These 4 Tips Will Make Your Plant Care Routine More Effective & Enjoyable

When I tell folks that I have over 200 green gurls in my lil Brooklyn apartment, my words are often met with a reaction of utter surprise that I have managed to build such a lil indoor oasis. Inevitably, this shock is followed by the question "What does a care routine for 200-plus plants look like?"

Now, this was not always the case! There were moments when this kween was a plant parent newbie and my planty routine was more of a chore. It was something that I tried to bunch up into one day, rush through, and get done. I had yet to find joy in the process of caring for my green little kweens. Gurl, this led to many plant parent fails and my green gurls serving less than lush lewks!

Plants are not furniture, so they should not be collecting dust, dahling! Throughout the week I check in on my green gurls to make sure dust has not piled up on their leaves. These leaves are a plant's meal ticket, so removing any dust makes sure your green gurl catches as much sunlight as possible so she can do her thang—that good ole photosynthesis. A little damp cotton cloth with some cool water does the trick!

Every morning, as I warm up my jasmine tea, I spritz some of my green gurls with water from a little misting bottle. It's relaxing, it's soothing, and my green gurls love it! The plants I spritz are epiphytes, those plants that grow on top of other plants or trees, coexisting in the most harmonious, harmless way. Some examples include the staghorn fern, green gurls from the Monstera family, mosses, orchids, and Tillandsias. In their natural habitat, these kweens derive their nutrients and other vitals from the air, water, dust, and debris around them.

Spritzing the aerial roots of these kweens, and in the case of my staghorn fern, spritzing the shield frond and her leaves, mimics the rainfall these kweens are used to and keeps them looking lush.

While the best time to prune your green girls is toward the beginning of the growing season, which is typically early spring for most of our green little kweens, there can be exceptions to this seasonal situation when it comes to removing dead leaves or stems.

Year-round pruning can be quite helpful for our green gurls, as damaged or dead leaves, stems, and branches can be an energy drain for our kweens. By giving them a lil cut, we are taking some werk off their plate and letting them focus their energy on those lush healthy leaves and serving new growth realness!

Giving your kween the occasional trim can also be helpful in preventing those tragic plant pests from settling on her leaves, as pests tend to be attracted to decaying or dead leaves more than healthy ones.

I check in on my green gurls every day. It's a soothing and relaxing routine that I have come to love. In particular, when there are moments where I'm feeling stressed, I'll take a pause and I'll just tend to my plants. And it gives me an opportunity to step away from technology, gives me an opportunity to rest my voice, gives me an opportunity to rest my mind and really just get back to the basics, having interactions with nature.

Dahling, I tend to sprinkle my plant routines throughout the week, giving me little nature breaks throughout the day. When I water my green gurls, I make it a party! I blast music, I put on a fun outfit, I pour myself a lil cocktail, and I tend to my plants. It's a whole entire mood, and it's so much fun! So ask yourself: How can you add a little pizzazz to your planty routines? How can you make them fun for you?