I’ve been into houseplants for over six years and it was only a couple of months ago that I discovered this LITERALLY LIFECHANGING houseplant tool.
Get one for your friends. It doesn’t even matter if they already have one – I could actually do with having three.
The only problem you’ll encounter is that it’ll be a devil to wrap.
Get your favourite houseplant person a pump-action pressure sprayer
Yeah, you read that right.
We don’t want hats, or keyrings, or mugs with things like ‘I wet my plants’ or ‘plant mom’ on them.
Your friend may not know that they need a sprayer in their life. I didn’t. My boyfriend bought one to spray down his frog habitat and I stole it and now it’s mine.
Pressure sprayers are both incredibly useful AND fun. Trust me, you don’t get that a lot in the houseplant space. It’s a hobby that’s very light on gadgetry, unless you fancy forking out a few hundred quid for some fancy lights.
What’s so great about pressure sprayers?
Everything.
Oh, you want specifics. Ok:
They’re multifunctional
You can use pressure sprayers to:
- Blast off pests without using chemicals. Awesome for aphids
- Water your plants
- Fertilise your plants
- Clean your plant’s leaves. You can even add soap/neem oil to use as a pesticide
They save water
Watering houseplants typically wastes a lot of water, but because water sprayers have a much less intense stream, you don’t end up with water running out of the bottom of the pot in the volumes that it does when you water with a watering can.
They don’t drip everywhere
You don’t tend to water as thoroughly with pressure sprayers, so you don’t have to worry so much about your pots dripping everywhere BUT ALSO the nozzle of the sprayer makes it easy to evenly cover the top of the soil with water without dribbling everywhere.
They gamify houseplant care
I don’t know why they’re so much fun…they just are.
Fill it up, pump the pump, put the strap over your shoulder and pretend you’re a ghostbuster.
They’re awesome for winter watering
One of the downsides to watering with a pressure sprayer is that they don’t water as deeply as a watering can BUT that can be a benefit in winter when you don’t want your houseplants staying wet for weeks on end.
Having less water in the soil does mean you need to water a little more frequently than you would normally BUT it also reduces humidity (which can be a good thing outside of the growing season) and makes rooms easier to heat when it’s cold.
Watering is less of an ordeal
My sprayer holds five litres of water. I can give all my plants a decent drink without having to refill it. I just wander around my house, spraying plants as I see them without having to refill my watering can, or haul around the pot/oven shelf combo I use to catch the excess water.
It takes longer but feels so much easier AND I’m more likely to stay on task.
There’s a variety of price points
I think mine was about £15, but you can get cheaper ones and fancier ones with different nozzles and stuff.
Any downsides to pressure sprayers?
It takes longer to water if you have a lot of big plants.
If you want to give your plants a really thorough water, it can take ages with a pressure sprayer.
For big plants like Monstera, I use the watering can, and just use the sprayer for top-ups between ‘proper’ waterings.
When it’s hot, I use the sprayer to make sure my moisture-loving plants like Calathea and ferns damp but not sodden.
For smaller plants, I don’t think it takes any longer than watering with a watering can.
They’re kind of bulky to store
This is self-explanatory. They’re much bigger than a watering can. Perhaps not suitable for someone who doesn’t have much storage.
It’s a bit of a weird gift though. Wouldn’t a pot be better? Or vouchers?
Pots and vouchers are fine, but they’ve been done to death. A pressure sprayer is both fun and useful, and whilst they’re not expensive, they’re probably not something a houseplant person would buy for themselves.
Yes, it is a weird gift. But I think it’s a great one
I just wish you could buy ones that were a bit prettier.
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Thanks, Caroline. Love your newsletter! This is going to sound weird, but do you know if “real plant” leaf cleaner/polish works on fake plants. I have certain corners in some of my rooms that are dark, so I have to intermingle “faux” plants with their natural counterparts. It’s a nice look (really!) and no one quickly identifies the imposters, because of the way I arrange them. But one large plant is looking old and worn because it has accumulated dust on its sliver-like leaves. Cleaning each “leaf” would take hours, and plain water doesn’t seem to do the trick. (The dust returns at double the thickness, I swear!) Anyway, I hope this doesn’t feel like a “slap” of sorts, seeing you deal with only The Real. Just thought I’d ask!!!
Thanks, much…
Janet
I’ve not tried it myself but I don’t think it would be an issue. I have no issue with faux plants – it’s definitely better than making a real one struggle!