There are plenty of benefits to raising indoor houseplants: They beautify your home or office, they have been correlated with lower levels of stress and anxiety, and they may slightly improve air quality.
But, ironically, greening indoor spaces can also come at an environmental cost. The trucks that transport plants spew carbon emissions, plastic pots and synthetic fertilizers are made from petroleum and the harvesting of soil components like peat can tear up slow-forming habitats.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t grow potted plants, according to Susan Pell, the director of the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. She has a few tips for minimizing the environmental harm of indoor gardening.
End of carousel“Every little thing we do adds up collectively, so if all of us are doing these things, the collective impact is quite large,” she said. Plus, “the mindful act of trying to be more sustainable in one area of your daily life … helps you to be mindful in other areas.”
Find plants locally
Before you order a trendy plant you spotted in an Instagram ad or even take a trip to your local nursery, take a moment to think about where those plants come from.
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“A lot of major nursery suppliers are located in Florida and in California,” Pell said. Depending on where you live, that can be a long way for a plant to travel in the back of a truck — and a lot of carbon emitted along the way.
To save some money and carbon emissions, Pell suggests looking for local plant swaps or garden clubs in your area, which are often organized online or on social media sites. Other gardeners are often happy to give you cuttings of their own plants, which you can propagate and grow into plants of your own.
“Those groups frequently meet multiple times a year and they share not just plant cuttings and potted plants with each other, but they’ll share knowledge as well and sometimes have community events,” Pell said.
Buy durable pots and tools
Pell encourages gardeners to buy pots, shears, trowels, plant stands and other tools locally and think about durability.
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“I love to buy plant stands from antique stores,” she said. “You can often find locally made ceramic pots throughout the country and certainly in our area” near D.C.
Pell recommends terra cotta and ceramic pots that will last, rather than the cheap black plastic pots that quickly fall apart. (If you want a disposable pot, Pell recommends getting one made from biodegradable materials.) If one of your plastic pots breaks, check to see whether your local government recycles them. If not, you can often drop them off for recycling at a plant nursery.
Sustainable soils
One of the least sustainable soil components is peat, a rich brown substance formed from partially decayed plant matter at the bottom of bogs and other wetlands. Gardening guides recommend using peat as part of the soil mix for many plants because it retains water and adds structure to the soil.
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But peat, which is a precursor to the formation of coal, releases carbon dioxide when it is harvested — and it’s not easily renewable. “It takes hundreds of years, if not thousands of years to form,” Pell said. “We’re cutting into these peatlands and eventually they’ll be all harvested.”
Pell recommends trying out peat alternatives, like coconut coir or biochar, which also retain water in soil mix with less of the environmental baggage. Your local nursery or garden center may sell peat-free potting mix.
Pell also recommends cutting down on petroleum-based fertilizers, which create carbon emissions during their production. You can look for organic fertilizers or mix compost from your kitchen into your soil mix as an alternative.
“I myself almost never fertilize my houseplants, and they do just fine,” she said.
Pick your plants wisely
Don’t just pick a plant for its looks. You should choose house plants based on the conditions in your home — such as light and humidity — as well as your level of experience and commitment to gardening.
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“You really want to have the right plant for the right spot,” Pell said.
Some plants need bright, sunny windows and others need plenty of humidity. If you put the wrong plant in your dim north-facing window or above your apartment’s radiator, you may need to use a UV lamp or a humidifier to keep it alive, which will cost you money and use extra electricity. Or, you may simply kill your plant, wasting all the resources that went into bringing it into your home.
To avoid the waste and emotional turmoil that goes with killing a plant, beginner gardeners should start out with low-maintenance species, such as ZZ plants, snake plants or Chinese evergreens, before moving on to more finicky plants that require more care and attention.
If you have a plant that’s in distress, Pell invites you to call the U.S. Botanic Garden plant hotline: 202-226-4785.
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