So the summer has ended and it’s time for your plants to come inside after a long, sunny season out on the warm patio. But for those of us in urban environments or smaller spaces, this can bring about the challenge of finding room in your home or apartment for all of your leafy friends.
To help you give your plants the best indoor home possible this winter, we’ve come up with a few helpful tips for organizing your potted pets.
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1. Make Your Plants Stackable
If you have a lot of plants, the tricky part of bringing them indoors is finding space for them. It may be tempting to line all of your plants along a windowsill, but be careful—sitting next to frosty or drafty windows can be too cold and actually harm your beloved babies.
We did a little experimenting of our own and found that the Clear Stacking Shelves with Holes are perfect for plant organization. While it has been suggested that plants do enjoy being near other plants, it’s best to avoid crowding them so that they don’t have to compete for light. The clear material won’t cast shadows that block much-needed light from hitting the foliage, and if you have several small plants, stacking multiple shelves on a table near your sunniest window is a great way to give each plant equal access to sunlight.
2. Create a Spill-Proof Setup
The shelves’ holes are excellent for airflow and watering too, allowing excess water to drip down to the plants below preventing buildup of moisture and bacteria that can bring about disease. During winter, your plants are likely to be much more susceptible to pests and infection, so keeping their area clean and promoting airflow is important.
Another challenge of indoor plant care is watering your plants without spilling onto your tables, windowsills, or floors. Adding an Undersink Drip Tray below the shelves will catch excess water so you don’t have to worry about spilling and damaging your surfaces. When it needs to be cleaned, it can simply be wiped down with a cloth, or you can simply pull it out, rinse, and replace!
If you don’t have enough space for an Undersink Drip Tray, don’t fret. We used an extra Clear Stacking Shelf (without holes) with the legs folded up and placed it under our Clear Stacking Shelf with Holes as a narrower alternative that fits on a windowsill. We recommend only doing this on a stable surface, as the non-slip quality is lost when the shelf’s legs have been folded.
3. Build Your Own Propagation Station
Perhaps you enjoy propagation or have lots of pint-size plants—you may find the Clear 3-Tier Shelf Organizer useful. Three tiered levels let you stack your small plants so that they all have access to sunlight, while the soft-grip lining on each step prevents your seedlings from toppling over. Add a drip tray to catch excess water, maybe even a helpful grow light for those dismal winter days, and you’ve got yourself a proper propagation station. It also happens to create a pleasant display!
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While it can be bitter to say goodbye to summer, the shift from outdoor to indoor is a wonderful opportunity to refresh your space. Plants can add charm and character to your home, and even increase overall well-being, especially during bleak winter months. They promote happier, healthier environments by cleaning the air we breathe and increasing productivity. According to Psychology Today, plants can boost our mood, reduce feelings of stress, and even contribute to enhanced creative thinking.
With these tips, your plants are sure to be happy as can be this winter, and when the weather outside is frightful, you’ll have all your friendly plant pals around you to keep your spirits up.
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Did you try this at home? Tag @madesmart in your photos to share your experience with us on Instagram and Facebook!