UNC plant parents: Students cultivate plants to pass time and de-stress

With COVID-19 forcing students to stay home, many have incorporated plants into their living spaces as a way to bring nature inside. These “plant parents” have growing collections of greenery in their homes.

One plant parent, junior Ryan Kroll, said he got his first succulent plant when he was a first-year at UNC. 

“An organization was giving succulents away on the quad,” Kroll said. “I didn’t even know that was a kind of plant. I felt very stupid because now I’m all about them.”

Kroll has over 15 succulents and plants in his apartment today. His first jade plant, named “Lou," is still his favorite. 

“I like having the responsibility of owning something kind of like a pet, but with a lot less of the responsibility and potential to mess it up,” Kroll said. “Sometimes when I’m sad, I’ll just go buy a plant.”

Junior Kayla Dang said she often spends one to two hours a day caring for her many plants. 

“I got into plants at the start of quarantine, around March,” Dang said. “I was in my Zoom class and I looked behind me and my room looked so boring and dead. And I was like, 'Maybe I should get a plant.'”

Dang’s mother gave her a cutting of one of her plants as a way for Dang to propagate and grow the leaf. Now, Dang has over 20 plants.

“I think it’s really nice to take care of something other than yourself,” Dang said. “It makes quarantine feel a little less lonely.”

Dang said some of her plants include philodendron birkins, marble queen pothos, heartleaf philodendrons, golden pothos and Chinese pancake plants, among others.

Sophomore Rachel Niemira also has experience propagating her plants. Propagating plants is a way to breed them, often by cutting and potting a leaf.

“Propagating is so fun because it’s like I’m creating something out of nothing, or I’m making three plants out of one plant,” Niemira said.

As a resident adviser, Daisy Byars deals with the struggles of being a plant parent in a dorm room. 

“I have an extra desk, so I put a grow light over it and have my plants under them,” Byars said. “They give me something positive that I can put my energy and time into and actually see a good result.”

First-year Macy Brown also lives in a dorm room. Back home, she tended to an herb garden in her yard and grew rosemary, thyme and basil. Now, she has a snake plant in her dorm.

“Snake plants and a lot of houseplants help bring oxygen to your room,” Brown said. “It also livens up the room if you’re in a dorm room. Usually the walls are pretty bland, so having the greenery in your room makes it a little more inviting.”

Thanks to the internet, many students find resources and friends in online communities. Byars is in one GroupMe called “UNC Plant People.”

“We just kind of chat and help one another out if someone needs some help or advice,” Byars said. “A group of them actually went to a local greenhouse a couple days ago and bought a lot of plants together.”

Dang is part of a similar Facebook group called “Chapel Hill-Carrboro Plant Swap/Sell,” where residents in the community trade plant cutting and gardening tips. 

For those interested in getting into plants, Niemira recommends starting with a low-maintenance house plant. 

“It’s really good for people to be surrounded by plants,” Niemira said. “It makes you feel more at home.”

@ejgerden

arts@dailytarheel.com