Houseplants, especially in a college dorm room, may be a great way to make the place seem more like home while also providing some color and life.
Even if a dorm room has limited square footage, it is still possible to incorporate plants into the area by making use of wall hooks and plant hangers.
Look for Plants That Do Well in Different Lighting Conditions
Pick plants that can make it through both high levels of indirect light and low levels of illumination. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll know the orientation of your dorm room or the number of windows you’ll have until you actually move in. To name a few; sansevieria, pothos, monstera, ZZ plants, and philodendron.
Both a south-facing window that lets in a lot of light and a north-facing window with less should be fine, as these plants can thrive in varying degrees of light. Although they will develop more slowly, they can nonetheless thrive there.
Choose smaller or slower-growing plants
You will also need to think about space. Sharing a standard-sized dorm room with a single other person means compromising on personal space. Select low-maintenance plants or ones with a modest growth rate. Since ZZ plants and sansevieria grow so slowly, they won’t get out of hand any time soon. While pothos, monstera, and philodendron may not expand rapidly under dim lighting, they are all easily cut back to size if they are too big for their pots. An added benefit of a plant in need of pruning.
Plants that don’t require much water, like cacti and succulents, are another excellent option. You can also choose terrarium plants that are small enough to fit in a baby’s hand. Cut down replicas of your favorite vegetation. They won’t need nearly as much room, and with proper care, they can accompany you all the way through university.
Take full advantage of your window area
Get the most out of the space provided by any ledges in front of your windows. If the light coming in the window isn’t too intense, certain plants thrive there. Macrame pot hangers and baskets for trailing plants can be hung from adhesive wall hooks over a window. Using this method, you can easily make a green curtain for more seclusion. It’s also possible to find a little shelf or plant stool to use for stacking your plants in order to ensure that they all receive adequate light. Assemble them in layers, with the sun-loving ones on the bottom and the taller ones on the back to facilitate watering.
Think about artificial lighting
Investing in some grow lights can be a cheap method to provide your plants with supplemental illumination. You can find timer-operated versions and leave them on while you study. Thus, even if your dorm room has just one window, or if that window doesn’t allow in enough light, your plants will still get the light they need.
