Greatest Hits 2022: 9 Best Practices for Sustainable Houseplants – Gardenista

Even if you don’t live in an area battling drought conditions, it’s earth-wise to reuse some of your home’s greywater (used water from sinks, tubs, and washing machines) to hydrate houseplants. Consider putting a bucket in your shower to collect the warm-up water. Or put a bowl under your colander to catch the excess when you wash lettuce or fruit. Another idea: collect rainwater in small containers. Pro Tip: Houseplants love rainwater as it contains more oxygen than tap water and is absent of treatment chemicals.

6. Feed them naturally.

Avoid heavily synthetic fertilizers and the un-recyclable plastic containers they come in. Instead, consider adding natural ingredients you may already have on hand—eggshells, Epsom salt, coffee grounds—to inject some nutrients into the soil. If you have a fish tank, consider saving the water from it when you clean out the aquarium and using it to water your houseplants (fish waste contains nitrogen and potassium). Or, forgo fertilizer completely for the less fussy plants and instead, top-dress your pots with fresh soil when the levels naturally drop from soil compaction and soil escaping through the drainage holes.

7. Smaller is better.

When you choose a smaller-sized plant, you’re also choosing less packaging and, in general, a smaller carbon footprint.

8. Resist buying one-and-dones.

Don’t buy novelty houseplants like poinsettias, sprayed cacti, and Hoya hearts, all of which “are designed to die,” botanist and houseplants collector James Wong has cautioned to his 300,000-plus Twitter and Instagram followers. Such plants are made to be disposable.

9. Avoid peat products.

Most potting mixes include peat to help it retain moisture and oxygen. Unfortunately, harvesting peat for commercial use leads to the destruction of carbon-trapping peatlands, which help mitigate the impacts of climate change. (See Just Say No to Peat: It’s Time to Rethink the Compost and Soil You Buy for more on the deleterious effects of peat mining.) Instead, look for peat alternatives when buying potting mix, like options made from coconut coir.

For more on sustainable gardening practices, see:

N.B.: This post was first published February 2022.

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