Reasons Why Plant Identification is Crucial to Proper Plant Care
- plantielilmama
- Jul 16, 2024
- 2 min read
Growing up, my mother always taught me that one of the greatest compliments you can pay an individual is by remembering their name. Have you ever called someone by the wrong name and have them resent you for doing so? I have, it is not fun.
Properly identifying the plants in our collection, I believe is also one of the greatest compliments we can give our plant babies. I’m almost 100% sure that if you’re here reading this blog, you likely consider yourself a plant parent like I do. When I started this hobby, I didn’t take enough time to ensure I have the correct genus + species names of the plants that I was acquiring. It wasn’t until I stopped to think, how do I make them all happy? On top of giving them light, water and a good home, what else can I do to make them not just grow but thrive in my care?
Enter my OCD which prompted me to google each plant I owned and forced me to find their names. That was the game changer move in my plant care practice, here are five reasons why…
1. Knowing the genus + species name allowed me to research each plant online & in print and allowed me to join forums, groups, and chats where I found a few subject matter experts in a specific genus who were a great help with trouble shooting with growing issues.
2. A plant ID also identifies where they are geographically endemic to in the world. This explained better light requirement, relative humidity, temperature, and watering needs for each plant.
3. A proper ID can also dictate better options for growing mediums. Not all plants thrive necessarily in soil. Some might prefer bark, others moss, or in an assorted combination of different growing substrates and amendments.
4. Knowing the plant also means a better understanding of their nutritional needs. Not all plants need fertilizer, I certainly learned that after feeding Pings and then eventually killing them. I no longer have pings in my collection.
5. Lastly, having the proper ID ensure we pass on the correct information about a plant from one parent to another. I mean I could only handle a few NoIDs in my collection, how about you?
As a collector, grower, and now seller, I do believe in ensuring I have the proper identification for the plants in my care. That way I can help every plant parent who acquires their next plant baby from the PLM greenhouse to grow their new baby and watch them thrive in the process.
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