that big of a difference since my home gets southern exposure, sunshine all day! So, yes, this light meter helps! Now, I will position specific plants in certain spots in my home using this intuitive and easy-to-use light meter!" —Lourdes The sticks feed the plants for up to two months! (During spring and summer, you'll want to replace them every 30 days.) Promising review: "I have several houseplants that had stopped flowering, so I put a few of these spikes in the pot (there are directions on the back of the package for quantity), and approximately a month after using these spikes, my peace lily had three flowers on it, and my African violet plants all got several blooms on them! This worked wonders for my plants that don't flower, also! I noticed that my ivy and cactus plants started growing faster and became greener and healthier-looking. I am very happy with this product, and I will buy it again." —Elizabeth Promising review: "Oh my god, I friggin' love this tool. I bought this on a whim, given that we bought our first house and know nothing about caring for a yard. Boy, has it come in handy. Our new house had a ton of weeds in the front yard, and this tool helped me get most of them out in no time. In fact, the process of yanking out the weed was strangely satisfying! I don't think anyone can say that weeding is fun, but this tool made it as close to fun as you can get, especially when you see a long root along with the weed you pulled." —JG Bek, an editor here at BuzzFeed, uses this spray bottle for her plants. Here's what she had to say: "Most of my houseplants are from more humid regions, and spraying their leaves helps them look lush and perky, even when the heat or AC is blasting. I know it's pretty weird to be passionate about a spray bottle, but I absolutely need to tell you about this mister. Just holding it in my hands makes me happy. The bottle is made of thick, dark brown glass, and the sprayer is made of sturdy plastic. The mist itself is evenly dispersed and covers much of the leaves' surfaces at once. Just a few quick sprays will completely douse my lovely green pals. I wish I could hold a ceremony and present this with the Best-Made Product Ever award. My pilea and peace lily would be in attendance and applauding with their little stems. If you love your plants, spoil them with this fantastic mister." Promising review: "Love this thing! I have been gardening for a while, and this takes all of the guesswork out of spacing. I used this for the first time this Spring using the planting chart/guide, and it has worked out perfectly. I have had little to no weeds (I mean, come on, you're gonna get some weeds). Planting per the Seed Square will, for the most part, choke out weeds while promoting plant growth. I even used this to plant growing plants, and not just seeds. Just put the square on the ground, used the stick to mark the spot, and dug a hole where it was marked. Simple enough. Would highly recommend. Super easy!" —Jennifer Geisel Promising review: "Great value for the $$ and attractive! Looks great on my back porch area, and a nice place to store all my planting supplies. The metal countertop is a nice touch, as it’s easy to wipe down and gives it a bit of a rustic look. I would highly recommend and buy it again!" —Staci Evans Get it from Amazon for $99.99+ (available in three wood finishes). Promising review: "Three generations of gardeners and indoor plants family, and this is a high-quality product. My plants simply thrive and outgrow those in the past. My plants are healthier than ever. I use plant food sticks throughout the year and use Amber every 3–4 months. I recommend it especially for young and tired plants." —Anna Promising review: "I've been using this to train my vines along their supports. The good thing is that it can be easily reused as the vines grow. The color helps it blend in with my plants. Unlike twine or burlap strings, this flexible material does not restrict the plant's growth!" —Mehendi Das Get it from Amazon for $12.11+ (available in three sizes). Promising review: "I now have two of these plant stands. Great size to move around the house for seasonal sunshine. My African violets are staged beautifully on the round white trays." —Beverly Promising review: "The depth of the planter is excellent for annuals. There’s plenty of room for roots to grow and spread throughout the summer season without feeling cramped. The self-watering feature truly works and helps tremendously during warmer weather when pots tend to dry out quickly. During especially hot or dry stretches, they’re still easy to water manually if needed." —KBM Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in five colors). * Here Are 26 Clever Ways To Address All The Outdoor Eyesores You’re Sick Of Gawking At * Outdoor Upgrades That Say I Do, In Fact, Know How To Have A Good Time * Under-$50 Things That’ll Get You More Excited About Spending Time In Your Backyard * Backyard Upgrades Designed To Make Your Outdoor Space Feel Like A Destination * Outdoor Items That’ll Turn Your Space Into A Haven, No Matter The Size Plus, finds from Article, Home Depot, Walmart and Wayfair. BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way. Reviews for this post have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Comments
You must be logged in to comment.