NURSING MY GREENS

Love those greens but can't figure out how not to kill them ? TIHG to the rescue! We bring to you 4 Green Experts sharing all their care tips for a plant that they cherish. Replete with practical advice, these tips are your invaluable cheat code into growing healthier greens and making your home even more refreshingly energizing.

- Arushi Chaturvedi

My Green: Zz Plant

Zz is the most non fussy plant one can ever have

Soil: This plant likes very welldrained soil and it likes to stay on the dryer side. Using perlite and sand in the soil mixture works great as they drain the soil well and don't keep it moist for a long time.

Water: They store water in their root bulbs for a longer period and so they are recommended to be watered once 10-12 days. It will also survive if not watered for 15-17 days and they like to stay in medium to low light. Overwatering will kill this plant by root rot.

Speciality: It’s the best plant for someone who likes to travel and wants to keep plants but is scared to keep them. Zz doesn’t need any care, a very well draining soil, medium light and thorough watering only when the soil is dry completely. It’s a slow growing plant but when it shoots new stem, it’s worth the wait.

Propagation: This is one of the easiest plants to propagate. Just take a healthy stem cutting (leaves too) and put the bottom 2-3 inch into water. Change water in every 4-5 days. It takes couple of weeks to show signs of white roots and months to show bulbs but it’s worth the wait? Wait till the bulbs are formed completely and a new shoot starts showing up before repotting it into soil.

Raina Kashyap Instagram: (@amateurplantlady_ )

My Green: Stromanthe Thalia ‘Triostar’