Happy Thursday!

Here are 3 plant health tips, 2 thoughts of the week, and 1 question for you.

3 Plant Health Tips:

• …Calcium & Magnesium - Calcium and magnesium are super important nutrients to help with the uptake of others nutrients such as nitrogen and many more.
   
  Calcium helps build strong cell walls, and magnesium is the driving force behind photosynthesis so ya, it's pretty important lol.
   
  Magnesium is located in the chlorophyll molecule of plants and is the nutrient responsible for plants being green!
   
  It’s always a great idea to supplement plants with calcium and magnesium throughout the year to help with development and overall health. I’ve always loved using coconut water because it contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, and natural sugars that feed the microbes in your soil (remember, feed your soil and it will feed your plant!). There are many synthetic cal-mag products available on the market so if that's what you prefer, the world is your oyster.
   
  BONUS: You can make something called WSC (water soluble calcium) by heating crushed egg shells in a pan until they brown, then blending to a find powder and mixing with apple cider vinegar. Let this mixture sit overnight as it bubbles and then strain. This is water soluble calcium/phosphorous and is an amazing natural solution to cal-mag!

• …Coco coir - Coco coir is basically a replacement for peat moss as a growing medium or a “base” to soil mixes. It is made from the husks of coconuts which is then washed multiple times to remove salt, sterilized, and then usually dried and compressed into a brick.
   
  Coco coir is something I’ve always loved incorporating with soil mixes that contain peat moss, or honestly just completely replacing peat moss for my mixes.
   
  The reason I do this is because peat moss has hydrophobic properties which can be frustrating for plants that like wet/dry cycles.
   
  Coco has amazing water holding capacity, solid aeration, and does not get hydrophobic; BUT: it can have high salt content which can damage plants so may need to be washed before use, its pH usually needs to be adjusted with either lime (pH up) or sulphur (pH down), and contains no beneficial microbes.
   
  This is why I like doing a 50/50 mix of both to have both benefits and reduce hydrophobic properties of my soil mixes.

• …Plant training - moss poles, bamboo stakes, pencils and the like are all tools for supporting and training plants.
   
  Originally my experience with training plants was all focused on cannabis which involves lots of pruning, shaping, and staking to create really cool canopies and shapes.
   
  With house plants you can do the exact same thing and the entire purpose behind training your plants is to help them grow more efficiently! This is super important in plants that like to climb and cling to trees in their natural habitats (orchids, pothos, Hoyas, philodendron, etc).
   
  By giving them something to climb, they can grow stronger root systems, look more aesthetic in your home, and overall make for a healthier plant. Tons of options both expensive and cost effective for plant training so go with what you feel.

2 Thoughts of the week:

• …Focus
   
  We have to focus throughout the day on so many different things. What I am talking about here is what thoughts your mind focuses on.
   
  Focusing on jealousy, shame and guilt are so easy because it’s what most of us see. Mistakes are hardly seen as lessons and thus we focus on our mistake in hopes that it will make us better.
   
  But guess what?
   
  It causes constant repeating of the mistake as the judge inside your head beats you down for it. These cycles are dangerous and hard to get out of like a vortex.
   
  "A repetitive thought can either be the most powerful thing in the world, or the most harmful."
   
  Watch what thoughts you are focusing on and decide how to change the narrative. Even if the narrative is changing the outcome of the situation to what you wished it would have been and move forward with that feeling.