10 Things to Improve Your Planty Life

Posted by Jessie Jacobson on Feb 11th 2022

  1. Call yourself a plant parent and mean it. Plants may or may not be more difficult to keep alive than children. If you have plants in the house and they are alive, you are their parent.

  2. Play with poo or better yet worm castings. Worm waste contains over 60 micronutrients and trace minerals and acts as a buffer when pH levels are too high or low. Humus in castings extracts toxins and harmful fungi and bacteria from soil. A great top dressing to fertilize indoor plants with or an additive to your everyday soil mix. We love Espoma’s Organic Earthworm Castings.

  3. Make nice with Mycorrhizae. Naturally occurring and often added to organic fertilizers and potting mixes, these Mycorrhizal fungi have finger-like projections called hyphae that wrap around the root hairs of plants. In essence they increase the surface area of the roots allowing them to take up water and nutrients more efficiently.

  4. N-P-oKay. Know your nutrients. (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K) are the three major nutrients needed for plant growth. Fertilize during active growth. Spring forward on fertilizer as the days get longer and fall back to half strength as the days get darker. We recommend Schultz’s All Purpose Liquid Plant Foodfor most indoor plants.

  5. Cuddle up with Care Cards. Did you know Tonkadale created a care card for nearly any plant you pick out, even for the ones you didn’t? Stop by our card catalog on your way to check-out and grab one or a few. If you forget or just don’t like paper, check out all our care cards on our website.

  6. Believe in the benefits. Plants increase the good – concentration, creativity, healing, and mood while also decreasing the bad – stress, anxiety, illness, and fatigue.

  7. Be in sync with photosynthesis. Plants eat light, or rather use light’s energy to convert C02 and H20 into sugars. Know your light. More light equals more food. Too much light will cause leaf burn and bleaching, too little will cause the plant to stretch and be depleted of energy. It’s very difficult to give a plant too much light indoors. Afterall, the best plant parents have the biggest windows!

  8. Fancy the fandom. People who love plants have a strong belief that they are truly a part of something that’s bigger than themselves. Welcome, and accept the members of your planty community with open arms.

  9. Get down with drainage. Plants should always be watered thoroughly, until the soil is hydrated, and water runs through the drain hole at the bottom of the pot. It’s best to water smaller plants in the sink and let them drain. For larger plants, let excess water drain into a saucer and dump the excess.

  10. Love it up with Loyalty Points. Earn 1 point for every dollar spent at Tonkadale. When you accumulate 200 points, there is a $20.00 credit waiting for you. Plant shopping has never been better!
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