Houseplants 101: What You'll Need To Own

So you just bought your first house plant. It's adorable and so healthy, and you're in love. You excitedly start googling about your plant's care, and suddenly get very daunted. It seems like you've accidentally bought a plant that needs all kind of accessories! Shears, fertilizer, cache pots, humidifiers... You thought plants just grew from the ground! Don't worry, you don't need to own everything right away in order to grow a happy and healthy plant. Here I will share some levels of care and their shopping lists so you will know what you'll need.

Level 1:

You have one house plant. It's your first. It's in its nursery pot (the flimsy plastic one it came in) and you popped it on your windowsill and it sure looks cute. Now what? The only things you truly need at this stage are sunlight, water, and a small dish (plate, bowl, jar lid) to put under the pot so it doesn't leak water everywhere. Make sure you look up your plant's light and water needs, and concentrate on filling those needs. You can use your iphone compass to determine the direction of your windows, and choose one accordingly to display your plant in. Let your lighting situation rather than your decor needs dictate where you put your plant. Water it once a week, whether you bring a cup of water to the pot or you bring your pot to the sink. Make sure the water drains through to the dish underneath, then dump the water out after a few hours of the plant soaking up its drink (so its roots don't rot). That's all you need to do at this stage.

Level 2:

You have 3 plants, or a small collection. You can feel yourself becoming obsessed. You squeal every time you see a baby leaf emerging. Now is the time to get a little fancy. Maybe next time you're at a boutique or nursery you can treat yourself to some cache pots (decorative pots without drainage) to put your plants into so you don't have to look at the ugly plastic nursery pots. You could alternatively pick up some real plant dishes so you can use your dishes again, or throw out those jar lids. 

Level 3:

You've had your plants for a little while now and you want to learn how to level up as a plant parent. Now is the time to buy some houseplant fertilizer and a bag of basic potting soil to keep at home. It's probably also prudent to buy a couple different small to medium size nursery pots for when you're ready to use that soil to propagate or re-pot. Follow the directions on your fertilizer bottle to give your plants' soil a refresh. Get yourself a sizeable watering can with a thin spout so you can stop making so many trips to the kitchen with your drinking cup to water your plants.

Level 4:

You've got a growing collection of plants. You've fertilized, repotted, and experimented with propagation. Now is the time to invest in those fun accessories you've been avoiding bothering with. Sharp garden shears will help you cut better propagations. A small humidifier will help keep some more rare, finicky tropicals thriving in your care, or have people asking you "How do you keep your fiddle leaf fig so happy?"You may also want to build up a collection of cache pots, macrame hangers, and nursery pots/dishes so that you're never underprepared to re-pot or rehome a sad plant.

Congratulations. If you've achieved Level 4, from here on out, it's all play. Buying tools to help with your hobby, like long-handled terrarium tools or special grow lights, is going to be extra and unnecessary, but very helpful in the long run to make you a successful and, might I say, obsessed plant parent. Enjoy your green thumb!