From adding life to your workplace, acting as natural air purifiers, to boosting productivity levels, keeping plants in the office can do you a lot of good. However, office plants also require some tender loving care.
Different indoor office plants have different maintenance needs. Thus it is important for you to know what the maintenance needs of a plant are before you decide to have them in your workplace. For example, if your office does not have plenty of windows to allow sufficient amount of light inside, and you ahead and get a plant like a cactus for your office, they will not survive. Cactus is a plant which does not require much water, but they do require plenty of sunlight to grow. So your first tip to help you take care of your office plants is to pick a plant which goes well with your workplace settings.
Your personal work commitments also play an important part when it comes to selecting plants for your office. For example, if your work keeps you occupied to the point where you are likely to forget to water a plant, it may be sensible to get an office plant which does not require to be watered regularly.
Even plants that do not require water on a daily basis do eventually require some water. A good idea here is to set a day aside every 4 days where on the fifth day you would water the plant. You can even set a reminder on your smartphone.
If you have an event coming up because of which you would not be in your office for the next couple of days or might even miss a week at work, make necessary arrangements. Good colleagues come in handy here! Make arrangements with them to have them look after your plants for you during your absence.
Speaking of colleagues, not everyone might feel the same way as you about your plants. They might be too okay emptying their soda cans in your plant’s pot. This is not okay. Your plant is not a wastebasket. For plants to grow, you need to protect them…even if it means having a word with one of your colleagues who habitually empty their coffee cups in your potted plant.
While your plants don’t feed on leftover soda and coffee, the do need some food to thrive. Choose a time-release fertilizer and just sprinkle some of it on the soil inside the pot. You do not have to do this every day. In fact, just doing it every couple of months would do a good enough job.
Plants with flowers somehow always look prettier than the ones without them. However, plants with flowers also require more attention. If you do have a plant with flowers, keep an eye out for any wilted flower buds. Once you have a plant on your desk you will be surprised by how aesthetically pleasing and calming it can be to have one. There’s just something about natural things which makes us feel better.