Caring for plants in a mobile home can be a little tougher than caring for them in other environments. Fortunately, there are plenty of small tips and tricks you may not know that will help you out. We’d like to shed some light on a few tips to bring everyone up to speed. Hopefully, some of them will be a perfect fit for your situation!
Too much humidity
Many (if not most) mobile homes are prone to humidity issues. What usually happens is that the mobile home becomes too humid due to poor temperature regulation. In turn, the mobile home begins to have moisture issues that cause a number of significant problems.
Let’s take a look at what excessive humidity can do to indoor plants. Yes, indoor plants tend to need more moisture in the air surrounding them. However, there’s still such a thing as too much humidity. And when the air in your mobile home is overly humid, it can cause indoor plants to slowly rot. For this and several other reasons, you’ll want to install a dehumidifier in your home if you start noticing moisture problems – otherwise, your indoor plants won’t go unscathed.
What if there’s too little humidity?
Of course, not all mobile homes struggle with excessive humidity. In fact, some may have the opposite problem – too little humidity. Unfortunately, that’s a death sentence for most indoor plants. As with everything else, though, there are ways to make sure your plants get enough moisture.
- Try misting your plants with water.
- Never place indoor plants in areas where temperature extremes exist (i.e. next to a heater).
- Run a humidifier in your home.
- Keep your plants in a small gravel plot.
If all else fails, there’s no shame in simply trying out a different type of houseplant altogether. For example, if you just can’t keep your zebra plants alive, you can create a hardy succulent garden instead!
Finding space
Finding space in your mobile home for your decor and lifestyle can be a problem. After all, mobile homes are smaller and more compact than typical stick-built homes. If you’re looking for the right place to put your potted plant or full-blown indoor garden, you might have to do a little thinking. In case you’re short on space, consider some of these creative possibilities:
- Window planters
- Vertical garden
- Shelf/cart garden
- Garment rack plant hanger
Each of these is a space-saving solution for a mobile home that’s a little on the small side.
In some mobile homes, light is an issue
Maybe your mobile home has plenty of windows and a perfect lighting situation going on. However, some mobile home owners aren’t that lucky. If you’re among them, you probably know what it’s like to have too few windows and too little light for many of your projects – and you can add indoor plants to the list of things affected by your light situation. Without enough light, indoor plants won’t flourish. This means you’ll need to make absolutely sure your plants are getting the light they need. So what are some things you can do to make this happen?
- Place plants near or in windows, if possible.
- If they still aren’t getting enough light, try placing them under artificial lights. LED lights are a good option.
- Hanging plants have a better chance of getting enough light than plants placed on the floor. If you haven’t done so already, consider a hanging garden as suggested by Architectural Digest.
Hanging indoor plants lighting by Amber Dubois via Architectural Digest
Finding time
Of course, you shouldn’t grow more houseplants than you have time for. If you don’t think you’ll be able to keep up with twelve houseplants, you probably shouldn’t try to grow twelve houseplants. Instead, stick with a more reasonable number. Try to think of your plants like pets. While some plants are very low-maintenance, others need nearly as much care as a small pet. If you have a very demanding lifestyle, stick with less demanding plants, or maybe just one high-maintenance plant. In other words, plan for success by matching your plant or plants to your lifestyle.
Take the time to enjoy your hobbies
If houseplants are a hobby of yours, putting time and energy into caring for them is an activity you’ll find rewarding. After all, life is too short to not enjoy your hobbies – and with houseplants, you get to enjoy them all year, rain or shine. Even better, you won’t need a great deal of money or huge amounts of time. Instead, you can garden to your heart’s content and watch as the result of your labor grows right in front of you!
About EZ Homes Design Team
