Plant friends, I’ve been fortunate enough to take a lot of deeper dives in the science of plant care since quarantine happened and my outlook on plant care and the hobby of keeping plants has dramatically shifted in the last year and a half. I find myself turning away from blogs and towards textbooks and have a new deep appreciation for the horticulturalists on this show who can truly dive deeper with us and explain the why behind the how of all the practices we are told to do on care cards and social media posts. The combination of over 120 episode interviews, and now all these hours in the courses, has been enlightening and I wanted to come clean about these shifts I’m making in my personal collection and plant care practices. Thank you for learning alongside me and I hope this episode helps you keep blooming and keep growing through your plant parenthood journey!

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In this episode we learn:

• [05:07] Why Maria is sharing her plant hacks (past and current), shifts in her plant parenthood, and ‘aha!’ moments
• [06:57] Been There Done That Plant Hack #1: Being obsessed with humidity (and some humidity tips from experts to help you with your humidity problems)
• [12:00] Two humidity hacks that Maria is not doing anymore: misting and pebble trays
• [12:43] The truth and risks behind misting your plants
• [14:51] Been There Done That Plant Hack #2: Living by your plant care cards
• [17:12] Maria shares an exciting feature of the Bloom and Grow Garden Party
• [18:24] Been There Done That Plant Hack #3: Understanding light based on plant diagrams and not based on your specific light situation
• [19:29] Maria’s experience dealing with a low light situation for her plants and how she became a super sleuth for sunbeams
• [23:34] Been There Done That Plant Hack #4: Planting in pots without drainage holes!
• [25:22] Maria’s two easy hacks for pots without drainage holes
• [27:42] Plant Parenthood Shift #1: Converting plants from semi hydro to soil
• [28:38] Maria’s bonus hack: use leca to root your plants
• [29:28] The best companion after a planty day
• [31:16] Growing season is not just for spring and summer, you can now have fall and winter harvest!
• [33:16] An update on Limey, Maria’s lime tree
• [34:42] Plant Parenthood Shift #2: Addressing plant FOMO and focusing on current plants
• [37:07] What our plants teach us about life and how our plant collections should make us feel
• [38:24] Learnings to bring into this new growing season!

Mentioned in our conversation:

Bloom and Grow Radio episodes

• Humidity Deep Dive And Winter Plant Care With The Plant Daddy Podcast Daddies
• Understanding Natural Light: General Rules with Leslie Halleck

Bloom and Grow Youtube videos

• 3 Planty Date Night Ideas with Billy
• How Drainage Works in Pots, The Perched Water Table & a “Drainage Hack” that Doesn't work!

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Allagash Brewing Company

Allagash Brewing Company is an amazing brewery and b corporation out of Portland, Maine that has just come out with Fine Acre: an organic beer that’s the perfect accompaniment to your indoor and outdoor gardening practices this spring and summer! We are celebrating this launch with the Beer Gardening with Allagash Sweepstakes! The prize is insanely planty with $300 to Bloomscape, $100 Allagash merch gift card, a consultation with Maria, and the chance to direct $2,500 to a community garden nonprofit of your choosing! Head over to allagash.com for mechanics on how to join the giveaway! Fine Acre and other Allagash beers are for drinkers 21+. Please drink responsibly.

Territorial Seed Company

Territorial Seed Co provides high-quality seeds and plants (over 2000 varieties) that are tried and tested on their 75-acre farm and have a ton of fall varieties for us to try! Most of us think of the gardening season as spring and summer, but with the right timing and varieties for your location, you can grow year-round! Territorial Seed Company carries lots of varieties to start in summer and harvest in late fall, winter, and even over winter. For seeds, plants, online garden planner, how-to videos and more, visit TerritorialSeed.com and use code BLOOM10 for 10% off on your first order.

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