Watch this before you buy your next houseplant 🌱

[@audreytissot1807]

Hi! A little trick for my fellow plant-killers - but none the less - plant-lovers! After killing some *theoritically* sturdy indoor plants that I found in gardening shops, I decided to ask to my grandma for sprouts of her spider plant. The original thing belonged to her mother in law, so it must have been around for 60 or 70 years. And believe it or not, this plant survived and even thrieved with me (even if I have leaved it without watering for holidays several times...). I took confidence because of that and buyed new shop plants: they died again! I picked up sprouts of African violet to my grandma: they lived! So, apparently, either I have the power to kill only shopped plants, or (and this is my hypothesis) sprouts and cuts from old plants that grew close to your place are way more robust and fit that what you can find in shops! *Save money, save the planet and meet your local plant lovers: ask grannies about their plants!* Now, I go back to my next goal: ask my grannie for a piece of her antique begonia! 😊

[@helenm1085]

I think you're totally right about picking plants that locals are growing successfully without much fuss. It's probably that they're suited to the climate! If they grow well at your grannies, they'll grow well in similar conditions at your place - things like temperature fluctuations, lighting, and humidity make a big difference to the wellbeing of a plant! I kept trying to grow peace lilies since they're supposed to be so easy, but where I live is quite dry, and the temperature fluctuates wildly. The peace lilies look happy for about a year or two, then the old leaves die off to make way for new ones )which are about a quarter of the size - it goes into self preservation mode)

[@MeldaRavaniel]

I have an underwatering problem, so I now have a rule that if a plant can't handle a once-a-week watering schedule, they can't stay in my house. I stopped trying to grow ferns, especially. Another reason to avoid shop plants is sometimes they're infected with diseases or pests like thrips which, once a plant has them, are nearly impossible to get rid of and 100% will infect your other plants. I finally got rid of my infestation but many plants had to be sacrificed to do it. (philodendrons and scheflera, especially) because they had growing patterns that made for sneaky pockets for new thrip babies to hide and grow in.

[@barbeb]

A lot of it is to do with what leena is saying: they're grown in a completely different climate. Taking your nannas plants and growing those means those plants are used to living in a similar climate, rather than buying it from a shop where it germinated and grew in probably another country. A lot of veggie growers will save seeds because you're slowly adjusting the DNA of the plants to be more suited to that climate

[@craftyluna6381]

The thing about being a selfish environmentalist reminded me of a quote from Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett. It's about a young woman named Tiffany, whose grandmother was a shepherd, and she is learning how to be a witch. In this scene she is battling the Queen of the Elves, who wants to take over our world. “All witches are selfish, the Queen had said. But Tiffany’s Third Thoughts said: Then turn selfishness into a weapon! Make all things yours! Make other lives and dreams and hopes yours! Protect them! Save them! Bring them into the sheepfold! Walk the gale for them! Keep away the wolf! My dreams! My brother! My family! My land! My world! How dare you try to take these things, because they are mine!

[@sleepingroses761]

Yay! I love Terry Pratchett's discworld. ❤

[@annalisalundberg4561]

GNU sir Terry 💚 and great quote for this topic! This is _our_ world, we must care for it!!!

[@anabluu]

What I love about watching you, is that every time I think "golly, she has a lot of thoughts!" And then I start having similar thoughts (although not nearly as well articulated) and I become a better thinker , writer and well rounded person :)

[@justsomebody7702]

Yes exactly this!!

[@BeccaTheFlamingo]

Agree!

[@Strawlighte]

“I refuse to miserable, i choose to be curious “ loooove this mind set leena!! Ty for this video!!

[@helenm1085]

Dont dismiss the power of the placebo! Placebos are valid!! Placebos work!! Your mental health is in your brain, you are in your brain, if you can "trick" your brain into being happier around plants (although I do think there are so many benefits to owning and caring for plants) then go for it!! Its literally so good for you to believe in otherwise harmless things that improve your mood and resilience. Just source your plants responsibly, and plant natives!

[@desertels5119]

MedlifeCrisis (an NHS heart surgeon) has a brilliant video on the power of placebos!

[@maevemcintyre6817]

after living in the middle of a peat bog that has been STRIPPED for manyyyy years and now the government is backtracking and pretending it's all good now when it's not - THANK YOU for talking about how bad peat harvesting is

[@tierneyspence9647]

My friend has a houseplant she’s been growing for years and it’s huge now, every time someone moves house she gives them a cutting from ‘Winston’ as a housewarming gift, it’s such a lovely idea. I’ve also recently become obsessed with just planting seeds from grocery-store fruit and veg that I was buying anyway, not necessarily to grow my own fruit and veg (as apparently that can go a bit awry as most grocery store fruit and veg are hybrids that won’t produce true-to-seed crops, although I’ve also seen a lot of people do it and succeed and say they taste fine) but it’s just a fun cheap way to get more plants to look after and to have fun experimenting with growing things from seeds!

[@soniashapiro4827]

The After-Dinner Gardening Book by RICHARD LANGER

[@nicola.p]

I did this with apple pips as a kid. Fast forward 20yrs later we finally got an apple (the tree was eventually planted in my parents garden) the apple was very similar to a golden delicous, but it had come from a gala. It was one perfect, tasty apple. And in 34yrs that is the only apple we have ever gotten from it 😂 But the tree still looks good as just a tree.

[@ragdollrose2687]

My biggest, healthiest plant is basically just the pit from a mango I've eaten. And I live in freaking Canada! I'm mindblown that I managed, with minimal effort, to grow a mango tree in my apartment! I also have two small lemon trees from seeds of store bought lemons. I love it! It was about to be trash and now it's alive again 😊 Incredible!

[@juliaw9835]

The point about humans yearning to be in nature is a truth I keep re-learning every bloody time I'm in nature. Much like going to sleep before midnight, it always catches me off guard how good it makes me feel.

[@MeldaRavaniel]

Me, reading this at 01:11: 😒 😅

[@sky10081]

Yes! 🙏 Same thing with being off my phone, * ironically typing this on my phone right now* 😅

[@annaanna6411]

I'd argue that my plants inside don't really fullfill the same need as outside nature. They are more an extension of making my home a place where I feel happier and calmer (like furniture or art) and they are something I can take care of even when I'm not doing so well (it helps similarly to how taking care of a doll is beneficial to dementia patients). That doesn't negate the fact that I still need and want nature outside. It also doesn't take away from my ability to protect nature outside. In fact, my plants have been a huge part of getting myself to a better mental health state. During my depression I can't do fuck all for the world - when I'm doing better, thanks in part to my plants, I can! Also there are many many people who can't go putside much for disability reasons...bringing nature inside and having something you're responsible and able to care for makes a HUGE difference for us. And there is no placebo effect when it comes to our own emotions. But yes! Buy peat free soil! Reuse containers whenever possible and give a middle finger to capitalism by providing your city with free plants by propagating. Coincidentially that's also something that brings quite a bit of happiness! 😊

[@helenm1085]

I relate to this so much! When I was extremely depressed and struggling with undiagnosed health problems, having potted plants to care for was the one thing that made me go outside, and having plants to look after felt so important - just giving myself a task to do that wasn't hard but was engaging and tactile and ever changing... Wonderful! It also gave me confidence to get into the garden more later

[@annaanna6411]

@@helenm1085 That's great! I'm so happy plants could help you manage! I'm sure there are quite a few people out there besides us, who've had similar experiences. 🤗

[@SamarkandChan]

The stat about uk toddlers is unbelievable to me as someone who lives in norway. The right to roam is a very strong core value here and as far as I know toddlers here spent most of the day outdoors as part of their day in kindergarten (in addition to with their family). We even have them sleep outside year round in their prams. It's so sad that so much of the land is privately owned and can't be accessed in the UK, it should never have been allowed.

[@sarahwatts7152]

I'm determined to make my geranium immortal; I moved it across country, it makes me think about my grandmother, and I've realized how laughably easy it is to make cuttings of it

[@ragdollrose2687]

The one we have at work is the most mistreated plant ever, yet it's getting bigger every week! That gal had like three generations of offsprings from cuttings, yet she's still enormous for how little soil she has. I believe she's stronger than me 😂

[@MargaretMaenad]

Heck yeah plant swaps and propagation rule!

[@MeldaRavaniel]

I may or may not have propagated a good chunk of my plants from leaves I nip off grocery store plants... 😅 The rest are inherited from friends. I have a Hoya that was a co-worker's dead mother's plant, so it's reasonably old and well established.

[@Ojasoomaa]

I actually do try and save the plants that are dying in the stores and just yesterday there were 4 plants in the rubbish bin I treated and repotted. It is so strange to me plants are being treated like objects to throw out when they just need some extra light or pruning.

[@LisaMo3434]

Something I've been doing for the last year: trying to grow an avocado tree with every pit I get after eating one. They take time to grow, but they make for decent house plants and everyone I've given one as a gift has seemed to really like them!

[@rochelle2758]

I am indeed entering my crazy plant lady era...but that also means letting a chunk of my lawn (which I mow to keep the neighbors from getting mad but never water or otherwise assist) go fully feral every summer. It started accidentally last year but so much cheery yellow hawkbit came up, and the little teeny bees were so busy and happy in it, that I couldn't bear to deprive them. And now, it's just how my side yard rolls.

[@loissage3630]

Thank you, you just made me feel okay about letting my acreage be reclaimed by nature.❤

[@oksanakaido8437]

Our lawn went feral this year and it was the best it's looked in years, overgrown with black-eyed susans and white umbrellas of wildflowers. Unfortunately, the house is being sold this year and the real estate agent said the flowers have to go, so the lawn got mowed and torn up just today😢 now it's going to be an ugly, wasteful Standard American Lawn...ugh. I'm not even angry, just dejected at these stupid societal standards (and also exhausted from trying to find an apartment, since I have to move out, everything is damn expensive, and all the places I've contacted keep turning out to be scams 😵)

[@rochelle2758]

@@oksanakaido8437Best of luck with the move!

[@elskersten-vandijk7227]

Just some thoughts on the "plants are healthy" question from a former uni teacher & researcher: one of my colleagues did research on "faking" the positive influence of greenery in places where actual greenery is impractical (eg medical settings) - from what I remember the research does show that looking at greenery (even pictures of greenery) does boost mood and is relaxing. As for self-report, just putting it out there that not all self-report is inherently flawed: there is a difference between self-report of, for instance, mood ("I feel X"), which is really the only viable and logical way to measure subjective experiences, and self-report of an actual causal relationship ("plants make me happy"), which is much more dubious. It's perfectly reasonable to ask people about the stuff they're experts on: their own experience. It's not useful to ask them about stuff they're not experts on: cause & effect. The fact that humans are bad at reliably observing cause & effect* is why we have science. *Recommended reading: Thinking, Fast and Slow

[@annaanna6411]

This! I kept thinking that the placebo effect is probably not applicable to the matter of whether or not my plants make ME FEEL HAPPIER? I doubt, that there is a more objective way to measure my happiness than to ask me. That train of logic seems quite flawed.

[@abbyburns3127]

Love this comment! I was a health communication researcher in a former life and almost the entire field of communication (and some psychology) is based on self reporting! We know it is imperfect and try to control for it as much as we can, but it can also be the only way to gather data. Just because it’s an imperfect measure doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable.

[@helenm1085]

​@@annaanna6411yeah, also positive placebos work and are good for you! If someone tells you that you'll feel better and then you do, that's a win!

[@bioluminescentlyunfolding5716]

This - especially because in health and disability research contexts it's actually been a really important piece of progress to increasingly normalise asking people about their in-hospital and other institutional experiences, rather than relying entirely on secondhand reports from clinical staff or carers. I say this as someone who does a lot of lived experience work. So I think the concern about hospital patients starting from a lower baseline of happiness (and of outdoor environment access) is more relevant than that about it being their self-reports. Though, having said that... an office worker who lives on the 14th floor and often has to commute before the sun rises/after it sets to a miserable industrial estate or windowless call centre might actually be having a roughly comparable experience of nature to many hospital patients: yes, they are more likely to be healthy and they have their freedom of movement, but they're surrounded by an artificial urban environment and spend most of their lives indoors with limited autonomy. So without understating how nightmarish hospital admission (especially long ones, as I can attest) can be, I feel like they might actually be pretty useful comparators when looking at the wider mood benefits of indoor plants...

[@sophiaazevedo4013]

I recently did a little bit of rearranging in my apartment. Previously most of our house plants were on a shelf that you only saw when walking by. Now they’re under our front window where they get direct sunlight and we can see them from the couch. Being able to see them often and especially in the sun has made their positive impact in our home so much greater. So in conclusion based on this, it’s not just about having the house plants. They have to be in a good spot where you see them regularly in order for them to really have an impact on your mental health. Obviously, actually going outside would be a lot better but my apartment complex doesn’t have anywhere nice to hang out outside. You can sit in the parking lot next to the dumpster if you want :(

[@ChristopherDraws]

I actually am a person who will buy a plant because I feel an urge to save it from death 😅. I have quite a lot of plants (both indoors, and outside on a small balcony), and very few of them have I purchased - nearly everything I have was received as a gift, "donated" by people who couldn't look after the plant, or propagated from friends's plants. But there have been some rare occasions when a dejected plant in Tesco has triggered a peculiar instinct in me that I can't face seeing all that potential for life go to waste. Re. your point about houseplants not being where they would naturally grow... There are very few native UK or temperate plants that would successfully grow as indoor houseplants in the UK: our homes are too dark and generally too evenly warm for plants that have evolved for temperate climates to thrive. That's why many UK houseplants are subtropical/tropical plants that would usually be found in forests, where their access to light would be tempered by the tree canopy above them. I agree with you that the industrial systems that make plants like moth orchids so plentiful and cheap take far more resources than it's worth (especially as many people treat these like cut flowers and chuck them when the flowers drop), however for people who are sensible enough to properly care for their houseplants 👀 I think they represent a combination of pet and artwork, both of which can be produced by highly questionable and environmentally-damaging industries.

[@rochelle2758]

I try really hard not to buy plants, but I do have that same dejected-plant-at-Tesco instinct, and one or two now-happy succulents to prove it...and I love your thoughts about pets/artwork. Caring for living things really does matter to the quality of my life, and they are also so beautiful in their own right. Cuttings and dumpster rescues for the win.

[@ErinCrook]

I was surprised when I learned not everyone feels sad and a bit guilty when they can't give ALL the plants at the store a new and loving home right this moment and has to murmur "I'm so sorry guys" as they pass them by

[@oksanakaido8437]

​@@rochelle2758I've rescued plants that got thrown out by neighbors too! I'm always stunned at how some people don't even seem to consider that these are living beings, not just decorations that outlive their usefulness after the flowers drop.

[@desertels5119]

​@oksanakaido8437 I'm like how aren't you excited to see when the flowers come back😊

[@ellielondon591]

Clicking on this video, surrounded by my 50+ plants, shivering a little bit… and finishing by absolutely agreeing to what you’re saying 🪴

[@emmat625]

A lot of what you were saying here about selfishness and the planet reminded me of this one quote by the great Sir Terry Pratchett: "All witches are selfish, the Queen had said. But Tiffany's Third Thoughts said: Then turn selfishness into a weapon! Make all things yours! Make other lives and dreams and hopes yours! Protect them! Save them! Walk the gale for them! Keep away the wolf! My dreams! My brother! My family! My land! My world! How dare you try to take these things because they are mine!" (The Wee Free Men, Chapter 13). Idk, it's one I think about a lot in regards to social justice and the planet and activism in general. Great video, as usual!

[@rochelle2758]

Crivens! Thanks so much for posting this fantastic quote; I feel the same way!

[@everythingbylau]

omg I kept thinking “where have I seen that spotted pot before?” and then I realised it looks like one of Hannah Witton’s dresses 😂

[@elzbethmrgn]

😂

[@LittleMissTotoro]

I keep ALL the plastic pots from the plants I kill. Because I propagate and replant 😊 So I need them in different sizes

[@erint5373]

I am a bit of a plantaholic- in the pandemic I started learning about orchids and it has really become a tangible part of my life. For me, learning about nature, and the history of the natural world and humans impact on it has become SO much more personal as I learn about each individual plant in my care. Learning their rhythms, how they communicate has been more informative on a practical level than any book or fact about climate change ever could. I would love a garden, but can't afford one. To me, taking care of plants is a skill (like sewing). I could learn a lot about the fashion industry but I would never understand the tangible practicality of these things unless I new how to sew. There are no bees visiting my window pots this year, and I miss them every day 🐝🐞🪲🐛❤

[@audreytissot1807]

This year seems to be very peculiar concerning insects: in my parents garden I saw bees, but less that usual and only the domestic ones, not the wild ones, and all the bumblebees disapeared. 😔 Even if my parents didn't used any chemical! I miss those little fellows too!

[@mw6300]

It's new thoughts Monday, time to think about this one forever

[@sierrasukalski2133]

Look, I'm not a fan of house plant upkeep, and house plants make me happy, until they start to struggle, constrained to pots without enough food, or light, or connectivity with other plants, at which point they make me sad, but there are a few things I need to say. I'll start by saying that where I live, there is now a whole fire season. My house used to not be insulated, except for a couple of walls, we didn't have air conditioning, and the smoke would pour in, making it hard to breathe for days. The first thing I got my parents to try was to get some houseplants. The air quality in the house got noticeably better. I feel like they saved my life. An air purifier helped a bit more, and then we did get the house remodeled with insulation and an air conditioning system. At which point, perhaps the house plants became excess to strict requirement. But the answer is an unequivocal yes to if plants improve air quality if the issue is related to carbon in the air. Secondly, if you're looking for science proving things about plants lives and uses, you've unintentionally stepped into a quagmire, a highly political one at that. Living systems are complex, and if you want a pure science approach, your best bet is studies conducted in space, with a few stand out exceptions. Beyond that, there is nothing more political than land use, and the very approach on living sciences, to how scientists are funded in this area, to what counts as peer review, is so incredibly siloed to suit the needs, and desires, of racist Capitalism, that I'm afraid the sensible thing to do if you really want to know anything, is to quit that game board, and take a hard turn into Permaculture, and talking with people who actually work with the land respectfully, and take their snippets of lore, like the holy map of the night sky. I've been on that journey for over a decade, on and off. Listen to the herbalists, and the people who talk in history, and anecdotes. Put yourself in a position between the uncertainty of rumor, and the forager's mandate, to know absolutely everything, before you try. There is a deliberate effort to erase common sense, and common knowledge, in which the means for stability is passed down. This is never more apparent than in the alienation between plants, and animals, especially if the animal is human, and in the certainty that is allowed to exist in that space. Michael Pollan has great books, to which I'd add Lies My Teacher Told Me, and then all sorts of heritage and historical crafts, and cooking, for the stories that begin to tell this larger story, to start. The carbon-oxygen (-water) cycle is not in debate. That said, I spotted a few assumptions you made, that could use more context. Did you know, for example, that plants actually make water in their roots at night? This is why, you can take a piece of desert, add plants, and water for a few years, shepherding them along, and then if you've planted the right stuff for a dense, cool habitat, and done quite a bit of succession, you don't have to keep adding water. Also, I don't think you really understand how many years it takes most things to grow that are perennial. The times you gave are average, and not unusual. Plants are living beings, and not particularly suited to boom and bust trend cycles. These become important facts when you start talking about the kind of nurseries you get plants from, and a person's approach to an indoor plant. The reason why the house plants you're pointing out are not a terribly good solution, is that they are the most Capitalist solution. Local, and especially native nurseries, and local plant swaps usually produce better results, but this is complicated by the fact that most people have no clue about plants, and plant what other people say they should. Around where I live, this has resulted in a disgusting epidemic of privet, lawns, hydrangeas, and ivy (that last is parasitic, and you don't want to know the trash that hides under it). Planting carefully chosen heritage seeds you ordered (preserving genetic diversity), takes learning more than you think. As does learning to plant, when to plant, and how to make cuttings, and grafts. (Actually taking care of plants gets a blue collar profession title, while scientists take white collar titles... Arborist, or Nursery specialist, or Landscaper versus Biologist, etc...) Pruning, is another big surprise. And perennials tend to grow so much better when you start with succession planting, the weedy pioneers, space, and so much time, you don't want to think about it. Add it all up, and growing a fruit tree starts to look like a minimal investment. On the other side of things, you could plant fast growing plants fairly optimized for human spaces, especially when you realize that quite a few plants that live where you live in the North need the cold temperatures to do well, and won't thrive in your home. These aren't perennials, and they take more keeping up with lifecycle-wise. What are they? Usually, food plants, usually in the form of ground cover. This puts you in urban gardening spaces, and hydroponics, and window greenhouse territory pretty quickly. It takes a lot to foster plants, especially in an ethical way, but I think the notion that it should be low resource, and easy, is one of the most toxic bits of messaging screwing up all our efforts at saving ourselves from climate disaster today. That's not hyperbole, AT ALL. Somehow the Capitalists have gotten us to tell ourselves that when it comes to plants, we need to apply a miserly eye to scarce resources, when actually, we need to put tremendous, sustained, and communal efforts towards growing the biggest, most diverse gardens everywhere we can, now, so they can become stable forests with vibrant, often edible edges later, that will sustain us, and life on this planet (with the minimal effort a person is designed to put in, and we would have had, if we hadn't had Capitalists (racists, slavers, theives) annihilating the indigenous people of the world and raping the land). And it all starts, with a person bringing plants, just for themselves, back into their lives, and becoming attached, and grieving the losses, and getting frustrated, then exploring, and educating themselves, and doing it better. It starts with wanting to keep the darn plant alive, or the shameful next one after that. Plants are the symbiotic life form with us, and because they are passive, we have gotten used to getting our way, self rationalizing that they aren't worth our time, or effort, when they are just as worth those things as we are. Our dependence on them, fighting with our frustration, and what they need, tells us that their needs are not dispensible, if we want to live. Things just play out in silence, on a longer scale.

[@ellienelson11]

I really recommend getting involved in projects that are trying to reintroduce native woodlands back to the UK. The Conservation Volunteers for example. Spending the day outside planting or maintaining young trees will not only fulfil your desire to grow and nature something, but also is a great way to spend a day outdoors!

[@LittleMissTotoro]

many libraries do a lot of plant work. Like you can get seeds and propagated plants!

[@JoyandSerenity.]

The whole plastic plant pot thing gets worse though.. Imagine the amount of annual border plants (and therefore new pots) people buy every single fudging year because they couldn't be arsed to look after the last set properly and now need a new pop of colour. Border plants are a billion dollar industry. Permaculture is the hill I will die on and then be buried under, buy an apple tree, grow a strawberry plant or two, they will live for years, strawberries self replicate and multiply every year, you can buy the root stocks in bags rather than pots too :)

[@exhaustedeloise]

i have definitely seen a plant in a supermarket and thought ‘oh baby you’ll die here you’re coming with me’ before😭

[@Micahlee_19]

I have a collection of plants that I love dearly. One of them has been in my family for over 15 years! His name is Larry and he's been propagated and given to many friends for housewarmings over the year. I'm also very fortunate to have inherited an gorgeous Monstera and a couple little spider babies saved off the side of the road. The rest have come from a local plant shop that also makes their own ceramics. Im in an apartment without a balcony. I would love to have a garden someday. Ann Helen Peterson's Garden Study newsletters is one of my favorite inspiration places

[@DancingWithDiscomfort]

The way you learn and share uncomfortable facts and then find ways to grow from and be inspired by them is so cool. You have such lovely perspectives!

[@yellowzora]

I've so far killed the few house plants I actually tried to have - all but an aloe vera that got lost during a move. Since moving to outside planting, I've had more luck. Not with plants that I've bought from the shops, but with ones that I've seeded myself. 3 tomato plants this year (they're carrying fruit! I'm eating homegrown tomatoes and it feels incredible!!!), I also got a cherry tree, a hazel that I dug out of the front garden (and I thought I had killed it but it came back), two beeches, both surprises, and 2 blueberry plants that I did buy, and I still eat the blueberries off them. Some more misc plants where I'm not 100% sure what they are, but in the pot they go and they're doing well enough. I want to properly sort out my front garden next year, do away with the lawn and put a variety of more native plants there, and thinking about taking cuttings now to plant them soon, to start strongly in the Spring. Lots to think about. Sorry it was about houseplants and I got carried away, but now that I'm not killing all of my plants anymore I'm actually genuinely excited xD

[@hepcatliz]

I dunno, I have a lot of plants. I live in a place that gets almost 330 days of sunshine a year, so I've found a few species that work well enough in my sunny dry apartment. Currently about 60% of the pots are all self-propogated, and more are on the way. I think they're cool, and I think its cool that I was able to grow them myself. They also bring some joy to the people who see them -- visitors and zoom calls alike have mentioned them. But I did go through my period of finding out what works best, and there was my share of plastic waste added to the pile. I try to keep new plants to the ones I KNOW will thrive, but my thumb's khaki at best so that's gonna be a crapshoot and try to buy local as possible. great video, great discussion 😅❤

[@victoriajankowski1197]

If you really want plants but have a hard time keeping them alive maybe try some annuals, The grow fast, you know they will die at the end of season so if you loose them a bit earlier its less heartbreaking (though some thing we think of as annuals are just biannual or perennials out of zone, kept a tomato going 3 years once) and you can reuse the pot and soil a good long time with some care. A bean, pea, or small squash can be a stunning show piece, and seeds are much easier to transport, and can often be acquired from local producers, there are some stunning pansy type flowers in every size from micro to giant. Also 'hatching' seeds (my daughters term) is great fun, and most packs have hundreds of seeds, so try, try again until you get good at it!

[@ninblau2095]

being anticapitalist is exhausting

[@david.grever]

ugh so true

[@Shadestorm12]

I've recently gotten into houseplants (after being very bad at taking care of them most of my life), and I live in succulent territory (California) so I've been delighted with how easy it is to take care of them here. Recently, someone in my neighborhood left out free succulent cuttings for people to take (presumably from trimming the succulents on their lawn), so I got a free plant that's native to where I live and I planted it in a plastic water bottle that I was going to recycle anyway, so that was nice. But my newest plant is a calathea, which is native to tropical rainforests, and it's been a struggle to give it as much humidity as it needs since I live in a dry climate. People call this houseplant finicky but honestly, that's only because it's being grown outside of its native habitat, and a succulent would be just as finicky in a rainforest. Maybe I should stick to growing native plants. Interesting thoughts about expanding selfishness outside of our personal possessions, I never thought about it that way! And I had no idea that peat wasn't eco-friendly, I'll have to look into that

[@KingaZajacNNR]

I think there's also the issue of the plants being maybe treated with chemicals/nutrients at the shops, so they do great there, but then you buy it and it doesn't do good at your place - especially if you're in a flat and not a house.

[@helenm1085]

I don't think the issue is totally to do with plant nutrition, but I think a lot of houseplants would be grown in an optimal climate in a greenhouse, then taken home to a completely different climate, where they struggle! And sometimes it doesn't even show until years down the track when a plant has completely lost all of the original leaves and grown newer, much smaller, stressed ones, if it even makes it that far

[@KingaZajacNNR]

@@helenm1085 yes! That's what I was thinking, thank you :)

[@amberswann5848]

There’s a seed swap box on a bench in my village. It gives me hope for humanity.

[@Panarchy.]

my favourite house plant I have was an old sweet potato I forgot to cook and eat. it started growing, and I looked up how to propagate, got a bit to root and shoved it in a pot. it does seem to want watering almost every day though instead of growing exotic plants, I like to just fill my windowsills with plants I’m growing from seed (got some nice coleus on the go)

[@SuustHlcs]

Hi great video, very good conversation starter. I am from The Netherlands, grew up in the region where a lot of flowers and plants are grown in nurseries. I have quite some experience working on a (cut)flower nursery. The biggest flower auction of Europe is in my town, and in my opinion there is absolutely no reason to romanticize that place, one big logistic park. It is all factory-like. And there is also the labour aspect to growing plants and flowers, it is hard work mostly being done by local teens and labourmigrants for the lowest wage possible. All the social and environmental costs are hidden behind this "green" and colourful image... With cut flowers especially you buy dead organic waste. Wondering how that became such a normalized, loving, happy gesture...

[@ramihr2175]

In Germany, there is a late night show called ZDF Magazin Royale which did a whole show about the topic of houseplants and the plants you can get in Germany are apparently grown oversees and they only appear to be coming from the Netherlands, because that's where they got a new pot or something like that.

[@tenielleclinch2859]

❤️ I love this video so much! Alternative options for any Aussies that happen to stumble across this comment are your local native nurseries! (My local is Paten Park Nursery for an example) They grow their own plants from seeds or cuttings at that site so limited transport issues Leena describes. Many Australian plants are suitable to be indoor plants, beautiful ferns in particular elkhorns are my favorite. But we also have a native Hoya that’s a stunner! Also! Your native nursury is often sells tube stock plants so they are less than $5 and you have the satisfaction of watching it grow ❤️ Would love to know - Do other countries have plant nurseries like this??

[@TheEmeraldElf]

If you want to combine reducing food waste with having a houseplant you can grow Sweet Potatoes, garlic, ginger root and even Pineapple from our off cuts or the root you forgot about before they sent up shoots. Lots of great tutorials online. I presently have sweet potato bits growing vines out of mason jars in my window. Will transfer to dirt in pots soon but look cool growing in water for now and I cooked the other 80% of the root for dinner! NOTE: Do Not Eat sprouted or green potatoes 🥔 they are toxic at this stage.

[@Shadestorm12]

Yes! I've been wanting to grow green onions, they regenerate quickly from cuttings

[@thatjillgirl]

@@Shadestorm12 I pretty much always have a pot of green onions on hand. They're so easy to regrow from the leftover bulb ends of the ones you buy at the grocery store. I buy a bunch, root them, then replant them and have my own stash of green onions for two or three years. It's also nice that it saves me a little bit of money. I use quite a few green onions in my cooking. Being able to reuse the same green onions several times is a nice perk.

[@imaginingdefeat]

The Nature Fix is a fantastic book absolutely packed with research on the relationship between humans and nature, from awe-inspiring rock formations to potted plants to views of trees from hospital view windows. It does a great job at explaining that there are so many theories about the actual mechanisms by which nature acts on us, and there’s so much we don’t know about the subject. On another note, I think it’s okay and normal and maybe even good for you that you can’t muster up more fury. I think your brain is probably trying to protect you a bit, so it doesn’t mean that your indignation and convictions are any less real 🌸

[@lydiasharman7198]

If you go to places that sell plants, find leaves, especially succulents and pick up the leaves that have come loose in the tray. You can usually propagate them quite easily at home for free!

[@ferngecko1943]

The loss of our forests and nature in the UK makes me so sad, and also very angry! Reminded me of the book 'the lost rainforests of Britain'. Can't recommend it enough. The forests do so much for us, time we started fighting for them!

[@Darenim]

While watching this video, I thought: she should write a book. And you already did!

[@MultiYayness]

I'm planting herbs :) Got some mint in a pot that I'm sure will live forever, and recently took cuttings of sage and oregano from my parents/community garden that I'm trying to keep alive. Plus you can use them for cooking.

[@dagnolia6004]

the big garden centers around here use "grown in Louisiana" signs on many of the plants. others have signs telling what Nursery grew the plants. Sometimes a Mississippi nursery is closer than a nursery in northern(ha) Louisiana. i guess life here in the subtropics is different than the experience of those in northern climates.

[@mariailyukhina405]

My grandma lived at the countryside and spent a lot of time outside. She still had house plants. She and her friend and family propagated them almost exclusively.

[@CorinneDemyanovich]

I learned a lot about house plants. Don’t have any though… unless you count LEGO plants. 🙈

[@BeccaTheFlamingo]

This video has got me thinking about the companies like Bloom and Wild, Beards and Daisies. I think both call themselves sustainable (how sustainable can you be if they’re in plastic which is widely unrecyclable, don’t actually grow in this country, and have to be transported in large temperature controlled lorries) and have lists or instagram posts about ‘air purifying plants’ (which you’re right, it seems there’s little to no evidence that’s even a thing) I might be wrong about these two specific companies calling themselves sustainable… but in that case, what triggered my brain to think they were? I might be wrong about these two specific brands having lists of air purifying plants, but it’s an example… look at other letter box plant companies and many do

[@mayas6754]

This was really helpful for me to hear - I realized that as the world around me becomes scarier/less habitable I cope by focusing more on the inner world of my apartment (which involves buying many plants), but this only serves to create a false sense of disconnect/safety. That valuable anger dissipates this way as well. Thanks as always for the reality check Leena!

[@Towandakit]

Again! A Leena video about a topic I've had noodling around my own mind for years too! A joy as always to hear your thoughts :)

[@amberroberts1280]

Finally a video that Leenas done that that links to my industry. Yay. It’s Sad plants have done more cross country miles then some of us😂

[@jessiemckinnon4588]

This was literally my end of year project for uni!! Ive been looking at how bringing the guerrilla gardening movement into the mainstream and even national policy could drive autonomy over nature in public spaces and improve urban ecoplogy at the same time. My conclusion from interviews and data analysis was yes - its the selfish aspects that shine through in the movement and nature and plants are simply the bi-product of our desire to take charge of our limited public spaces. Community, social benefits, aesthetics we want to see every day and educating ourselves were way more important to the movement than the actual growing itself. Selfishness could genuinly transform our pavements like it fills our bookshelves with house plants. 🌱💕

[@heckani]

look for native plants! I haven't tried it indoors yet but it works for balcony or garden. look up what's native in your area and look around you. You don't need to buy seeds or plants! Maybe there are pretty "weeds" in the park/garden/forest near you. Look up the laws on collecting seeds/plants in the wild. Where i live, you are allowed to collect stuff (including mushrooms and fruit) for private use.

[@kalinapier2788]

Ah geez, I literally decided yesterday that terrariums were going to be my thing, after moving from a semi-rural area to a suburban apartment and craving soil between my fingers. Now I feel guilty :D because you make excellent points.

[@annyleigh5565]

Great video !! As a fellow house plant lover I was wondering about plants native to the UK that still work as houseplants (Cyclamen, geranium, ivy and some ferns) and would love to hear some thoughts on that. Also totally with you on cuttings over buying - and half the fun is propagating little cuttings and avocado pips in jars yourself !!

[@ChloeTheJean]

I did some work for a company called Rosy that makes potting soil with biochar instead of other fillers like peat and others. Learned so much, I had no idea potting soil of all things was so unsustainable. Biochar is apparently a carbon absorber and Rosy also runs carbon neutral overall. But it's not very affordable. This isn't an ad lol just putting it out there. They have some good resources about sustainability on their blog

[@NatManzano]

I think that the reason why people get significantly happier at the hospital when they see plants is because someone came to see them and brought them a plant. Just a thought. If you ask me, it is the plants that benefit not us. If a person is caring, well-balanced and amazing, the plants flourish like crazy. My grandmother grew a jungle and you could see they were happy.

[@1973InternationalKid]

Houseplants are in their season of capitalism. A lot of people want to do their best, but at least here in the US, running to Walmart for a plant will not make you a connoisseur. Growing houseplants sustainably is totally possible though! My collection has largely come about through the community-- local plant swaps and trades. I keep a bucket in my shower too to catch the initial burst, and all that water goes straight to the plants instead... Keeping them alive is obviously the most sustainable thing you can do, it's always about doing your best! Keep growing!

[@pawz3016]

My favorite ways to have hope are weird twisted tbh

[@andiianderson4260]

Perfect timing was contemplating house plants but phew off the hook on that one

[@Carla0297]

My favourite thing is when I'm told on my 20-minute, unpaid break, that I need to get back inside when I try to get some breathable air into my system🥰 love working my life away x

[@jbblue48089]

I tried my best with several plants and just couldn’t keep up with them. But we have a yard now and let it grow wild. It’s great, I love it

[@500daysofellie]

Hi Leena, I highly recommend reading The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes and the Right to Roam movement if you haven’t come across it already!! Lots of these topics covered in this book and his other work, I think your brain will enjoy it :))

[@amberroberts1280]

If you guys want to help your houseplants out then get them out of the original soil. 9/10 it’s not potted in soil that it actually needs. A good tailored mix and or perlite can really go a long way. It helps with drainage and might even help with over watering, which is the houseplant #1 killer in my opinion. @Growtropicals have some great tailored mixes and peat free if you wanna feel a little less selfish

[@ciara1045]

Love to see an EO Wilson quote in here lol (for the non biologists here, he was a pretty legendary biologist, recently deceased RIP) also why are you all throwing away your pots?? I keep all of mine (and any leftover soil when one dies) to repot plants in the future as they up or downsize home!

[@ainselart]

I’m so glad this video was suggested to me !

[@ArtAnimeEmerly]

I'm going to watch this because I love your videos and the points you raise usually, but I'm also fully prepared to plug my ears up and cry if this ends with you telling me that my years old 40+ species houseplant collection is bad. Guess I'll find out in 15 minutes 😅

[@EnnameMori]

I have 3 plants I have been fighting to keep alive for 10 years, some grass for the cat... and that is my total. Anything else is too much. I prefer to see them thriving and well, that means going out! I do turn plastic pots into cat toys tho.

[@71lizgoeshardt]

As a person recently embroiled in battle with my houseplants and trying to decide on getting another because the big empty corner of the laundry room needs something : what is Leena going to say and how will it change my life?

[@chickennchips9183]

Highly recommend The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing. It's this, but for the concept of gardens as a whole.

[@TheAliceinFinland]

I have over 20 house plants, of which only 4 I have bought, others are cuttings or babies from friends and family. Also 2/4 bought plants I've had for at least 15 years 😁

[@jasminearch8632]

This... All this. And then some. A few times now, I've been given this... amalgamation of different plants in a big planter, as a gift. And they tend to not be plants with compatible needs, but they just get lumped together because "looks pretty" so of course I almost immediately split them out into different pots and try to rescue as many of the different plants as I can, and then rehome them because I'll end up with more plants than I have space for. (I do use peatfree potting soil because peat belongs in the place where we keep digging it up) It is the most unsustainable way of gift giving, because not only is it a gift that requires resources for growing the plants and transporting them, but then they're just doomed unless the recipient realises they're not good roommates. Why does this even happen??? ALSO, for those who do enjoy houseplants, there's a few people who have like, houseplant rescue type activities going on. They'll save dying plants or adopt unwanted ones, and then rehome them with people who will love them properly. While still not ideal, it at least cuts out the purchase of newly farmed plants. Definitely advise seeing if there's one near you if you like houseplants!

[@laurechampeau1288]

not me watching this 3 days after buying myself a little plant and thinking 5 minutes afterward : sh*t i should have waited for a friend to give me a little sprout from their own plant. And then Leena comes with these really important informations ... Well i'll expend my moss collection 😅

[@MichiruEll]

I have a giant collection of plants in my office at work. We use houseplants as decore for graduation ceremonies (instead of cut flowers) and after every ceremony they come back to the office. Each year, there are a few more, because our florist replaced the "ugly ones". I keep those and try to bring them back to life. Frankly those house plants were the only thing that kept me from burning out when I had to replace my boss who was out on sick leave for months due to her burnout. All that to say... mine.

[@jaisapow]

I agree - we deserve better!

[@ericaporter2099]

My parents live in an area that gets fires every year and they have to evacuate almost every year and because of this they had to chop down a bunch of their lovely trees in order to keep their home insurance 😢 My mom loved sitting outside and watching the birds in the garden but most of the trees are gone so no more birds 😢

[@Miss_Lexisaurus]

Listen Leena, you can pry my houseplants from my cold dead hands! That said - all my pots have been second hand and most of mine are from cuttings or plant giveaways or plant sales as fundraisers (the plants of which were donated by locals). And I'm very lucky to have a garden and be growing food in it in a permaculture way, and I go walking in nature regularly with my dogs. I realise I am not "the norm!"

[@KathrynHenny]

Now I have verifiable proof to never try to own and take care of my own plants in my home. I'll stick to walking my dog and going to the parks near me. Thanks!

[@spencertrusque7966]

I thought I was just incompetent at plants until I started from seeds and cutting. I don't know why shop plants can survive all that you said and then instantly die when they get to my flat🤷

[@nicolahutchinson1583]

Just pre-ordered your book! 🎉

[@leenanorms]

Aw thank you!!

[@jadaclark9440]

My dad is a plant hoarder and most of them he grew himself from clipping when visiting a park or something. He's also saved friend's plants from dying. But we are from Mississippi and quite a variety of plants can thrive in a subtropical area like that. Also technically I guess most aren't houseplants. They are indoor and outdoor depending on the season and plant. He even has grapefruit trees. He used to have a small vegetable garden but now just a few peppers. Growing up watching him, I'll never buy a plant. Seems pretty unnecessary. I can just find one.

[@amy8250]

'Without me, this plant will die' - my mum at the supermarket every time lol

[@vikkicaulton6038]

I got a boat load of plant pots from someone nearby off Olio and think i have enough forever now 😂

[@theonlyenekoeneko]

The urge to fill my apartment with 10000 plants is strong, but my cat bites the leaves so I have 0

[@johannadarlenerosa]

Great video, as usual 💚 also not to brag or anything but all of my house plants have grown from cuttings I got from friends 😌 create community around house plants, people 👏🏼

[@alfredbaeumer3643]

Loved your conclusion❤❤❤

[@cruelaz]

If one ever needs a plastic pot with drainage holes for a plant go to your local cementaty we have these trash collections spread across the cemetery and I always visit them for some free plastic pots that cat thrown away otherwise 😂

[@catherineleslie-faye4302]

Watching this from Portland OR USA... Once I have space for houseplants I will put a request out for baby houseplants... who knows? my neighbors might have some to spare.

[@hannahpastor632]

Ahhh Leena, I love how your brain works 🙏🏼❤️🌿

[@Julia-yi1zn]

Fantastic video!!

[@shejimp8458]

I’ve just checked and I think all my plants can be divided and grown on (except the spider from which I’m waiting for babies) so I’m thinking I’ll be able to keep them going - if only I remember to actually do the division…

[@juliadupont7252]

Me being confronted to annoying bugs and learning how to care about a houseplant having an issue it can’t fix itself has led to How hard can it be to plant my sprouted potatoes on my tiny balcony? Surely it won’t die as easily and hopefully I can get food in return, so maybe there is a pipeline to having houseplants >> urban agriculture ? Edit : that project was put on pause when I found a new full time job so, yeah capitalism prevents us from being in nature as much and taking our time to research and learn about self-sufficiency even in small bits

[@ladykarolyn1]

Re: your comment on not feeling as angered by the destruction of local native ecology and wishing where did that anger go and how can you get it back? Idk if it will transfer at all, but I feel a lot of rage about that. I'm going to explain a bit about what my thoughts on that look like in case it's helpful to you at all. I live in a part of the US that should be dominated by prairies and savannahs, beautiful grassland ecosystems with rich biodiversity and something interesting to see in every season. Instead, the majority of residences I see have the same non-native landscaping plants that some dick decided ages ago were the "correct" plants to have. I might walk down any street in my country and see the same boring hostas that my mom had in our yard. There's a loss of sense of place that I find tragic. On top of that, those beautiful, complex, fascinating ecosystems could actually save us, but instead we bulldoze them to put up a parking lot or replace it with non-native turf grass (aka a lawn). People always talk about planting trees, but prairie grasses have roots that go way deeper, sequester more carbon, prevent more erosion, and cycle nutrients from further underground than any tree can. The bugs, birds, and beasts that evolved to interact with those plants need them to survive, and I, in turn, need all of those life forms to survive. I feel that viscerally, and it started really hitting me like that when I started learning to identify plants. Finding out the names of these non-human neighbors of mine launched me into wanting to look out for them. I hope you find the thing that helps you reconnect with that anger too. You probably already know of it, but just in case, the KZbin channel Leave Curious might be interesting to you. It's about rewilding efforts in Britain.

[@TheEpicPlace]

I don’t know if you want this kind of fury because I’ve had it incurably for the last three or four years and it’s painful to live with especially when you can’t even keep a roof over your head and see you know you don’t have the resources to save forest access and other people don’t seem to care or be doing anything about it

[@dariab2558]

The video I didn't know I needed

[@FleuriAnneViolet]

Love your vids so much!