We caught up with Plantsome Parent, Sharf Khan who picked up a new hobby during the pandemic, collecting houseplants! Sharf works tirelessly around the clock and his collection of 302 plants has become a big part of his post-work wind down routine. Here's what he had to say about his tropical green amigos...
1. How many plants do you have in your plant collection?
I have 302 plants inside the house itself. They’re not 302 unique species, but it’s pretty close.
Photo credit: Sharf Khan
2. What’s your favourite plant(s)? Do you have any new additions that you’re really excited about?
My favourite indoor plant is either the bird of paradise or the Dracaena deremensis varieties. The bird of paradise is a real attention grabber with its deep green foliage and all the Dracaena deremensis varieties have so much vibrancy in them that you can find them in various colours to fit your indoor decorating needs. There are two main plants that I’m looking forward to getting: the Dracaena jade jewel that is currently on the Plantsome website. I have the cane version but not the bush version. The other plant is the Alocasia baginda, otherwise known as the dragon scale Alocasia, which is being imported from Indonesia at the moment.
Photo credit: Sharf Khan
3. Why do you love having plants in your home? What do they mean to you or how do they impact your life?
I got into plants this year due to the pandemic. Everyone is cooped up in their homes, work and home lives are intermixing, couples are getting into more squabbles, kids are throwing more tantrums. Let’s face it: 2020 has not been kind to anyone. I go to work and all I see are sick people. I see individuals scorn medical science and flout rules, and I see those who are in dire need of help for their mental and physical health. When I come into my home and I walk past the humidifier in my office that houses around 50 different types of plants, I feel as if I have cleansed my soul from the drudgery of work. My home becomes a sanctuary where I can relax in a tropical paradise akin to the places I enjoy travelling to back to pre-pandemic days when individuals had more freedom to travel. I enjoy seeing new growth on my plants, and I enjoy diagnosing any problematic plants and helping them recover and thrive.
4. Do you have a favourite spot in your home where your plants make it feel that much more alive?
The favourite spot in the home is the living room. It has one large 12-feet-tall fiddle leaf fig, along with multiple calathea, a hibiscus tree, various philodendrons, ferns, and airplants. There is a humidifier nearby and it makes the air feel fresh.
Photo credit: Sharf Khan
5. Take us through your plant care routine? What do you do to keep your plants thriving?
I check my plants’ soil moisture levels twice a week. Most of my plants are tropical, so if they’re in the red zone on my moisture meter I give them water until the water just barely seeps out of the drainage holes of the pots. I also have grow lamps in various areas of the house to keep my more needy plants happy. Tropical plants need moisture so I have three humidifiers in the house to keep the house at around 60-70% humidity. The Plantsome app has been handy for watering reminders and also for fertilizing reminders.
Photo credit: Sharf Khan
6. What are some lessons you’ve learned from having plants? Are there any plants you’ve struggled with in the past?
Plants are living things. I know some people who collect plants and then forget about them and they end up dying. Just like with any living thing that comes into a new environment, they need some time to adjust to the home atmosphere, including humidity levels and lighting conditions. With that said, I do not like taking care of succulents. Their lighting conditions are too rigorous without the aid of grow lamps on the west coast, and if they don’t have grow lamps they etiolate into green giraffe-looking plants. Mini rose bushes and hibiscus are two other plants that I’ve struggled with keeping alive indoors. I’ve come to accept that they just do better outside than inside. The other fickle plant is the fiddle leaf bambino. That thing just loves to curl into a brown mess of rotting leaves if you just look at it funny.
7. If you could describe your experience with Plantsome in one word, what word would you use? And a brief description of your experience!
Convenient. That’s the one word that I would use over all else to describe Plantsome. Of course, other words come close, too. Because of my line of work I try not to go into public areas so much, so I was looking at online plant deliveries. Plantsome filled that niche. I have bought dozens and dozens of plants from Plantsome, and with the exception of one plant which was quickly rectified by their customer support team, Plantsome has been phenomenal in terms of their selection, the health of their plants, and their packaging and quick delivery. Plantsome has been exceptional and I will continue to support them with their future endeavours.
Photo credit: Sharf Khan
If you want to be featured in our plant parent spotlight, please email hello@plantsome.ca. We want to hear from you and all about your ‘plantventures’ with your green amigos.
