I posted recently looking for advice on what I should keep on hand for specialized potting mixes, along with other recommendations for amendments and nutrients and so forth. It didn’t get much traction, but I do appreciate the input I received. I’m an ADHD Libra with a tendency to overanalyze and fixate, so this was a slippery slope for me. I decided to just go ahead and buy a little bit of everything, so I could be prepared for any potential potting predicaments.
I tried to buy small amounts of items with high ratings. Admittedly I cheaped out on some of the inert materials to better invest in soils and amendments. I bought a lot of pots and planters, a lot of plastic storage containers, and a fair number of gadgets I could probably live without. At one point I got concerned about my spending, put together a spreadsheet, and then realized how much more money my husband spends on golf. So I bought more stuff.
Photo 1 is two of the three shelves I’m using to store these materials in a closet in my home office (it’s the room where all the plants live). Photo 2 is the planters and nursery pots that will occupy the third shelf once I clear it off. Photo 3 is everything I bought. Zoom in if you want to see details. If there’s anything I should be aware of, like if I shouldn’t be storing a particular substance inside a closet in my house, please let me know. If there are any glaring omissions I can remedy with additional spending, by all means point them out.
Cost breakdown: everything I bought, all together, was about the price of a good Titleist driver. My spreadsheet tells me I spent $615, but half of that was planters and storage bins and random junk. The substrates and amendments and other additives were $300. I think that’s a pretty reasonable start-up investment for consumables for a hobby. And there’s a golf net on my back deck that cost more than I could possibly spend on plants for years to come, so I have no regrets. 😉
by Poutiest_Penguin
21 Comments
i LOVE the labelled bins lol, i just have a couple rubbermaids that live near my back steps
Wow very nice! Problem i have is no matter how neat i try to be my gardening area always becomes a mess. At this point i only do a deep clean once a month. And i try to do all my repotting before then. Tomorrow i have to do alot of pruning and two repots. Maybe ill share my cabinet with all my stuff.
Haha I just did this to all of my amendments too!!!! My husband thought/thinks I’m crazy. I thought it was genius! My anxiety level has dramatically dropped and now I don’t dread repotting at any moment. Good job. I like the pink labels. Mine are just black and white. Next project I’ll switch them🤣
What kind of leca pebbles are they? SOOOO HUGE!!! 😱
Organized AF
I love this so much! My autism and ADHD are happy just seeing this.
Love it!! But you should consider making your myko/root enhancer box black, myko hates uv light! Just a heads up, now come organize my disaster please!
I love how you compare hobbies! My DH is a fishing maniac so I have a very comfortable houseplant budget. Also ADHD and am drooling over your setup. My biggest challenge was finding things that weren’t packaged in ginormous bags, spagh comes in BALES.
Wow! It’s so clean! I have a trail of dirt, perlite, and rocks between my shelves and the bathroom. 😀
Will you marry me?
I LOVE this setup!! I’m a newer multiple plant mom and this would help tremendously!!
This is fantastic! Definitely some inspiration here! You make a houseplant veteran feel like an amateur!
I like how you rationalize your spending 😆
I’m so jelly. I’m bad about buying things piecemeal. Starting to realize just how much they can make a difference.
So this is the first day?! 😆 time to get to work and dirty
Thank you for the good chuckle! Also, are you for hire? I’d love for you to come organize my plant stuff.
chunky soil mix tag missing 😂
FoxFarm Ocean Forest is the only soil I use. I make my mix up depending on what type of plant i’m potting up in that moment. I have mine in containers like this but larger and not nearly as organized. I am in the process of getting my plant room organized bc I have a lot of plant “stuff” I use & a plethora of various pots.
It’s beautiful 🤩
And the labels are all so straight and centered too
Sending this to my husband
Motherfucka those ain’t pebbles. I’ve never seen LECA that large.