The 4 Items I Keep in My Plant Care Kit

The plant care items I use to keep 55 plants thriving

Taylor Fuller sitting holding a large houseplant By
Taylor Fuller
Taylor Fuller sitting holding a large houseplant
Taylor Fuller
Taylor Fuller has been writing about houseplants for The Spruce since winter 2020. She has a collection of over 75 plants in her London flat. She authored the book "The Rainbow Atlas" and her writing has appeared on Bustle and BuzzFeed.
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Published on 10/17/22

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plant cart essentials

The Spruce / Amy Sheehan / Taylor Fuller

When I think about how long I’ve had my plants now, it makes me gasp. Seriously, I first started dabbling in houseplants as a quarantine hobby. And now, three years later, I can honestly say that I still love them. They’re a lot harder to care for now that life is going full speed ahead, but with a few amazing tools and items, I still manage.

Because of a few key items that I keep in my plant care kit, I have peace of mind that my plants will still survive. And while I won’t lie to you that I first bit off more than I could chew, so a few of them have found their final resting place in my plant graveyard (a.k.a. the trash can), I am still managing to keep 55 of them alive. So what’s my secret? It’s having a plant care kit that makes caring for your plants simple and easy, even when you’re juggling a full time job, a few side gigs, caring for a dog, and having a social life. Here are the four essential plant care items I keep in my kit.

Moisture Meter

Sometimes you have to rely on your moisture meter (or your finger) to check the soil to see if you really need to water your plant. Everyone’s home and plant set-up is different, so just because the care instructions say that you're supposed to water twice a week doesn’t mean you need to. There are a number of things that can affect when you need to water your plant such as temperature, humidity, and how much sun the plant gets. So do yourself a favor and use a moisture meter to check on your plants. Stick it into the soil and respond according to your plant's preferred amount of moisture in the soil. Succulents need their soil to dry out completely before being watered, but tropical plants will be ready for a drink when the soil is still slightly moist.

Dr. Meter Soil Moisture Sensor

Dr Meter

 Dr Meter
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The 8 Best Plant Moisture Meters for 2023

Water Globes

I’m sensing a theme here… are you? Next up on my list of items I keep in my plant care kit are water globes. I love these. There are some plants that I just can’t figure out how to care for, so instead of maybe overwatering them, I use a water globe. I have some pretty simple globes, but you can also buy hand-blown glass ones. Fill them with water and then place the end deep into the plant's soil. Your plant will soak up the water if and when it needs it! These are also great to have if you travel a lot.

Wyndam House Watering Globe Set of 3

watering globes

Amazon
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Velcro Tape

Finally something that doesn’t have to do with watering. I love a trailing plant. So much. This means that I have splaying vining plants literally everywhere in my home. To tame the vines I use velcro tape to attach them to stakes. It allows me to train plants to grow upwards and wrap around something, as opposed to growing down and covering my floor in plant vines. It’s a real game changer!

Velcro ONE-WRAP Garden Ties

velcro wrap

Amazon
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velcro tape

Taylor Fuller

Planta App

I will continue to sing the praises of this app forever and ever. It’s the one thing that actually allows me to keep track of my plants and their care schedules. If I didn’t have this I would have a lot more empty pots scattered around my house. Planta allows you to create different rooms, add your plants to them, note down where in the room they’re located, and then notifies you when to water them or fertilize them. Seriously. It’s that simple. 

planta app

Taylor Fuller