If you’re a plant lover, you’ve probably come across Chantel, the brilliant mind behind @channygrayhome on Instagram. Over the past few years, she has built a community of over half a million plant enthusiasts. But there’s so much more to her than her incredible follower count.

In this episode, I’ll take you behind the scenes of my chat with Channy—where we talked about her plant history, her love for DIYs, her big move from the Arizona desert to lush Iowa, and how she juggles being a plant mom and a mom to three kids.

 

In this episode, we learn:

• [03:15] How Channy and I met at a Botanical Garden
• [07:28] What has Channy’s plant journey been like?
• [11:00] Moving with plants
• [13:18] Have her plant preferences evolved over time?
• [15:14]  Add serenity to your life in 2025 and beat the winter blues with Wind River Chimes!
• [16:56] Start your kitchen garden today by grabbing a copy of Kitchen Garden Living by Bailey Van Tassel
• [19:10] What does pest prevention mean for Channy?
• [21:12] Channy’s new plant soap for pest control!
• [23:57] What does a bubble bath for plants look like?
• [25:07] How to balance motherhood and plant care
• [28:17] Top tips to make plant care easy and fun!
• [30:06] Decorating with plant cuttings
• [32:03] Lechuza pon vs LECA
• [33:54]  How did Channy get into DIY projects?
• [35:30] Moving to Iowa and preparing for changes
• [38:02]  What does Channy’s family think of her plant collection?
• [40:38] What it feels like to have 500k+ followers
• [43:00] What are her future plans for Channy Gray Home?
• [44:30] Where can you find Channy on social media?

 

 

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A Full Circle Plant Friend Moment

Two years ago, I met Channy in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a sweaty, last-minute meet-up at the Botanical Garden. I was in town for just 48 hours, juggling a conference and squeezing in a podcast recording. I frantically DMed Chantel, asking if she could join me—and she did! We had the most amazing time creating content and touring the gardens together.

What makes this moment even more special is that Chantel was actually a longtime listener to my podcast when it was still Bloom and Grow Radio, back when she was struggling with plant care. It gives me all the feels after knowing that my podcast helped her turn things around.

Balancing Plant Parenthood with Motherhood

As a mom to three kids (ages 4, 6, and 8), Chantel sees beautiful parallels between raising plants and children.

“ I feel like they're both so parallel to each other. I feel like the way my kids grow and my plants grow is all a reflection of the care that I give them.”

 

Easy Houseplant Care Tips

Chantel's committed to making plant care convenient and enjoyable. As she puts it, “The moment plant care feels inconvenient is when it's no longer fun.”

Here are some of her top tips:

1. Choose the right plants: Most houseplants like Monstera, ZZ plants, snake plants, philodendron, and hoyas can go completely dry between waterings.
2. Try hydroponic growing: About 25% of her collection is hydroponic, which she finds incredibly low-maintenance.
3. Use propagations strategically: She'll place cuttings in water in rooms with less light, treating them like long-lasting bouquets.

 

Pest Prevention

Chantel firmly believes in preventing pests rather than dealing with infestations. When she brings a new plant home, she goes to repot it immediately, treats it with her own plant soap, and adds systemic granules to the soil.

She basically treats every new plant as if it has pests, and this routine has saved her countless headaches.

Her plant soap, a product she created after struggling with mealybugs on her variegated Hoya compacta, has become a fan favorite because it’s like giving your plants a bubble bath by how it lifts pests off the leaves and prevents infestations.

 

DIY and Plant Care

Chantel loves DIY projects, and she’s very creative and full of restless energy. She’s known for turning spaces with earthy tones and plant-friendly designs inspired by the desert. Moving to Iowa is a fresh start, and she’s brimming with ideas for her new home.

One of the things she's most proud of is her aesthetic catch trays for hanging plants.

 

What's Next for Channy Gray Home?

Exciting things are coming in 2025! Chantel's going to start selling plants on her website, with collections specifically curated for different spaces in the home (so that these plants can grow even in low light spaces). As a self-proclaimed “Hoya head,” she's particularly excited about offering collections of easy-blooming Hoyas.

So if you're new to this game or have an indoor jungle of your own, it's all about making plant care work for you. As she shows us, sometimes the simplest approaches are the most successful!

 

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Growing Joy Ep 240: How to Move with Houseplants with Becca De La Plants
• Growing Joy Ep 226: How to Repot Houseplants
• Growing Joy Ep 109: Passive Hydroponics 2.0 and the LECA VS PON Debate
• Plant Soap by Channy Gray Home
• LECHUZA-PON Plant Substrate
• LECA

 

 

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

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Quarto: American Horticultural Society Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening

Kitchen gardening isn’t just about growing food anymore—it’s a lifestyle. In Kitchen Garden Living, Bailey Van Tassel, founder of the Kitchen Garden Society, guides you step-by-step to create a kitchen garden of your own, no matter the size or location. Organized into chapters like  Plan, Grow, Tend, Make, Gather, Connect, and Inspire, this book helps you connect with your garden, involve your family, and promote seasonal living for a healthier, more intentional lifestyle.

Grab a copy of Kitchen Garden Living at your favorite local bookstore, bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Quarto.com, or Amazon.com to get inspired and grow organically.

 

 

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