Spider plants are among the best natural air filters you can put in a flowerpot. They don’t just produce oxygen, they clean out other gases and toxins and whatever else is floating around the room.
Also they’re easy as fuck to grow more of because they reproduce by putting little mini plants out on stalks. Clip one off, stick it in a pot and you’re good!
Hey! I’m excited about sustainability, but I’m really poor! So here are some tips if you are also poor.
Some starter tips
There are some things you can take that, while not stealing, people won’t expect you to take. This includes seed collecting from untended gardens, portions of plants that grow in the wild, and soil from parks. This kind of stuff can cut down on expenses.
Seeds can be sold in expensive stores, but can also be taken from produce you buy. Stuff like garlic, onions, green onions, tomatoes, and potatoes are all really easy to reproduce by themselves. Care enough to want organic, heirloom, ect? Go to a farmers market, take the seeds.
Some places also do seed libraries or seed swaps. Keep an eye out for these, especially if you live in or near a big town. Dollar tree also sells seeds in the spring.
A lot of this might involve bending rules. Be sneaky and be careful.
Plants
Ideally, land to plant on in a garden is how food is produced. However if you’re like me you live in a cramped, overpriced studio on the second floor or something.
Yeah containers work. But you need soil for that, and you can’t grab all of it from potting soil bags ripped open at your local garden store. Maybe if you’re patient. But I’m not.
Hydroponic setups work better. One like this requires a plastic bottle, some kind of mesh, and fertilizer.
This method could grow herbs, leafy greens, and some vine plants like pole beans, with support. this is not recommended for root plants like potatoes, for a lot of reasons.
Of course if you have access to dirt (not necessarily potting soil) you’re in a better place. Do a few tests, like drainage and composition. PH shouldn’t be a huge deal if you’re digging it up, just find dirt that shit is already growing in. Find a container that can hold a lot of dirt, poke a few good sized holes for water drainage, and plant that shit!
If you manage to bring some of your shit past usable to seed, congrats! Maybe learning about seed collection would help you spread the love to your other friends.
Perhaps the most efficient way of doing this is having friends who also reuse things. You’re not gonna be able to save every candy wrapper most days, and I’m in no position to give up simple luxuries like candy. If you got the money, finding local producers who use compostable/recyclable materials for your little luxuries is nice though. But some of us ain’t got that kinda money. And that’s ok.
As I said before, bottles can be used to make hydroponic gardens. Maybe if you want you can help your friends set up some gardens if you got one too many two liters from Little Caesars.
Plastic bags can be turned into plarn (plastic yarn) and used to knit or crochet. If you feel so inclined you can learn to make cool shit, like reusable shopping bags or something. You could also make a bunch of plarn and outsource this to your friend who likes to knit in exchange for something you wanna do, or are good at.
Egg cartons can be used as seed starters. If you use the cardboard kind, they’ll dissolve into the soil if you break em down a little before planting them.
Aluminum foil can be used to keep algae out of your hydroponic garden, or as an alternative to steel wool.
There’s a lot that I could say, but reuse stuff is popular right now. Ideally, it should be reused into something that has a good use. And remember, sharing your talents and outsourcing things you can’t do is good and pure.
Green Power
This is gonna be a little more expensive. If you got a little money laying around, this could help reduce your power bill or something. But this isn’t gonna be free or next to free.
Phone chargers are an easy one to power. They charge up and don’t vary in their power needs.
This tutorial is, quite frankly, brilliant, and takes away a lot of the barriers to making solar powered stuff (like soldering). They tear apart a garden light to do this. That light could be used for some plants or something.
Wind and hydro are kinda unrealistic for an apartment, but it’s something people do.
Local resources
Food banks, community gardens, borrowing land, pooling resources. Buy an empty plot with your friends and start a community garden.
Hope you don’t mind if I add two quick things:
I’ve made a whole post on how to start growing plants for free – most of it you’ve already covered but there are a couple extra tricks too!
these little guys are a type of algae that grow and live in water! despite the name, they’re not actually moss at all! marimo moss balls are a rare form of spherical algae that are found living in cool freshwater lakes in places like Japan and Estonia.
moss balls grow at about 5mm per year, which is really slow! but, you can purchase larger, already established ones rather than smaller ones if you don’t want to wait. they run for pretty cheap, most are sold for about a dollar a piece on places like ebay or etsy. some pet stores also have them, but be wary of fakes! there are plenty of fakes out there. the sources at the bottom of the post detail how to spot a fake moss ball.
marimos have a life span of around 100 years, and they’re pretty resilient! with a cute little bowl – they make great room decorations! but, like anything, they require some specific care that should be easy for anyone to follow.
care:
marimos require cool water. nothing too hot and not lukewarm. remember, they’re found in cooler, freshwater lakes and should be kept in a cooler environment for optimal growth!
marimos also require light, but not direct sunlight! marimos can easily turn brown if they get too much direct light, so keep them away from those rays! putting them on your desk or on a drawer in a well lit room with natural sunlight should be perfect! if they start to turn a little brown, just keep them somewhere a little darker and keep their water a little cooler.
water in your marimo bowl should be changed every 2-ish weeks. regular tap water is just fine – no conditioner required! water should be changed a little more frequently during the summer months. or, if you live in a hotter climate. the water will heat and evaporate more quickly during hotter months. water changes consist of using a cup to take some of the water out of it’s bowl, dumping it, and replacing it with fresh water. changing 25-50% of the total water is usually recommended.
etc:
marimos are known to float on their water from time to time. if this happens, gently squeeze the ball between your fingers (or in your hand, if it’s larger) and it should sink again! air bubbles can sometimes get trapped inside of your moss friend, which causes them to float up to the top of the water.
make sure you check your marimo’s condition from time to time. marimos need to be rolled and flipped every so often to ensure they get the proper amount of sunlight on all of their sides. also, inspect your marimo to make sure it isn’t dirty.
if your marimo does appear to be dirty, squeeze and roll it around in new, fresh water for a little bit. marimos kept on their own shouldn’t get dirty as often as ones kept with other fish. if you accidentally happen to break your marimo, gently roll it back into a ball with your hands, no sweat! good as new!
marimo balls can be a fun and pretty display for your home or office, and they can flourish with simple care. marimos are a wonderful alternative to people who enjoy the aesthetic of a fish tank, but dont have the time or money to care for one. plus, marimos can be kept in bowls – unlike most (all) kinds of fish!
The Chaos Bitches 