CARING FOR PLANTS 101

Welcome to the world of amateur gardening; essentially, all you need is a Happy Pot (with free seeds!), some soil, sunlight, and you’re set! So, why should you include plants in your surroundings? Introducing plants to your living and working environment is a natural way of improving the surrounding air quality, since plants absorb carbon dioxide and other forms of harmful airborne chemicals whilst also giving out oxygen. Research also shows that keeping and caring for plants at home or in the office reduces both physical and psychological stress by engaging senses of touch and smell which are known to reduce insomnia, anxiety, and even depression.  The benefits of having plants far out-weigh the fuss of taking care of them, so to help you get started, here’s a quick, step-by-step guide to novice gardening. What do you need? To get you started all you need is: Your personalized Happy Pot (link) Seeds - you can use the free seeds that come with your Happy Pot, or transfer a previously owned plant (link to Do’s and Don’ts)  Soil and plant-food - we recommend recycling rather than store-bought (link to DIY Plant Care) Fresh water - you can also use the water refuse from your AC or dehumidifier! A space in your office/home that has exposure to sunlight at certain times. Ventilation What do you need to do? Step 1 So you’ve got your very own Happy Pot. Now it's time to spice up your surroundings by putting it on display, and making a home for your plants to thrive! Now, if you’re planting seeds, make sure to germinate them first - we recommend using seeds of endemic flowers when possible. If you’re transferring store-bought or previously owned plants, make sure to properly dispose of its previous pot by either recycling, finding alternative use, or giving it away! Step 2 Fill your pot half way through with soil of your choice, plant your germinated seeds/ plant, and add more soil until your Happy Pot is almost full (leave 0.5-1 inches empty). Be sure to leave no roots exposed, and to not pile soil over your seedling’s initial stem.    Step 3 Before finding a place for your plant try to take note of exposure to sunlight and ventilation in your chosen space. This of course depends on your seed of choice, so if you choose a spot that has little to no sunlight, you should choose plants which are appropriate for such conditions. Temperature and humidity also have a bearing on your plant’s health, so it’s super important to know what your plant likes!   Step 4 Watering your plant is a somewhat tricky job. Over watering and under watering can be devastating for plants, so it's important to do some research on your floral friend to figure out what they like. The same goes for plant nourishment, and we always recommend organic! Keep in mind that the six essential nutrients for plants are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur and calcium. Note that all plants are different and have different requirements, which means that they thrive in different conditions. We hope this article made your adventure into . Be sure to check out our other articles on floriculture and gardening tips, as well as our content on Sustainability and Protecting the Environment!

Now that you have your Happy Pot it's time to take a gander into what kind of different plants you can grow!   Here, we’re going to discuss benefits that come from keeping houseplants and provide a list of associated plants that you can give home to in your Happy Pot! Houseplants offer a wide range of benefits that we’ve compiled into two main categories:   Decorative and aesthetic Physical and Mental Health   Decorative and Aesthetics    Something we can all agree on is that plants are an incredible aesthetic and sustainable way to improve your home or office interior. Whatever the setting, you can always find a plant that naturally blends in, adding colour and life to its surroundings!   Setting is the keyword here. Only you know how you want your office/room/home to look like, but we’re going to recommend a few simple steps you could take to become the perfect interior decorator for yourself:      Familiarise yourself with your space Try to imagine a final product (use Pinterest or interior decorating blogs for ideas!), in other words: do your research. Have a budget - and stick to it! Check out thrift stores and garage sales for those discarded gems. Dispose of unwanted furniture and packaging sustainably. Add some plants and art. Enjoy your project!   Physical and Mental wellbeing.   Humans thrive with nature. Nowadays, our fast lives deprive us of unprocessed foods and have trapped us in bleak, grey surroundings. Research shows(Gladwell et. al., 2013)  (Wier, 2020) that the natural environment does wonders to both physical and mental health, however, not everyone has the luxury of being in the vicinity of these environments. Just write “cities/city life effect, physical and mental wellbeing” as keywords in the PubMed search bar, and see for yourself.   So, what can a plant in a Happy Pot do about that?   Way back when, people only used plants and herbs as medicine and treatment for their physical and mental struggles, and whilst it is worth applauding the rapid advancement in healthcare and medicine, sometimes going back to our roots - literally - is just what the doctor ordered.   Why not use your Happy Pot to grow some indoor fruits and vegetables? Your own fresh supply! There are many fruit yielding plants you can plant indoors, such as vegetables you’d normally include in your salads and hot dishes, to fruit you can munch on knowing its 100% pesticide free. And if that wasn’t enough, you don’t even have to start from scratch, as most fresh fruit and veggies we buy from our supermarkets can be used to make sprouts for future yields - social media reels are a goldmine for tips on how to do these.   Plants are a natural way of purifying the air around you and removing unwanted aromas like that of incoming car exhaust. This is done during photosynthesis, absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen, however most plants even have a bonus of releasing soothing aromas that are both soothing and wonderful.   Gardening is also very beneficial for mental wellbeing. Professor Jamie Keaton Jones - a renowned psychotherapist and professor in Washington - stated that many started tending to plants as coexisting living organisms during covid-19, thereby allowing them to focus their attention on something positive. There are also certain plants’ aromas such as Lavender, that are calming and help treat persons with anxiety.   So as you can see, there’s a multitude of reasons why you should keep plants around you, and we hope this article outlines plants which may be better situated for your needs. Be sure to check out (link) How to re-pot a plant into your Happy Pot to see how to properly move your plant into your unique and sustainable Happy Pot.   https://www.thehealthy.com/mental-health/best-house-plants-for-mental-health-psychologists/