Urban Jungle Bloggers: Watering Your Plants

I have a crush on plants. Big surprise, ha? Well, I was trying to figure out what's behind that crush: Was it my mum's eternal jungle at home when I was a kid with a Monstera plant that looked like Tarzan could swing around on the aerial roots? Is it my longing for a bit more nature in an urban habitat? Don't know exactly, I just feel like they are perfect roomies - less demeaning than a pet yet still alive and thriving. And yielding joy and happiness. Like anything alive, they too need some care. Most above all they need water. Especially now during summer. That's why my fellow Urban Jungle Blogger Judith and I have decided to dedicate this month's edition to the topic: Watering your plants.

Admittedly, the topic sounds a bit unspectacular but we thought there might be some good tips regarding watering houseplants out there. Especially for someone like me. Most of my plants are cacti and succulents and they require just a little bit of water. During the winter period I water them scarcely like once a month and during summer I water them either every week or every other week, depending on the weather and temperatures. Every other week I add a liquid fertilizer to the water and I take care that the soil is well hydrated without any dammed-up water. That's all!

But there is one more watering trick I want to share with you. To give you an example: Last year when I prepared for my 3-weeks trip to the US and Canada, I was wondering how I am going to handle the watering problem for my pilea plant which is actually the only plant I have that demands more regular watering. Since I live alone in my apartment and I don't really know my neighbors, this was a pretty crucial question. So what did I do? 

The solution was so simple as if created in a kindergarden group. All I needed for this was a glass, mug or any other vessel filled up with water and an old shoe lace. I've filled up the glass with water, placed one end of the lace into the glass and the other end in the soil of my pilea plant. Result? When I returned after three weeks of holidays the glass was empty and the pilea was all green and happy! The shoe lace transports the water slowly from the vessel to the plant pot and secures a constant hydration without overwatering your plant. Perfect and easy! I repeated the same strategy during my Israel trip this spring and it worked again! I will stick to this!

Last but not least: I really wanted to share my new watering can with you as I've found a fabulous designy watering can by Swedish designer Kristina Stark but it didn't arrive in time for my little photo shooting.  

I hope this comes in handy for the summer season and your plants at home. If you have some more advanced watering tips, join our Urban Jungle Bloggers edition and share them with us! Happy planting!

Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series initiated by 2 bloggers: Igor (Happy Interior Blog) and Judith (JOELIX.com). Every month we share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks. You can find additional inspiration on our Urban Jungle Bloggers Pinterest board and keep up-to-date on our Facebook page. Want to join? Use #urbanjunglebloggers on Twitter and Instagram. Or let us know and we'll share the badge and upcoming topics with you. Let's bring some green into your homes and blogs!

Photography by Igor Josifovic, last pic by Pflanzenfreude

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